Hello everyone,

I took the plunge and purchased the CH 1 green tip that sold on eBay recently. I love the piece and all looks great but the stripes on the light have somewhat shinier and thicker paint at the top and bottom of the black stripes than the more matte paint in the middle. It is consistent so I don't think that it has been touched up but wanted to see if anyone owning one can tell me more about this. I just want to be sure the piece has not been touched up.

Thanks.

Scott

Heres a tip on this subject. Use a blacklight (Not the light bulb shaped one) They dont work. Use the long tube type. Now turn off the lights in a very dark room and turn on the blacklight, You will see if there are Inconsistencies in the paint job.Exsample: if there are two colors you are looking at and someone used a different paint, You will see it. Also if there was breakage and someone glued it back togather, You will see that two. Blacklights are used all the time for this. Also works great to find cat urine in carpet and so on.

That's a great tip MICH...
thanks,
Bob

Outstanding tip on the black light. Can you buy them at a photo store or if not there, where?

Rich,

I've got the same question -- but you beat me to the post.

WHERE?

bobo

P.S. Is that the thing they use on CSI that can illuminate blood and other body fluids?

You can buy them at a halloween store, In fact you could probally get a deal now that Halloween is over. Just remember to get the 2 foot lamp style, NOT THE LIGHT BULD SHAPED KIND THEY DONT HAVE THE SAME LIGHT SPECTRUM.I use one on all the ones I purchase through ebay or secondary market. There is plenty of info over the internet about how to use them and what to look for. I have had many HLs that I have returned back to the seller due to reglue or paint touch up or cracks. It really works. Art Collectors have been using this a method of finding flaws for years. You can also get the lights from Target stores I believe or some hardware stores. They can run about 20.00 to 60.00. Sorry Ebay sellers that try to pass off Junk

The Black light test.
I have not heard that word since the hay days of Harbour light collecting during the 1990’s.
The black light really works. I tried it on a lighthouse that I purchased from a dealer that no sooner did I bring it home and a small piece of it fell off. I assumed it was tacked together with Elmer’s glue. I did not return it figuring the dealer would just accuse me of breaking it, so I decided to glue the broken piece back on with epoxy so it would never fall off again. I made sure I cleaned off the glue and to the naked eye, it looked like a good job. To verify that I did a great job I decided to check it under the black light. To my dismay, the invisible residue of the glue showed up as a big shinny smear. It really did not matter that much about the glue since the lighthouse was part of my collection and was not to be sold.

I never heard of a black light being used for Paint touch-up but that sounds like a good idea. I have one I am going to try it on. Bobo and Rich it is obvious you guys do not have teen-age kids. All I have to do is to take my lighthouse into my teenage son’s room if I want to do a black light test.

But back to the CH-1
I would like to hear from other collectors also. Does anyone have a CH-1 with shinny parts and dull paint on it? Well I do not have a CH-1 like that but I have a CH-2 that is like that. I bought my ch-2 in 98 and I also was concerned when I noticed the black paint shinny at most parts and then some of it look like someone went over it with a dull black.
I had discussion with the secondary market experts at that time Mike Richardson and Jim Rutherford and came up with the conclusion that you really cannot know about the early ones. Even if it was touched up, it may have been done by the factory or even the dealer. Remember the early lighthouses did not have quality control.