So a co-worker brought in his fixtures over the past weekend.
Fixed the two Altman 360's in really bad condition and missing some parts but confused about the date of them. Radial of course but textured gray/black which will be difficult in extreme to reproduce the color of given the lens trains were toast for paint and will need sand blasting. Too long in storage I think. Luckily I had some matching lamp caps and one went back to original factory spec. for museum placement, the other is being upgraded to MR-16 for home use in probably using a ENH/5 lamp. This amongst other parts replaced that were missing or toast and an upgrade sleeve reflector and screws instead of rivets to mount it. Did an upgrade for one of my Major Lekos' but never bench focused it. This time we will finish the upgrade on the 360' and the Major. Believe they will go beyond concept in physically it will work, this time we will bench focus a MR-16 lamp in a radial Leko. Though it would be easier if 12v for beam spread availiable as I found with the box spots I upgraded. On the other hand, if I can make a radial Leko into a MR-16 fixture, already have LED/MR-16 lamps in stock... simple enough to put one in instead. Perhaps an antique Altman 360 radial will be the first example of a LED Leko - and most would just throw them out or use them for boat anchors...
Gate reflector for these fixtures were toast in red rust. Question comes up given the in really good condition base reflectors with even Alzark process stickers, back than on this gray/black texture paint series of 360 Leko, were they using gate reflectors or was it a light block and heat sink? The gate reflector was steel instead of aluminum and given the total rust on them, it would be hard to tell if reflective or black heat sink. Don’t know, but old style 360 brown series gate reflectors sleeved well into the old gate reflector and do help output. A tech note - bolt this assembly - loose the riveting. Also bolt the gate to the body, don't re-rivet. Try to match the brass slotted pan-head screws in doing so to what's used on the lens train. (Galvanitic reaction?)
The fixtures also have no evidence of ever having used a clutch break. While interesting that they were using the standard Altman type cone washer for the yoke, I will have thought they would have a clover leaf like lock washer instead in use. Not seemingly. Typical Altman knobs and parts otherwise, pan-head slotted screws in use but brass for the lens train snout screws.
So given these are not Hammertone Brown or new black, when did the 360 era fixture come out? I know there was a different Leko before the 360' that’s more like a Century or Capatol late 50's early 60's fixture, these have the old style paint say before 1962 Hammertone Brown. (Waiting on my pre-360 series Leko in already trading an upgrade 360Q for it... Waiting and waiting for it. I know they have some and trust the source so will wait.)
Side note on the bench focus of the one we got up and running, just plain splitting the fixtrue in half and Grade 1-A eyballing that filament to be center, once we closed it up, it was perfect and flat field enough that I could not teach further adjustment of the beam. Was just too good and a dissappointment in doing so. No challenge normally associated with any Altman and especially with the 360'. Too bad in even showing the sheet of paper in the gel frame technique, but other than a hot spot we think due to proximity at the bottom, we lucked out. Too bad for me in teaching, but also perhaps if you can split the fixture and bench focus sufficiently by way of just looking at it... might be good to go and this say pre-1962 fixture is about just as bright as one could buy even still. About as bright given it's larger reflector cutaway. Still though, I could deal with it even with green lenses.
One Leko was missing it's lenses, the other came with newer spacer and lens clip plus blue lenses. Thinking neither were origional. For the one I fixed up, we used green lenses - though it will have been nice to think that the older pre-brown Lekos' had blue lenses. No evidence yet in getting beyond the step lens and lens train. Think the one that had it's lenses was a more recent replacement. Still though the one with the green 6x9 lenses we got working, didn't really look that bad. I wouldn't pass it up for use given I was raised on not much to work with.
Anyway on other fixtures, some interesting other ones.
A Century 1590 that I have no date for. Help here___. Missing lenses and lamp cap. Lenses easy, missing lamp cap, perhaps possible to do but need some help in the details of it and it’s gizzards. A punt might work in getting it up and running but a shame. Friend at work seemingly trashed picked fixtures that needed parts were removed from. (Given they have labels of where they came from, perhaps the parts removed are still there in asking as an idea.) This one might be saved in only real hard part of it the missing lamp cap and gizzards mounted to it.
The rest are Kliegl and best I could do on the Kliegl website was 1978 for date. Website is dead in lack of upgrades or returned E-Mails. Still valuable resource even if missing important into or could have been a great reference to all brands.
Two #1355/8 and missing their lenses and lamp caps also. Hmm, another 5.3/4" ish step lens fixture - this as best I can date to 1978 for the more or less common circle K type Kliegl Leko. No chance of fabrication of that lamp cap, a shame I passed up that one on E-Bay in thinking I would get some from him. Still though his fixtures, one with a yoke with label could serve as spare parts. Too much missing for museum use, will save the fixture parts but won't be using them.
Next a fixture marked as #3518 and 3609 in stamps - meaning right as the #3609 upgrade say was coming out. It’s an 8" Fresnel that’s missing a lens that should be easy enough to replace, and the lamps are still made. 78' is best I can date the dual ended DWT or FER lamp it would use. Missing one of it’s lampholders but that’s easy to mockup in working even if one can no longer get what it was.
Should be able to introduce it to the museum, though it does throw into question my #3506 fixture given the shape of this later fixture more matches what’s in the 1964 catalogue and mine at 6" doesn’t. Was there way different shapes and styles between the 6" and 8" sizes back than? This one is like what's in the drawing as new for 1964. Mine is more classic 6" Fresnel than studio Fresnel like fluting the 8" takes and is advertised as. Was there a different shape betweem the 6" and 8" back than or was mine later in year but the same base type it was but body more or less common 6" Fresnel for them since like the 50's?
Last Fresnel caught me by surprise - it’s a 6" #3606 that’s made for an EHD semi-modern leko like lamp. Didn’t know they did that. Very similar to the RSC based reflector only single ended in base type and the modified small reflector, flpped on its side. Also with the above, only 1978 is when I can date it. Can’t wait to clean it up and test it in wondering why the industry didn’t go towards one lamp for Fresnel and Leko. Believe this was and still is a huge debate in ParNel not being a Fresnel as it’s own animal, (___ saying nothing) but using the same lamp. This as with my Kliegl #1165b had a rotating lens train back in 1936'... just never caught on until the 90's. ETC did do their homework in researching the monumental fixture upgrade.
Still though, for this #3606, people have been asking for the same Fresnel lamp as a Leko for years in eventually Osram doing the BTH for at least matching output to a GLC lamp. Good addition to the museum in history this Fresnel I didn't know existed. I believe it’s a final step in post Fresnel history I thought I covered in all versions of a Fresnel from globe type to halogen. Appaiently not in surprise, here is a Leko lamp based fixture Fresnel. So gonna get that in the inventory immediately.
Yet what date if before 1978 by way of price list, is all I have at this point for most of the above. A G-9.5 based Fresnel... totally cool to add. Missing it’s lens and that’s easy enough to replace. Seems more like a PC fixture than a Fresnel in length but it is a Fresnel. Wonder what contacting the school will lead to.
Really? As best I can do in some black hole for history... somewhere between 1965 and 1978?
Fixed the two Altman 360's in really bad condition and missing some parts but confused about the date of them. Radial of course but textured gray/black which will be difficult in extreme to reproduce the color of given the lens trains were toast for paint and will need sand blasting. Too long in storage I think. Luckily I had some matching lamp caps and one went back to original factory spec. for museum placement, the other is being upgraded to MR-16 for home use in probably using a ENH/5 lamp. This amongst other parts replaced that were missing or toast and an upgrade sleeve reflector and screws instead of rivets to mount it. Did an upgrade for one of my Major Lekos' but never bench focused it. This time we will finish the upgrade on the 360' and the Major. Believe they will go beyond concept in physically it will work, this time we will bench focus a MR-16 lamp in a radial Leko. Though it would be easier if 12v for beam spread availiable as I found with the box spots I upgraded. On the other hand, if I can make a radial Leko into a MR-16 fixture, already have LED/MR-16 lamps in stock... simple enough to put one in instead. Perhaps an antique Altman 360 radial will be the first example of a LED Leko - and most would just throw them out or use them for boat anchors...
Gate reflector for these fixtures were toast in red rust. Question comes up given the in really good condition base reflectors with even Alzark process stickers, back than on this gray/black texture paint series of 360 Leko, were they using gate reflectors or was it a light block and heat sink? The gate reflector was steel instead of aluminum and given the total rust on them, it would be hard to tell if reflective or black heat sink. Don’t know, but old style 360 brown series gate reflectors sleeved well into the old gate reflector and do help output. A tech note - bolt this assembly - loose the riveting. Also bolt the gate to the body, don't re-rivet. Try to match the brass slotted pan-head screws in doing so to what's used on the lens train. (Galvanitic reaction?)
The fixtures also have no evidence of ever having used a clutch break. While interesting that they were using the standard Altman type cone washer for the yoke, I will have thought they would have a clover leaf like lock washer instead in use. Not seemingly. Typical Altman knobs and parts otherwise, pan-head slotted screws in use but brass for the lens train snout screws.
So given these are not Hammertone Brown or new black, when did the 360 era fixture come out? I know there was a different Leko before the 360' that’s more like a Century or Capatol late 50's early 60's fixture, these have the old style paint say before 1962 Hammertone Brown. (Waiting on my pre-360 series Leko in already trading an upgrade 360Q for it... Waiting and waiting for it. I know they have some and trust the source so will wait.)
Side note on the bench focus of the one we got up and running, just plain splitting the fixtrue in half and Grade 1-A eyballing that filament to be center, once we closed it up, it was perfect and flat field enough that I could not teach further adjustment of the beam. Was just too good and a dissappointment in doing so. No challenge normally associated with any Altman and especially with the 360'. Too bad in even showing the sheet of paper in the gel frame technique, but other than a hot spot we think due to proximity at the bottom, we lucked out. Too bad for me in teaching, but also perhaps if you can split the fixture and bench focus sufficiently by way of just looking at it... might be good to go and this say pre-1962 fixture is about just as bright as one could buy even still. About as bright given it's larger reflector cutaway. Still though, I could deal with it even with green lenses.
One Leko was missing it's lenses, the other came with newer spacer and lens clip plus blue lenses. Thinking neither were origional. For the one I fixed up, we used green lenses - though it will have been nice to think that the older pre-brown Lekos' had blue lenses. No evidence yet in getting beyond the step lens and lens train. Think the one that had it's lenses was a more recent replacement. Still though the one with the green 6x9 lenses we got working, didn't really look that bad. I wouldn't pass it up for use given I was raised on not much to work with.
Anyway on other fixtures, some interesting other ones.
A Century 1590 that I have no date for. Help here___. Missing lenses and lamp cap. Lenses easy, missing lamp cap, perhaps possible to do but need some help in the details of it and it’s gizzards. A punt might work in getting it up and running but a shame. Friend at work seemingly trashed picked fixtures that needed parts were removed from. (Given they have labels of where they came from, perhaps the parts removed are still there in asking as an idea.) This one might be saved in only real hard part of it the missing lamp cap and gizzards mounted to it.
The rest are Kliegl and best I could do on the Kliegl website was 1978 for date. Website is dead in lack of upgrades or returned E-Mails. Still valuable resource even if missing important into or could have been a great reference to all brands.
Two #1355/8 and missing their lenses and lamp caps also. Hmm, another 5.3/4" ish step lens fixture - this as best I can date to 1978 for the more or less common circle K type Kliegl Leko. No chance of fabrication of that lamp cap, a shame I passed up that one on E-Bay in thinking I would get some from him. Still though his fixtures, one with a yoke with label could serve as spare parts. Too much missing for museum use, will save the fixture parts but won't be using them.
Next a fixture marked as #3518 and 3609 in stamps - meaning right as the #3609 upgrade say was coming out. It’s an 8" Fresnel that’s missing a lens that should be easy enough to replace, and the lamps are still made. 78' is best I can date the dual ended DWT or FER lamp it would use. Missing one of it’s lampholders but that’s easy to mockup in working even if one can no longer get what it was.
Should be able to introduce it to the museum, though it does throw into question my #3506 fixture given the shape of this later fixture more matches what’s in the 1964 catalogue and mine at 6" doesn’t. Was there way different shapes and styles between the 6" and 8" sizes back than? This one is like what's in the drawing as new for 1964. Mine is more classic 6" Fresnel than studio Fresnel like fluting the 8" takes and is advertised as. Was there a different shape betweem the 6" and 8" back than or was mine later in year but the same base type it was but body more or less common 6" Fresnel for them since like the 50's?
Last Fresnel caught me by surprise - it’s a 6" #3606 that’s made for an EHD semi-modern leko like lamp. Didn’t know they did that. Very similar to the RSC based reflector only single ended in base type and the modified small reflector, flpped on its side. Also with the above, only 1978 is when I can date it. Can’t wait to clean it up and test it in wondering why the industry didn’t go towards one lamp for Fresnel and Leko. Believe this was and still is a huge debate in ParNel not being a Fresnel as it’s own animal, (___ saying nothing) but using the same lamp. This as with my Kliegl #1165b had a rotating lens train back in 1936'... just never caught on until the 90's. ETC did do their homework in researching the monumental fixture upgrade.
Still though, for this #3606, people have been asking for the same Fresnel lamp as a Leko for years in eventually Osram doing the BTH for at least matching output to a GLC lamp. Good addition to the museum in history this Fresnel I didn't know existed. I believe it’s a final step in post Fresnel history I thought I covered in all versions of a Fresnel from globe type to halogen. Appaiently not in surprise, here is a Leko lamp based fixture Fresnel. So gonna get that in the inventory immediately.
Yet what date if before 1978 by way of price list, is all I have at this point for most of the above. A G-9.5 based Fresnel... totally cool to add. Missing it’s lens and that’s easy enough to replace. Seems more like a PC fixture than a Fresnel in length but it is a Fresnel. Wonder what contacting the school will lead to.
Really? As best I can do in some black hole for history... somewhere between 1965 and 1978?
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