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I found some great sconces!
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 12:53 am
by Corsetière
They just happen to match my newel post lamp and you can't beat $20 for the pair! lol!
I'm trying to decide whether to clean them or leave the patina. The thing that bugs me is that one of them looks like it was painted turquoise at one point but the other wasn't...weird! And of course I need to rewire. Thoughts about whether a shade is appropriate? Maybe just an Edison bulb?
Re: I found some great sconces!
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 2:42 am
by Lily left the valley
Nifty find, and at a wonderful price.
Grats!
The one that looks like it was painted turquoise, I think it might be like an old penny. It's some kind of reactant to whatever.
Re: I found some great sconces!
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 11:12 am
by heartwood
beee-autious!!! they will fit in well with your wonderful home...
as for the shade, I would see what they look like with an Edison or
decorative bulb first...sometimes the light can be quite bright on its own...
.....jade
Re: I found some great sconces!
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 2:26 pm
by 1918ColonialRevival
I would just wipe them down and rewire. These likely had an antique brass finish when they were new, so they were never shiny. The greenish stuff you see is oxidation - part of the patina.
These look like they are cast, but be on the lookout for pot metal.
Oh, and keep those sockets!
Re: I found some great sconces!
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 2:50 pm
by Jeepnstein
I saw some nice shades a while back at a little shop down on South High St. They had tons of salvage and hardware when we were there. Can't remember the name. It's on the west side of the street in one of the old brick houses. I believe I saw some shades locally, too, but that's a bit of a drive just to browse.
Also, there will be a swap meet in June down at the Scioto County Fairgrounds. It's huge. Vendors come in from all over the mid-west. The crowd will run in the tens of thousands over two days and the vendors are all fairly good. Everything from chickens to architectural salvage. If you're looking for small odds and ends it would be a pretty good place to go. If you decide to visit it just bring a little patience and a sense of humor because the crowd is really big. Parking is generally not a problem since they addressed that last year.
You can buy an LED bulb that is a pretty good imitation of an Edison these days. The light isn't at all harsh and you might like the look of the exposed bulb. There was a time when light bulbs were cutting edge technology and folks wanted to show them off to guests. Those fixtures are threaded on the lamp holders so I'm kind of thinking they had shades of some sort.
Re: I found some great sconces!
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 3:51 pm
by Corsetière
1918ColonialRevival wrote:I would just wipe them down and rewire. These likely had an antique brass finish when they were new, so they were never shiny. The greenish stuff you see is oxidation - part of the patina.
These look like they are cast, but be on the lookout for pot metal.
Oh, and keep those sockets!
Yeah I thought it was a natural verdisgris finish too at first, but no, upon closer inspection - definitely paint! I suspect they are French fixtures and were originally ormolu on cast brass.
Oh yes, I will keep the socket casings! I just got some advice from the good folks at antique lamp supply and they told me which new socket parts to buy to make sure they are safe.
Now I just need to find the pier mirror to go between them! I'll keep you all posted!
Re: I found some great sconces!
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 3:54 pm
by Corsetière
Jeepnstein wrote:I saw some nice shades a while back at a little shop down on South High St. They had tons of salvage and hardware when we were there. Can't remember the name. It's on the west side of the street in one of the old brick houses. I believe I saw some shades locally, too, but that's a bit of a drive just to browse.
Also, there will be a swap meet in June down at the Scioto County Fairgrounds. It's huge. Vendors come in from all over the mid-west. The crowd will run in the tens of thousands over two days and the vendors are all fairly good. Everything from chickens to architectural salvage. If you're looking for small odds and ends it would be a pretty good place to go. If you decide to visit it just bring a little patience and a sense of humor because the crowd is really big. Parking is generally not a problem since they addressed that last year.
You can buy an LED bulb that is a pretty good imitation of an Edison these days. The light isn't at all harsh and you might like the look of the exposed bulb. There was a time when light bulbs were cutting edge technology and folks wanted to show them off to guests. Those fixtures are threaded on the lamp holders so I'm kind of thinking they had shades of some sort.
Oh yeah, I've shopped at the Greater Columbus Antiques Mall quite a bit!
How do I find out the details about the swap meet? I've been hitting the local flea market like its my job, but not much luck so far!
Re: I found some great sconces!
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 4:43 pm
by Corsetière
lol! Ok! So quick update...there was paint *and* a verdigris type aging on the one sconce. I gently cleaned them but they still both look markedly different in color.
I'm nor sure where to go with them next...
One is more brown and rusty colored and one is greeny/whitish. I could add a slight brown paint aging to the green one, but maybe there is a way to negate the verdigris chemically? Anyone have exerience here? I swear, I get the weirdest projects....
Re: I found some great sconces!
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 7:13 pm
by Mick_VT
Personally I would not try to make them match
Re: I found some great sconces!
Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 7:32 pm
by Jeepnstein
Corsetière wrote:Oh yeah, I've shopped at the Greater Columbus Antiques Mall quite a bit!
How do I find out the details about the swap meet? I've been hitting the local flea market like its my job, but not much luck so far!
http://www.lucasvilletradedays.com/