Extremely rare Protector GR6S prototype, 66 / G

Extremely rare Protector GR6S prototype marked as 66 / G (from 1966, Garforth). Although the GR6 was initially introduced in 1964, it quickly encountered an issue with its outer wick tubes, made of brass, which began to develop fractures during extended usage. This predicament necessitated a solution. The ultimate fix involved substituting the brass tubes with stainless steel ones for the outer and inner wick tubes. However, recalling and converting the existing lamps wasn’t straightforward due to the integration of brass outer tubes into the base plate casting. Consequently, machining was required to remove the brass tubes, creating a recess to accommodate the new stainless steel tubes and a rubber O-ring. Converted units were marked with a post stamp “S” on the badge, indicating completion of the modification, while subsequent models were labelled as GR6S from the factory (with “S” denoting Stainless). Observing the stainless steel inner wick tube, it becomes evident that its production costs were substantial, which likely contributed to its eventual abandonment.

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