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Bug / Insect Screens
Insect screens cover the top of the chimney and protect the
mantle from damage by flying insects that are attracted to light
or flies when the lamp is not lit.
The earliest reference I have found for the bug screen is in a
September 1916 wholesale price listing. This implies
that the bug screen may have been introduced during the last year the model
6 lamp was offered for sale if not earlier during model six production.
There were at least 2 versions of the early bug screen, one with vertical
slots in the bottom ring and one without. The one with slots
(shown here) seems to be the later version .
The insect screen with the downward pointing fingers
appears to have been introduced in 1928 along with the model 12
lamps. This insect screen appears on the 1944 price list but
not the 1945 price list, implying that production was ceased to
conserve brass for the war effort during late 1944 & 1945. Actual
production might have stopped earlier during the war and they may
have just had an already built stock to sell during the war.
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This is the earliest version of the bug screen introduced during model 6 production. This is the screen that was available for model 7 & 8 production. Note that the base ring is not expandable. |
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Aladdin chimneys were made from different molds each with slightly minor different dimensions sometimes making the early bug screen a tight fit. Slits in the base were added to make it easier to fit bug screens to the different chimneys. This version was likely available during models 9, 10, and 11 production. What was included on a new lamp depended upon stock on hand at the factory, when the changeover occurred, and what was on the dealers shelf at time of purchase. So design changeovers are not exact. |
Model 12 insect screen left, model 23 insect screen right |
The insect screen with the fingers was introduced in 1928 along with the model 12 lamps. This would be correct for models 12, A, 14, and Pre-WWII model B lamps. Since it was made from brass manufacturing was discontinued in 1942. However stock on hand likely made them available during the war years.
A new old style insect screen was introduced in 2004 and discontinued in 2017. This may initially cause some confusion. While the
construction is similar note that the new one is taller with
additional metal added just below the perforated area providing
space for the Aladdin name to be stamped into the side. Also
the model 23 insect screen comes in both brass and nickel
plated. During 2003 B&P Lamp Supply started reproducing
the insect screen with the finger clamps that are very similar to the new Aladdin insect screen shown above. These reproductions
are stamped with the B&P name. |
Model 23 insect screen with original box
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In 1949 a number of changes were made in the Aladdin
lamp product lineup. One was the introduction of a new insect
screen. This new insect screen used a wire mesh much like
the earlier Australian version. The new version is wider and
has internal fingers that allows it to fit chimneys with with greater
variance in top diameter. This new style insect screen was introduced the same
time as the Nashville model 12 and B burners. The screen can
handle the high temperatures better than the earlier versions and
is not prone to having the mesh burn away at the top centre.
This style was discontinued at the end of 2017, so is correct for American Nashville model B lamps through early MAXbrite 500 lamp production as well as UK late model 14, 21 and 23 lamps.
The screen in the picture above was manufactured in the UK.
They may never have been made in the US. |
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At the beginning of 2018 Aladdin combined their insect screen product and their smoke bell to produce a combined insect screen and smoke bell that slides onto the top of the chimney. This increases the safety factor for people who place table or shelf lamps higher up on a shelf. The label on the side reads"REQUIRES 24" CLEARANCE TO COMBUSTABLES" This of course makes 24" (2 feet) the closest distance from the top of the smoke bell to a ceiling. There is some speculation that this version may slightly reduce airflow through the chimney. This would be correct for MaxBrite lamps. |
 
Early bug screen box- high contrast for easier
reading
Packaged for the UK market
The date of the name change from bug screen to insect
screen seems to depend upon what source you are researching. The
newest American wholesale price list I have that says "bug screen" is 1949. All
previous wholesale price lists I have before then use the term
"bug screen" (possibly because it fits the form line better?). The
retail "Aladdin Supplies and Extra parts" price list calls them
bug screens on the 1943 list and insect screen on the 1944 list. It
is likely that the screens were always labeled and sold as insect
screens for the UK market as that they were listed as insect screens
in a 1935 UK price list. The
new old stock screen above was most likely packaged for sale
into the UK market.
Aladdin Australia offered the American
Bug screen (Likely package labeled as insect screen) until 1926
when Aladdin Australia introduced their own smaller bug screen that
used a wire mesh for a screen at the top of a brass ring that slipped over the top outer edge of the chimney. Starting in 1928 when the model 12 was introduced with the new Lox-On chimney a second version of this bug screen was introduced with a slightly different diameter outer ring. One was marketed specifically for model 11 and earlier heelless chimneys, the other for the newer Lox on Chimney. This strongly implies slight dimensional differences between the Lox-On chimney mold and the heelless chimney mold. This bug screen was sold into the
Australian market until it was replaced by the New style insect
screen around 1950.
 
Ad for the Australian insect screens. Courtesy of A. Trueman.
Reads:
ALADDIN INSECT SCREEN
(Specify either model 11 or Model 12)
Made to fit snugly over top of Chimney. Will Pre-
vent insects from falling into chimney and Breaking
mantles
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Contents > Bug/
Insect screens 
