THE LIGHT THAT TOOK ALMOST 30 YEARS & THE FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION TO INSTALL
By stephen
November 12, 2015
Дата :
02-03-1989
That’s the date stamped on the still-sealed and intact СВИДЕТЕЛЬСТВО (‘certificate’ in Russian) to let us know this bunker light we’ve named ‘Boris’ (that was actually designed for use in bunkers) met the Soviet specifications, and was officially approved for use.
However, it seemed Boris was destined to live a life unlit, forced into the back of a dark and dusty St. Petersburg warehouse after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
With the introduction of Perestroika and the transition to market economy, state-run factories were abandoned and fittings like Boris never got installed.
Like many explosion-proof lights, Boris was a glass-caged lamp designed to mean business. It was used where hazardous materials could be found such as bunkers, ammunition storages, chemical plants, power stations and other top-secret military purposes that we cannot discuss until the files are made public in 2045, if ever.
To prevent any flammable gasses coming into contact with the terminal inside Boris, it has an intricate design featuring porcelain layers separating the casing’s socket from the air outside. Boris was similar to the fittings produced by the East German manufacturers Elektroinstallation Oberweimar (EOW) and Kandem, short for Körting and Mathiesen (both were made in 1930) and examples are seen below:
But Boris’ destiny changed thirty years later when someone we know – who knows someone – who knew about a factory that had a bunch of these still in their boxes. After some negotiations, Boris soon found himself in Australia, and was eventually ready for a project with Techne for Jimmy Grants’ new location at Eastland. Before delivery, Melinda Miles from ambience made sure Boris (which was still in remarkable working order) was given a slight refurbish and makeover.
We re-wired Boris up with the ambience flexible system, and he then got a fresh paint from master painter Stuart Adcock with Dulux Surreal Effects – Blue Hammer texture – 90185159. And finally, Boris was chain-mounted for Jimmy Grants Eastland.
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