Wanna Meet My Latest Light?
A number of years ago I purchased a period-correct gas/electric foyer-style pendant for the entry of the Cross House. The pole was missing, as was the glass, sockets, smoke bell, and shade. Such a fixture is quite rare so I hoped to replace all the missing bits. As can be seen, I was successful. The brighter brass bits will darken.
The new beveled glass is correct and made from thick glass. The gas jet (center) is still missing…
…its distinctive glass shade. The round dots are air holes.
Earlier, I had a 6-arm gas/electric chandelier in the entry but learned that it was parlor fixture rather than entry hall. Oh, the horror. In time I learned what entry hall fixtures of the period looked like and my purchase is a perfect match. The fixture is exactly what might have been there in 1894.
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Ooo… if the “pole was missing, as was the glass, sockets, smoke bell, and shade”, I wonder how it looked like just before you purchased it? Because based on the listed missing parts, it seemed like a skeleton to me.
Excellent restoration Ross! Your search and restoration is fabulous!
Hello, Leigh,
You can find the photos here:
Finding Correct Period-Correct Lighting
July 30, 2018
Danke Meike, thank you. My goodness, the condition of the chandelier before restoration was very dilapidated. Ross The Miracle-worker, ressurected it. Woooooah!
I am confident that the perfect glass shade will come to you. Look forward to that post.
Should you find that you’d ever want to expedite the aging process on the shinier bits on this (or any) light, try using Jax chemicals. They offer a wide range of patina finishes, but their “Jax Brown” works pretty perfectly in cases like this one, aging everything down to match. I use it all the time on the lights I work on.
It won’t work on anything that’s been lacquered, so sometimes it can be a bit of a two-step process, first removing the lacquer before being able to adjust the patina, but, always worth it when the whole fixture comes out the same color in the end.
I’m excited to see this one go up – it just looks… “right”.
I’m curious. What are the chances that you will come across the missing gas jet globe in time? That would seem to me to be akin to finding a needle in a haystack. I hope I’m wrong.
You would be surprised.
I offer the story of the Annunciator as an example.
Ross (and several of his readers) are excellent finders-of-things. Stay tuned. I bet one will turn up inside of a year.
I have seen these before. While they’re certainly not falling out of the sky, they’re not uber rare, either.
Oh cody,
You say several of his readers as if you yourself haven’t happened upon spectacular finds before.
Modesty is a virtue, as it is said.