89-year-old "Ecolite" Electric Railroad Lantern Restoration

[@mishkaulitkin9476]

What a great job! The broken switch would make me walk away, but you made a new one! Wow.

[@CatalystRestorations]

@@mishkaulitkin9476 by far the most disheartening thing I've had happen on a restoration and the most difficult thing I've had to ponder how to recreate!

[@pofrof4910]

Very well done. I really like watching the care and detailing you put on the work.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you so much! 🤗

[@StonerBear420]

i used to have one, found it in my great grandma's shed and it still worked

[@CatalystRestorations]

That's amazing, Brandon!!

[@Cradley684]

Now may I say we have got some light on the item, it is one GREAT restoration friend, have a nice day & Stay Safe !!!.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you, Brian!

[@AngelaClaytonCostumery]

Really enjoyed this, and I love the color! The vibrancy of the metallic finish has to be the nicest I've seen from a can, it looks fantastic.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank Angela! It's getting harder and harder to find this color in metallic, which is a shame because I agree - it's fantastic!

[@cathybenson5119]

I love the colour too. It's my favourite. Lol. 👍👍👍🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@ricky107_]

@@CatalystRestorations why is that got discontinued?

[@CatalystRestorations]

@@ricky107_ It is discontinued I believe, yes. Not sure why Rustoleum did that, but I have to assume the answer is always money.

[@Austeration]

That was really cool following you along as you restored this beauty. Great job 👍

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you!! 😁👍

[@thejonathandoan]

That turned out really nice! Love the paint job. Great work! Thanks for sharing the video!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you! And thanks for watching!

[@jp040759]

WOW Expected this to be a goner. Didn't think you could replace the insulating disc. Great job!!!!

[@CatalystRestorations]

It was quite the challenge but nothing I couldn't figure out!

[@carlmcgee1623]

Some real SICK effort on tis one. Excellent job sir !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks Carl!!! It's one of my all-time favorite restorations!

[@steveferguson1232]

Great restoration. Love the vintage craftsman jigsaw also

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks! It was my dad's and it's still a workhorse today!

[@churlepatakha]

Satisfying restoration. Good choice of color.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks Shahid! I tried to stay original to the green color scheme but give it a little flair! 💫💫💫

[@SUROBLEDEKchannel]

Great video sharing

[@malevopfgm]

Amazing restoration, when I saw the rust i thought it was beyond this world ;)

[@CatalystRestorations]

Sometimes I'm able to perform small miracles 😁

[@tonyc.4528]

Well done, sir!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks for watching Tony!

[@andrewgrace4410]

Very nice and clean restoration and color

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks Andrew! The metallic Rustoleum is a hidden gem!

[@johnmclaurin]

Great job! Beautiful results! Fun to watch!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks John!

[@mr.beanpatty8564]

dude, this restoration channel should have way more subscribers.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Can't disagree with you on that! 😁

[@nescobaraloplop9468]

You really earned that one. When the switch broke, I wouldn't have traded places with you for $1000! Nice job.

[@CatalystRestorations]

I died a little on the inside when that happened!

[@MnACreations]

Fantastic restoration!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks, Mike!

[@frick566]

Awesome resto!!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks Lee!! 👍

[@lucydurham1403]

Great work, sir! The result is really beautiful!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you!! 😁👍

[@rogerpatrongonzalez5800]

Excellent job! Congrats!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you, Roger!!

[@bigvicsworkshop]

Outstanding! I think its great!!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks Big Vic!!

[@madmanmechanic8847]

I do Marine repair and also restore muscle cars and I took on look at the rust pile and thought man now way he is going to need a donor to fix that . Even for my standards I will take on the most difficult jobs if I have too. That one i thought man no way its too far gone. But you pushed through the rust and rebuilt it . I love the color you picked! I am going to restore a old school die grinder with the flexible shaft it looks from the early 40s I got it with the original wood box. I want to refinish the out side of the box but leave the inside original and I need to fix a crack and replace the hinges. But I need to make a new decal for the top of the box and dont know how to do it. When I get my youtube channel going I want to make a youtube video of it and the restoration. But I still need to learn to edit. I ordered soft ware but the post office lost my order . So I dont know what I am going to do. Nice job my man nice job !

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks for the kind words, Roger. I had doubts myself at various stages of this project that I was going to be able to pull it off! Best of luck in your die grinder restoration, sounds like a great project! For the decal you might consider water slide decals like I used in this video. There are lots of great KZbin videos that explain the process and it's very straight forward. The hardest part is attempting to recreate the decal in graphics editing software. As far the video editing goes, don't sweat it! I didn't know the first thing about it before I started this channel about 2 years ago and I learned it all entirely myself through KZbin. You could look into purchasing a copy of your editing software digitally if you're worried about losing it in the post again and your copy never turns up. I know it's not cheap!

[@madmanmechanic8847]

@@CatalystRestorations I will be honest with you. For over five years I was frozen in fear of video editing, never been a techy guy. I still have a old school flip phone. Hey if it works why change it. I was very intimidated with editing, My dream was the You tube . But scared to death to try editing. Here about three months ago I got a free trial for Movavi . I was scared to try it . I literally talked to myself and told myself and forced my self to open it up and get some old videos I had done and started playing with it. I went on youtube for Movavi editing and made some simple steps like cutting and adding text and transitions. I started getting some confidence in myself and after a week my trial was over. But dude Movaivi kicks ass I learned so munch in one week ! My business shut down 95% so I had no money to buy it. I want a cd not a signal and down load incase my pc crashes and can down load it again. I had no luck. I started watching more videos on tube and found one on shotcut. I watched all the way through. And thought wow that is cool very basic and lot like Movavi . I found a older version on ebarf for 2019 on CD and ordered it that is when the post office lost it . Looks like the seller is sending out another one for me. He is getting positive feed back. I have a lot of projects already done for youtube that are un edited . I had to put it on the back burner because I ran out of money I need a $90.00 linkage but current project is a Factory 425hp Chevy 409 intake and carbs I am restoring . I got the wrong carbs with the set up but they will work but that is going to be one of my youtubes. The linkage wont work for it I have to buy Edelbrocks linkage and its almost $90.00 I am excited to get it done and filmed when I am done I am going to sell it. I hope this will help people with the video . Rebuilding carbs is a dying art thanks for the well wishing and reply

[@markroth9827]

Nice job. Cool lantern.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks, Mark!

[@restorationconstantines7731]

Great work!👍

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks! 😁

[@DrMrSmooth]

Good work 💪

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you!! 😁👍

[@BGRestore]

Great paint job, especially love the label! Keep up the excellent work!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you! Hours of work recreating that label condensed down to 5 seconds 😂

[@RestorationAustralia]

Awesome, well done.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Cheers mate!

[@terrynicholls2975]

Nicely done!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you Terry!

[@jozsefizsak]

I'd say it's a definite improvement. 😉 Well done!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Maybe a little bit! 😜 Thanks Jozsef!

[@lolcec81]

Комментарий в поддержку канала и ролика, а также труда мастера.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks for watching and for the nice comment!

[@pascaljeske7307]

Yes a really nice Job Love it 👍❤️👍

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks Pascal! 👍

[@davidcoats1037]

Great job! 😃👍🏼

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you David! 😁👍

[@karmar2273]

hay quá Phúc ơi, nổi cả da gà luôn nè, thấm vào từng mạch máu

[@bradwiebelhaus7065]

Great work.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks for watching, Brad!

[@vladimirvladimirovich3528]

Отличная работа! Золотые руки!👌

[@надеждагригорьева-х4ц]

Скажите, пожалуйста, что это?

[@vladimirvladimirovich3528]

@@надеждагригорьева-х4ц Фонарь железнодорожника, начало-середина 20 века

[@надеждагригорьева-х4ц]

@@vladimirvladimirovich3528 спасибо!

[@vladimirvladimirovich3528]

@@надеждагригорьева-х4ц ☺

[@CatalystRestorations]

"Great job! Golden hands!" Thank you!! 🙌 (these are my golden hands 😂)

[@B.knight]

Saw your comment on tsytube and checked out your channel. Great job with the restoration. Loved it

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks for watching dude!!

[@jfk52]

Fantastique restauration !!! 👍

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you! And thanks for watching! :)

[@Dule708]

When I saw the amount of rust, I thought "There's no way that he can save this one". Well, looks like I was wrong, and I'm glad I was. :) Well done, indeed! :)

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks! :) It was really touch and go there for a while though!!

[@ankermek]

Very well done. Awesome restoration. Subscribed 😁👍

[@CatalystRestorations]

A huge thank you for watching and subscribing! 😎

[@19Bmiller]

Nicely done

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks Bob!

[@delhog6161]

A fine job done indeed young man.👍

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks for watching Del!

[@rseletto]

An amazing job, it was in such a bad state. Now better than new 👍

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks! It was touch and go there for a while, wasn't sure I could salvage it!

[@rb962]

Nice job!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks Rose! 🙌

[@garymucher4082]

Very nice refurbishing effort in this near totaled lantern. If you want something closer to the phenolic insulator plate that was broken up, try using printed circuit board materials. If you can't get the material without any copper plating, use some Ferric Chloride to remove the copper . And then you have the perfect insulator plate that can be drilled and formed however you like. Just an idea... Thumbs Up!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Hi Gary! You are the first person who has been able to nail down for me what that material is called - phenolic insulator! Thank you for that! I did look into circuit boards and I think it's actually a better analog to the original material than the plastic I chose. It essentially just came down cost, but in the future (I've got a few more lanterns!) I think I will try the circuit board route! It's mostly uncharted territory as far as I'm aware for electric railroad lantern restorations! Thanks again! 👍

[@masterguy29]

This is amazing.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you so much! Hope this shined a light on subscribing to the channel! 💡😁

[@ulrich.hoffmann]

Well done! I am wondering if there is some kind of protecting glass or so for the bulbs missing?

[@CatalystRestorations]

Hi Ulrich! Many of these types of railroad lanterns do indeed have a plastic or glass housing. This particular model was not designed for one (although I think ones with housings look 'cleaner'). An easy way to tell if there was a housing that is now missing is to look for small hinges, latches, or tabs around the reflector area where you would secure the housing in place.

[@simondixon2599]

Great job !!!!!!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks, Simon!

[@filipwennergren2712]

Really. nice job!!!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks Filip!!

[@herrdeutschmann4602]

Well Done !

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you! And thanks for watching! 🏮🔦

[@markarnold159]

Very cool resto.... Not sure of the color for my taste. But great job!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks, Mark!

[@domnau.9772]

next time you have to do so thick soldering, try laying two or three rings of soldering stuff around the objec, then heating the whole thing with a heat gun/ soldering gun.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Dude, that is awesome advice. I never even considered a heat gun, but mine should get hot enough for this - I'll have to try this out next time! Thanks Dom!

[@AfelinenamedVJ]

These are more reliable than the ones in use today.

[@CatalystRestorations]

You're probably right!

[@michaelpage7691]

Where the heck do you find all these pieces. They seem so distressed, you’d think most people would have disposed of them in the state they’re in. Great job. 👏🇦🇺😁

[@CatalystRestorations]

I hit up a lot of flea markets or antique stores! This particular lantern I found on eBay, which is unusual for me but I happened to just be looking at railroad lanterns on there and found this super rusty one.

[@specialservicesequipment393]

You might consider putting a coating of NOALOX on that rotating switch mechanism's contacts to prevent future oxidation/corrosion

[@CatalystRestorations]

Excellent advice, I think I will do just that! Thanks for watching!

[@specialservicesequipment393]

@@CatalystRestorations I also dope the light bulbs that screw in, both on handheld equipment, and outdoor bulbs on houses or bulbs in bathrooms with a thin layer on the threads, and a dab on the end contact. They can be in there for years, and they unscrew without getting stuck and breaking.

[@CatalystRestorations]

@@specialservicesequipment393 Also a good call, because these bulbs are very fragile!

[@bgdavenport]

Concrete Cleaner and Metal Prep solution that you can purchase at Lowes/HDepot is the same stuff as Evaporust at a fraction of the cost. I have a bucket of the stuff and use it all the time.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Chemically those are completely different products entirely. Klean Strip's concrete/metal prep solution is 40% phosphoric acid and does dissolve rust, but it will also eat at your base metal too because it's an acid by its very chemical composition. Evapo-Rust on the other hand is 90% water and 10% sulfur-based chelating agent that chemically bonds to iron oxide (rust) only. You can leave delicate steel items indefinitely in Evapo-Rust (literally for years) without the base metal ever breaking down. The concrete cleaner is also really a one-use product whereas you can reuse Evapo-Rust over and over. I've been still using the same 1 gallon jug for almost 2 years now. Personally I also care about environmental impact as well and Evapo-Rust is substantially safer for the environment than a concrete etchant. Not an Evapo-Rust sponsor, just believe in the product. Electrolysis for rust removal is still cheaper than literally anything else though by far.

[@walterrobbins4470]

I like the substitute insulator

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thanks! One of my favorite things I've made for a project.

[@bonezonemusic7370]

Just found one of these at a cool salvage store for 10 bucks. Looks like mine may work! Well see

[@CatalystRestorations]

Fingers crossed yours works as-is because I'll be perfectly honest, it's a bit of a nightmare disassembling and reassembling!

[@ScottEisenhuth]

Wonderful job on what looked like a lost cause. I was wondering about the logo decal. How did you make the image that was put on the decal? Thanks. And thank you for your great restoration videos.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you, Scott! I use Adobe Photoshop, but for anyone looking for a free option, GIMP is a great open-source alternative nearly identical to Photoshop. I printed it on laser printer water slide decal paper.

[@Harryjmacneil]

I have one of these. My father worked for the CNR.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Very cool! Hopefully yours is in better condition than mine was when I found it!

[@Harryjmacneil]

Hi again, Surprisingly it’s in very good shape.

[@brandyeverett7778]

If you can't afford to get a new soldering gun then put the piece of metal in the oven and heat it up before soldering. A trick my uncle taught me.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Great tip Brandy, I'll try that next time!

[@shant2464]

I love Milwaukee!

[@CatalystRestorations]

It's a cool place! Only thing I don't like about it is the Brewers (I'm a Cubs fan)! 😅

[@7171-Ws6]

Funny that in 2022 we use that same design lantern on the railroad

[@CatalystRestorations]

Crazy right?! I take it you work in the railroad industry then. I will say that I would like to at least see some LED bulbs in this lantern though! I've got a few other lanterns waiting to be restored and I may upgrade them to LED as part of the restoration.

[@7171-Ws6]

@@CatalystRestorations yup 19 years. And they still use 6v batteries but they are led. You would think they would have rechargeable lanterns but I’m sure the railroad is too cheap to buy those

[@CatalystRestorations]

@@7171-Ws6 Hahaha, too funny. Well stay tuned, I'll have some more lantern restorations coming in the near future!

[@wtfallready]

Awesome! What design software did you use for the decal?

[@CatalystRestorations]

I use Adobe Photoshop, but a free alternative with nearly the same features of Photoshop is GIMP!

[@BrodHotRod]

Love the content. Wondering...why not preheat the metal b4 soldering with a torch? Curious.

[@CatalystRestorations]

An excellent tip Bradley! Honestly I didn't do that because I just never thought of it until you and some of the other viewers suggested it (even though it is like soldering/welding 101 stuff), haha. Next time!

[@Twisted_Adventures2]

I just bought one this afternoon at a local antique store. Where did you find the bulbs?

[@CatalystRestorations]

I was lucky enough that I have original bulbs that still work, but Amazon will be your best bet for buying new ones - they are E10 socket bulbs! Should be around 6V, since a lantern battery (the big square one) is 6V.

[@patriciapimenta5084]

ficou otimo

[@CatalystRestorations]

Thank you!!

[@kevinfoster926]

There was no glass dome for the protection of the lamps?

[@CatalystRestorations]

This particular design does not have a protective housing, no. The modern equivalent designs also do not use a housing either. In this case I did some research online just to confirm, but you can also always visually tell by looking for any extra screw holes/mounting points around the reflector area and/or hinges that would've held a housing on. In this case, there are none which doubly confirms. Personally I prefer lantern designs that have housings though!

[@christopherklein8434]

Looks great but what a nightmare of rivets lol

[@CatalystRestorations]

For real! Some people say they don't make 'em like they used to and in some ways I'm grateful we've moved on from just riveting everything.

[@crewleaderprods]

I have a similar lantern but has no markings other than "NH 32" stamped near the top.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Interesting! A few guesses I have would be it was either property of a railroad line in New Hampshire or New Haven, New York. Could also *possibly* be someone's initials and a year.

[@LBG-cf8gu]

love these artisan channels. back in the day when usa was a manufacturing powerhouse. sigh!

[@CatalystRestorations]

I work in US manufacturing (steel industry), so I understand! Unfortunately consumers heavily trend towards the cheapest price of a given commodity, and US-based manufacturing is inherently more expensive, so it's a steep uphill battle to bring it back.

[@MBW4449]

I have one of those! I didn't know what it was. Do you want it. I don't.

[@CatalystRestorations]

Send me some pictures of it! [e-mail]

[@EnricoGolfettoMasella]

So much battery to such a mild light 💡😅

[@CatalystRestorations]

So sad right?!

[@justanoldsoul6400]

How rare are Ecolite lanterns

[@CatalystRestorations]

This model is not particularly collectable when it comes to the whole world of railroad memorabilia, but it's hard to find these Ecolite lanterns with the stickers still on them!!

[@justanoldsoul6400]

Ok I was just wondering because I have one that I’m restoring as well. And it looks similar to yours.

[@CatalystRestorations]

@@justanoldsoul6400 Awesome! If you have any questions as you're restoring it, just drop a comment here or send me a note at [e-mail]! I'd love to see any pics of the before and after too!

[@justanoldsoul6400]

Ok will do.

[@kiiiisu]

nicely done! except solder was very cold :p small torch would have been good on it since parts didnt have paint?

[@CatalystRestorations]

Yeah, that's a good idea, I'll have to try that next time. I had the soldering iron cranked up to the max setting (450C) but it just kept dumping all that heat into the whole piece of metal.

[@kiiiisu]

@@CatalystRestorations yerr would be good to get part so hot that solder just melts into it, ive used small cigarette lighter size torch (storm lighter called here)for battery cables, it will take a time but worket perfecty

[@CatalystRestorations]

@@kiiiisu Thanks for the tip! I'll have to try that next time I'm in this situation!!

[@marcozeferino69]

A match gives more light

[@CatalystRestorations]

Haha, right? These bulbs are original, and are 70+ years old at this point - not much left to them!

[@KonoplevaLiya]

Так и не поняла для чего

[@CatalystRestorations]

I explain it a bit in the video description, but basically it was how a person in the back of a train could communicate to the person in the front operating the train. You would turn the lantern on and then raise or lower it with your arm to indicate a command like 'stop', 'go', or 'back up'. Another person on the other end of the train (or even a boat in some cases) would see your lantern signal and know how to steer the train. They used lanterns like this before radio communication was possible. If you're interested in more information you can google 'brakeman lantern hand signals' and there are some charts.

[@tiborzangl2139]

Roman, 1000% nebýva.

[@CatalystRestorations]

ok

[@accckiy]

Overcomplicated and useless. But restore is good!

[@CatalystRestorations]

Overcomplicated for sure, but definitely not useless for their designed purpose back in the day. Today....a nice display piece of railroading history! 🚂🚂🚂

[@radiomellowtouch]

Reckless disassembling,…stop being trigger-happy with the drill!

[@CatalystRestorations]

lol, I'm not sure it really mattered honestly. Everything pretty much crumbled to dust in my hands.

[@billguernsey6419]

Pop rivets are unacceptable in that era, the decal was nice. The switch should have been made of brass. You really did a clean up not a restoration.

[@CatalystRestorations]

ok Bill