It's DAT again!

[AC/HL]

Emulsioned wall, no pattern on the wallpaper?
Also, nothing about the Coronation.

[high_vacuum_house]

Is it the silver transistor radio with the black string carrying handle on the left hand side of the middle shelf (or to me it looks like one!!)

Christopher Capener

[Heatercathodeshort]

Far too technical gentlemen!

Yes, well spotted. The Toshiba pocket radio is definitely 1980s.

Bxxxxy impudence! The chair is real Leather!

The walls are what is known as 'Spanish Plaster'. I believe this goes back a lot further than the Ekco.

I'll give it another day then come clean. John.

[julie_m]

There is a bar code on the cigarette packet in front of the skull?

[1100 man]

Originally Posted by Heatercathodeshort

Nick, It is an Ekco..VERY reliable. [Three link chassis]
The 16" model was the TC178. 16" metal cone tube. My TC196 has the same chassis but with a 15" circular tube. Released early 1953.

Hi John,
Reading the very nice sales brochure that Emeritus uploaded, I saw reference to the 'three link chassis'. Would you like to explain exactly what that was?
During the '50's, Ekco seemed to release a vast range of slightly different models. There didn't seem to be a noticeable change in cabinet style during the whole decade. Maybe this interesting subject needs a thread of it's own?

Still no nearer to spotting whatever the glaring error is in your picture though!
All the best
Nick

[Radio_Dave]

Curtain pole?

David

[Phil G4SPZ]

Originally Posted by Heatercathodeshort

Bxxxxy impudence! The chair is real Leather!

Sorry! Guilty as charged, m'lud

[Heatercathodeshort]

The 3 link chassis was developed by Ekco in 1951. The first model to employ it was the T161. The early versions used more of a conventional design of the times.

The chassis was divided and bolted into sections to form one flat design. As developments took place it was upgraded over a period of 12 years finally ending up tipped vertically from 1959 but other than that the original layout was immediately recognizable.

Great care was taken to ensure that updating took place without destroying the original design concept. It was very reliable and an excellent performer, a real tribute to E.K. Cole. That's it in a nutshell. John.

[Heatercathodeshort]

Originally Posted by Phil G4SPZ

Sorry! Guilty as charged, m'lud

Ha ha! John.

[Heatercathodeshort]

OK time to wrap this up.

I didn't think that silver and white Christmas trees were available in 1953 together with the mini lights. This one was bought from Woolworth's Wimbledon store in 1973.

Real trees were the thing together with standard MES 20v 12 lights sets.

I cannot imagine any mum of the day would have bought a 'shop' Christmas pudding on seen to the left of the dresser. [That Tesco one is Mmmmmmm. Other brands are available]

Other than that you might just get away with it. Regards, John.

PS I'm still laughing about David's curtain pole suggestion! Nice one!

[Heatercathodeshort]

Originally Posted by julie_m

There is a bar code on the cigarette packet in front of the skull?

?I think you may have been smoking those funny cigarettes.. John.

[line sync]

Is that a freeview box I can see on the dresser?

Robin

[julie_m]

Originally Posted by Heatercathodeshort

?I think you may have been smoking those funny cigarettes.. John.

I know what I saw:

The skull might be wearing a little Bobby's helmet. And is that Ganesha on the plate behind it?

[Heatercathodeshort]

Oh! What have started!
What you see is the BC LED bulb removed to allow the BC adaptor to power the Christmas tree together with a tube of embrocation so I suppose you are right in a way, ie not 1953.

Yes a Freeview box and DVD player.

No, the plate has a picture of Nurse Edith Cavell on it and if you believe that you should add more water to it!

I suppose this might be more accurate. John.

[julie_m]

Ah, so we get a chance to mention pareidolia and serendipity in the same sentence! Looking again at the original picture, the bulb and the tube of cream in front of it become clear; and according to the better-focused picture above, the "elephant goddess" on the plate is actually a rose!

[MurphyNut]

I have about 6 boxes of those 20v 12 lights sets, I used to love them because I remember them with affection gracing the christmas tree when I was kid.
Everytime I saw a set in a tatty box for sale I'd buy it in an instant, but alas the love affair has now faded as the time involved in finding the guilty bulb that had blown became all too much!
They now reside in the loft with too many other things that I don't use but can't bear to part with.

[emeritus]

You should try making three sets out of four. Since extending a 12 lamp string to 16 more than a decade ago, thereby operating the 20V bulbs at 16V, I have never had to replace a bulb, and the brightness is hardly diminished.

[Phil G4SPZ]

Originally Posted by emeritus

...Since extending a 12 lamp string to 16 more than a decade ago, thereby operating at 16 volts...

14 volts per bulb, surely? I'd also recommend this approach. I made up two 15-lamp sets out of three scrap sets a couple of years ago. The bulbs have never failed since. Each 20-volt lamp operates at a nominal 15.3 volts and they do look perfectly bright and seem to last a long time under these conditions.

In my experience, modern production cone-shaped bulbs suffer from two problems. Firstly, the connections to the centre and outer connections to the MES screw are sometimes terminated in an enlarged blob of solder, which can prevent the bulb seating properly in the bulbholder. Secondly, blue bulbs tend to be less bright than the other colours. But with care, these lamps can be used very effectively to create a vintage scene.

[emeritus]

Indeed, slip of the finger on the numeric keypad. Should have put 15V ( = 240/16) . We are now normally around 235V, which a calculator says is 14.6875, but for this sort of thing I find the nearest whole number suffices. Thinking back, it was more like 20 years ago when I extended the set using the remains of a set that I found in a litter bin when I was with Marconi, and I haven't had any blow since. This was before the millennium: where does time go?

[G6Tanuki]

I've found that wiring a diode in series with the usual 12-lamp string tends to prolong the bulbs' lives rather effectively. With a bit of cunning, some solder and an inch of heatchrink tubing you can safely hide an 1N4007 inside a 13A plug....