Case Study Overview

Site Domestic property
Location United Kingdom
Repair Type 19th century lantern restoration
Defect Broken door latch and fabrication of modern candleholder

Repair Products

Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty

Case Study PDF

Case Study Details

Arthur J. Poole manufactured a huge range of candle-lit lanterns, lanterns for police offices, lamps for use on the railways, maritime signal lamps capable of transmitting Morse code, and copper coal buckets from his factory in the heart of Birmingham during the 19th century.

The lantern in question was candle powered, dating it to the 1870s or 1880s before paraffin became more widely used. For an item the best part of 120 years old and which had clearly spent most of its life as a working lantern, it was in remarkably good condition.

There were two areas which needed attention before it could be used once again. The lantern no longer had a latch to close the door in place.

Whenever there was a breeze or the lantern was being carried by its handle, the door would therefore swing open and the candle inside be extinguished.

The other problem was that original candleholder was very small and not suited to modern day candles. To overcome this, it was decided to make a round platform that could take tea lights or other larger candles and fix a spike on the bottom that could slot into the existing candleholder.

This was done using Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty. Superfast Steel comes in a pre-formatted 114g stick. The user cuts off the amount of putty required and then mixes it by hand, instigating a chemical reaction between the resin and hardener.

Superfast Steel has a work time of around five minutes. Whilst soft, it can be shaped and formed as desired. Once cured, it offers super-strength adhesion between different substrates and forms a material as hard as steel.

To create a new candleholder, Superfast Steel was moulded into the required shape to make the platform. Once the platform had cured, the spike was shaped and added. Whilst soft, the spike was pushed into the existing fitting to ensure it was a perfect fit.

The spike easily bonded to the platform, creating a new holder capable of supporting a modern candle inside the lantern and completing part one of the restoration.

To create a new handle for the door, a metal wire was bent into a T-shape by folding it in half, then bending the two ends at right angles. It was attached to the door via two plastic tubes which were bonded to the lantern using further Superfast Steel.

When the door was closed, this metal wire could now drop into an existing latch attached to the opposite side of the lantern, locking it in place and preventing the candle from blowing out.

A coating of black paint was added to the wire, the plastic tubing and the Superfast Steel to complete the restoration at a cost of under £20.

The lantern is now lighting up a garden in East Sussex and ready for another 120 years of service. Arthur J. Poole himself would have been impressed.

Products Used

Superfast Steel
Epoxy putty fabricates new parts and makes permanent bonds between materials

Related Case Studies

Case Study: Hospital Maintenance Team Seal 80mm Diameter Hole in Cast Iron Wastewater Drain Pipe

A hospital seal an 80mm diameter hole in a cast iron drain pipe through which wastewater was pouring whenever a bathroom was used in a repair taking under 15 minutes

Case Study: Corroded & Leaking Worthington-Simpson Pump Head Repair

The inside of a Worthington Simpson pump for which replacement parts no longer exist is sealed and reinforced after pinholes were left in the casing during the removal of corrosion

Case Study: Repair of Underground Clay Drainage Pipe Cracked During Building Work

Two cracks in an underground clay drainage pipe – one of which was severe enough to almost split the pipe into two – are sealed by a UK homeowner making a DIY repair

Case Study: Boat Owner Repairs Pinhole Leak in Rubber Hose Connected to Engine

A hardened rubber hose playing a vital role in cooling a boat engine undergoes repair after developing a pinhole leak in an area of the vessel which was extremely difficult to access

Case Study: External Surface Damage Repair to Restore Integrity of 400mm GRP Pipe

Areas of external damage on the surface of a 400mm GRP pipe at an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia undergo repair to restore integrity of the line and lessen the chance of future leaks

Case Study: Leaking Hydrogen Line Pipe Repair at Power Station in Puerto Rico

Leaking joints at either end of a hydrogen line installed as part of a new cooling system for a Puerto Rico power station required sealing before the pipe went into full service

Case Study: Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty Used to Fix Rust Holes on a Classic Car

A classic car owner uses Superfast Steel Epoxy Putty to permanently fix rust holes which had developed on the metal frame of their vehicle in a quick, easy and cost-effective repair

Case Study: Repair of a Leaking 150mm Steel 90 Degree Elbow Bend at a Quarry Wash Plant

When a quarry in the UK could not fit a pipe repair clamp around a leaking 150mm steel 90 degree elbow bend, they instead used a SylWrap Pipe Repair Kit to seal the line