SHOP HOURS

CLOSED MONDAYS (& Sundays)

Tue-Fri 8.30 - 5 , Sat 8.00 - 1

Presses for manufacturing components for electrical roses, self securing
ball catches, push catches,
etc

Son, Murray, halfway through repairs on old American Vickers hydraulic pump which works No.2 100 ton press.
Murray, also having music studio Foundry Sound , www.foundrysound.com

our skills
in action

The "Melalite" trademark was started
around the 1930's by Qeensland Plastics
in Violet St, Eagle Farm, Brisbane. It was taken over by Nylex which was eventually bought out by ACI Glass.
An employee of ACI Glass, upon his retirement,
saved the original dies and machinery from being
scrapped and kept the company going until
we acquired it in the mid 1990's.
By this time interest in Bakelite was all but gone
but the company survived by manufacturing
electrical components for electrical switchboards
and diesel trains which are products that we still do
today. Some of these are made from
Dough Moulding Compound (DMC)
which is a type of compressed fibreglass.

The BAKELITE"NORPLAS"
101 Fuseholders were also keeping things afloat
as thousands are still supplying street lights
and houses today in Queensland and
The South Pacific including New Guinea.

The Ornate 8 1/4" coolie shades in white have been
another line which has sold well since the 1930's and
continue to help flower growers as the shades are
able to withstand high wattage globes without melting
when strung over fields or hung in green houses.
When we acquired the firm, galleries were being made only in white and it was only the fuseholders that
were being made in the traditional brown bakelite.
My son Murray and I have since then,
by experimenting and using traditional methods,
come up with the range we have today.

We are also very grateful to Mervin for snippets of history of the "MELALITE" brand and how
"packs of coloured shades were freighted to
hardware stores far and wide" Mervin,an employee
of the original firm for many years has at times
been our trouble shooter, helping us nut out some awkward problems on our old but well engineered machinery. Advice on methods and techniques
of making bakelite have been gratefully
accepted from this fine old craftsman.

some of the products are :-

galleries, lamp holders, bakelite ceiling roses ,
bakelite ceiling rose, bakelite switch, batten holder
ornate & plain coolie lightshades cord weight
(also used for plant propagating),bakelite lamp shade
lampholders
BAKELITE ROSE
sylvan pump acid proof pump farm pump
plastic pump chemical pump acid resistant pump
corrosion resistant pump
CEILING ROSE, marino pump industrial bakelite knobs
bakelite galleries light fitters bakelite plugs lampholder
bakelite gallery bakelite fitter fitters light cap
pull switch light gallery light gallerys light galleries
industrial toilet seat bakelite toilet seat back toilet seat
pm-monk pty ltd toilet seats commercial toilets industrial toilets
black-toilet seats pm monk commercial toilet seat
industrial toilet seat pedigree toilet seat
heavy duty toilet seat art-deco switch plates
house/street light service fuses (hangs on overhead
wires), fluorescent light bullet ends, reel insulators,
deco switchplates & power points, cord pull knobs,
threaded ball knobs including"welding knobs",balls
for the game "BOBS", Aladdin lamp caps, ashtrays
switched lampholder etc and most things to order,
art deco switches, moulding in all
colours of Bakelite and Urea
and also in Dough Moulding Compound (DMC)
for domestic and commercial use.

TRADE ENQUIRES WELCOME

"Challenge Hardware Products"

The "Challenge Products" trademark was started

around 1932 by the Ziviani family,

running under the name

"Austral Metal Pressing", Greenacre Sydney


In Red Hill, Brisbane, out of the old "Green's"
sandcast foundry building we manufacture
original
"Challenge Hardware Products" using
the original Heine presses and dies,
fly presses, thread tapping machines, jigs etc

of 1932.

some of the products are :- aladdin lamp ,
brass ball catch barrel bolts,
flush w/robe bolts,

single and double ball catch , machine oiler,
door stop,

picture hooks, curtain rod bracket , curtain-bracket
curtain rod holder curtain holder
castor wheels ,maltese crosses, light chain
curtain rod ends spear end curtain pole ends

chrome, brass and florentine push button catches

with coloured bakelite or metal buttons,

( caravan push catch ) old locks ball catches

keyhole esc. plates, curtain brackets and finials,

screen door catches & handles, brass lampholder,

"gripper" spring steel cupboard catches, locks,

drawer runners, shelf supports, front door lock,

tin window hood , oil lamp burner lady-lamp

window stays , whitco fitting whitco window fitting
kerosene lamp chimney kerosine lamp chimney
furniture hinges restoration supplies window fasteners
window catches push catches push button catch
button catches cupboard catch furniture catch
furniture catches cupboard catches furniture latch puch button knob
furniture-latches push latch push latches
caravan latch caravan slam latch button latch cabin hook
push button latch button catch marine catch marine latch
slam latch slam latches cupboard latch cupboard latches
window casement stays window casement fasteners
window hardware
electrical ceiling rose cupboard hinges carpenter locks
electrical ceiling plug
machinery oilers machine ball oilers ceiling hook
oil lamp chimney old light shade slip shade anzac
twisted cord caravan catch kerosine lamp chimney lamp wicks
lamp chimney PICTURE HOOKS keepers striker plates
pictur rail hooks catholic cross picture hooks religeous picture hanging
maltese cross picture hanging hooks catholic cross picture hangers
religIous picture hanging religeous picture hooks religious picture hooks
bakelite handles electrical chain.html
cabinet handles curtain rod end curtain fittings

tin window awning metal-window-awning.html
window hood awning CEILING FANS antique fans
vaughan lock toy soldiers WRAAC
light shades phone handset etc. bakelite phone
cord pull switch old door lock
vaughan-locks oil lamp font metal awning metal hood
door lock keepers door locks door lock door keeper
old phone OLD TELEPHONE aladdin lamps aladdin lamp parts
phone parts TELEPHONE PARTS brass threads wall lights
tin awning oil lamp shades pendant lights curtain pole bracket
fifties lights boat catch button catch kerosene lamps
antique ceiling fan brass ceiling fan vintage ceiling fan wooden pattresses
muslin bracket muslin rod bracket electrical woodblocks electic woodblocks
string switch light pendant mounting blocks
wooden door knob wooden door knobs timber door knob timber door knobs
electrical timber cover strip electrical fittings
light shade fluorescent light-fittings fluro light-fittings
old electric fans old ceiling fans fan controller
lighting shop brisbane qld lighting-shop-brisbane.html
antique lighting shop brisbane retro light art-deco-lights
retro light shop brisbane light fittings brisbane

coloured switch plate colored switch plate colored switch plates coloured switch plates art deco
twisted electrical cord brown-bakelite-switchplate coloured bakelite switch colored bakelite switch
red switch plate cover red outlet-cover red-bakelite-deco-switch-plate
blue switch plate blue-outlet-cover.html
green switch plate.html green switch plate cover green switch plate cover green outlet cover
pink switch plate pink switch
yellow-switch-plate.html yellow switch
coloured deco switches colored deco switches electric plugs wilco-switch
paramount toilet seatt paramount toilet seats uk switch uk socket usa switch usa-socket.html
old-electric-fittings old bakelite fittings old fluorescent fittings old-style electrical fittings house service fuse
sturdy toilet seat
electrical outlet electrical ceiling outlet electrical ceiling fitting lamp diffuser light diffuser ceiling pendant
electrical mounting blocks electrical-pattresses
chandelier-chain
black bakelite lampholder black bakelite ceiling-rose bakelite globe holder bakelite bulb holder electric globe holder electric bulb holder
colored bakelite electrical fittings coloured bakelite electrical fittings
angle bulb holder bakelite
2cv key ring spear ends curtain pole holder spear finials curtain brackets elbow joint spear head
brown switch plate blue switch plate grey switch plate bakelite switch plate
pateras low odour kerosine table lamps

blue bakelite switch green-bakelite-switch green-bakelite-switch yellow-bakelite-switch pink-bakelite-switch classic switch company

green outlet cover blue outlet cover pink outlet cover speckled outlet cover yellow outlet cover
speckled-bakelite-switch bakerlight bakerlite bakelight black bakelite receptacle retro bakelite fittings

swan neckl goose neck coloured bakelite colored bakelite
compressio -moulding compressio -molding bakelite balls
things to do up an old house
light globes old light globes old light bulbs filament light bulbs incandescent light bulbs old incandescent globes incandescent light globes old style light globes light bulb
incandescent lamps candle lamps old style fluro tubes old style fluorescent tubes old style light tubes candle globes incandescent light bulbs for sale
incandescent light globess for sale enamel warehouse shades lights shed lights retro light shades 50's-light-shades.html 70's-light-shades.html
citroem ds motor for sale citroem id motor for sale ds19 motor for sale id motor for sale id19 motor for sale ds motor for sale spare
gympie shed for rent shed for rent gympie shed to let gympie
......

GAGLIARDI'S STORE pre 1910

This shop is sometimes confused with another General Store
in Musgrave Road not far away which was owned by
another member of the Gagliardi family.

HUGE RANGE ON DISPLAY
www.authenticlightingandhardware.com
or -- www.victorianliving.com.au
* ORIGINAL LIGHTS, SHADES & REPRODUCTIONS
* NEW & ORIGINAL BAKELITE SWITCHES, POWER POINTS,
LAMPHOLDERS, ROSES,GALLERIES, FITTINGS, BLOCKS etc

* BRASS & BRONZE CEILING HOOKS, LAMPHOLDERS, CHAIN,
SWAN NECK & ROD FITTINGS, GALLERIES, FITTINGS etc.

* NEW & OLD INTERIOR H/WARE doorstops, handles,
door knobs, plates, barrel bolts, window fittings etc etc

*LOW ODOUR KEROSENE, WICKS, LAMPS & all kero lamp parts
WE BUY OLD LIGHTS, SHADES ETC
Dealing in antiques and hardware since 1973

MELALITE trade mark John Paas cert. electrical fitter mechanic, Janet Barlow-Paas.
Ph 07-33683220. TUE-FRI 8.30am - 5pm SAT 8am-1pm