For above the asking price. Best investment we ever made, they gleefully reported. I do love a happy ending.
If the distinction is important to you see the box below for more information: A NOTE (or two) ABOUT MY RESTORATIONS. The Top Ten (plus one)!1 Most importantly, I restore vintage fixtures. I do not renovate them.
There is a huge distinction between the two. Please see the box at the bottom of my item description for more information.2 My lights are rewired and ready to hang; everything to do so is included. They also come with electrical mounting bars. You will thank me for this; its incredibly hard to find the correct size mounting bars for vintage lights. 3 Most electricians HATE installing vintage lights.
They assume old, scary wiring, fixtures that will not mate with modern electrical boxes, and a whole host of other issues. But electricians LOVE installing my restored fixtures. I make the whole process effortless. See #2 above, and I also re-wire my fixtures, and ensure there is more wire than really necessary above the canopy to easily connect with your house wires (electricians particularly bless me for this).
I even include the mounting screws and wire nuts! 4 My lights feature original or vintage canopies (the cup that goes against the ceiling). I never use modern canopies as they are not consistent with the scale and proportion of period lighting.
A modern canopy is easily recognized. They are basically flat and quite thin (about an inch thick) whereas vintage canopies are like a cup shape and deeper (usually 3-inches or even twice that). 5 The chain on most vintage lights is corroded and I can rarely re-use it. The problem is that readily available modern chain is thinner, smaller, and not the same shape as vintage chain. Imagine my elation when I found one supplier who still made true vintage-style chain.6 I use really lovely cloth-covered wire for all visible areas. If this supplier ever goes out of business I will have to shut down. 7 I use new porcelain sockets instead of plastic. If porcelain sockets do not fit, I use new Bakelite sockets. If the fixture has brass sockets with on/off switches, I generally retain these distinctive components but with new paper insulators.
9 When necessary, I forward special instructions on how to hang your vintage fixture. Youll know that if a problem should develop that I wont disappear! Don't Bother Looking Elsewhere. If you think the photos are pretty, wait'til you see them in person! Exceptional product, service & value. The 1930's Chandelier was amazing and in superb condition, better than new!!!!! As always, flawless service and beautiful products, carefully packaged.This guy really goes the extra mile. Ross is the best knowledgeable, witty, skilled.
Fast and the best packing I have seen. A real class act great experience start to finish! There aren't enough superlatives to describe quality and service. Fixtures even better than pictured!
Always a pleasure, no worries, exceptional lights!!! We are recommending him to all of our friends! REMEMBER when CUSTOMER SERVICE was NO. This GUY still OFFERS IT. THE BEST PACKER in the USA!!
Among the most professional and committed sellers out there. It's a pleasure to do business with Ross. I keep coming back to his store. Great light you make everything so easy to install!
The restorations are obviously done with care and expertise it's always perfect. This light KNOCKS ME OUT! Best lighting guy ever; great lights; excellent communication; superstar; thanks. Absolutely first rate in every way. 5 stars and then some!
Stop what you are doing... Two words with different meanings, and different results. Restoring a vintage light will bring back its original appearance. Renovating a vintage light will alter its original appearance.This can be done by changing its color(s), adding more colors than originally intended, and by combining parts from different fixtures/eras. For me, I simply love the process of restoration. It seems like magic recreating something that has been near-ruined, eroded, or damaged. When each of my fixtures is restored I get such a thrill! Its like time itself has been reversed!
Now, if I could just apply this process to my aging body/mind! A few things Ive learned. 1 I work hard at respecting original finishes. When a finish is intact but faded, I essentially wash a new finish over the old. Thus, the original finish is still visible but looks wholly refreshed. In short, it simply looks as it did when leaving the factory many decades previous. Or, it's very common that 90% of the original finish is intact. To me, it seems a shame to remove all this just because a tiny portion is lost. So I recreate what is missing.And you can't tell that I did anything. 2 In order to restore a finish, its vital to use the same materials, colors, and techniques that were used originally. 3 Vintage fixtures used color sparingly and few featured more than three colors. 4 The original finish on vintage fixtures is entirely different than can be achieved with modern paints. Modern paints give the effect of a plastic film over the fixture whereas the original finishes were usually like a stain.
The effect is quite a bit more subtle. 5 Vintage fixtures also have a subtle sheen, so I never spray on a shiny protective coating. 6 I dont refinish the back of my fixtures. By doing so it is difficult to really know if the fixture is vintage (there are usually paint speckles, scratches, and age marks). Once installed, the back cannot be seen but you will know that your fixture is indeed vintage.7 I also dont restore electrical components. Eighty-year-old electrical parts are simply dangerous.
So my lights receive high-quality new sockets (usually porcelain), new wiring, and cloth-covered wiring for any visible areas. I do retain turn-key sockets wherever possible (but with new paper insulators).
Ive been restoring lighting since I was a teenager in the mid-1970s. One of my great discoveries was the finish material used by almost all lighting companies prior to World War II.This is a hand-applied and hand-burnished product and I use it on my fixtures that require new finishes. Significantly, the colors are also the same that were used originally. Because of this, I can place a wholly refinished fixture next to one with a mint original finish and you will not be able to see any difference. Not once have they been able to tell the difference.
There are buyers who truly want restored lighting and others who prefer renovated. For the record, I sell restored vintage lighting. Or: Who Is This Guy? As mentioned above, I have been restoring vintage lights since I was a teenager in the mid-1970s. An Interstate highway was being rammed through the city where I lived, and I ran (steps ahead of the bulldozers, and with my shag haircut flying) from one incredible building to another, and from one incredible house to another, and salvaged everything I could.Their garage was soon chock-a-block with what I thought were treasures beyond compare. And which they knew to be useless flotsam. I did though once overhear my mom say: Well, at least hes not out doing drugs. However, when all their boring lights were systematically replaced with the most stunning lights they had ever seen and all for free, and rewired and restored they soon had second thoughts about the flotsam. I paid for new parts by mowing lawns!
A brighter light soon proved too alluring though: New York City! After a few excruciating years, the Gods decided to let up, and I found myself the proud owner of my own architectural design firm.
It was the heady 1980s, the city was going through a spectacular revival, and I was overwhelmed quite happily, thank-you with one project after another. I set a record for designing the most apartments in Trump Tower eleven. Today, I usually keep this bit of infamy a secret. Yep, it was a wild time!
Then came the early 1990s crash, and a desire for a calmer life. Eventually rural Kansas beckoned, as surreal as this seemed. The peace I found on the prairie (golly, there really is a prairie) enabled me to get two books published can you tell I like the written word?
The rest, as they say. I do this because its effortless for me and you.
Theres no guessing with my lights. You know right away if one of my restored fixtures is right for your budget. No worry that you will lose after waiting quite patiently for X days. No worry that a Them will abscond with Your light in the last four seconds; the light you have your heart set on.
There are likely worse things in life but at the moment I cant think of one. Looking for more great vintage fixtures? The item "Vintage Lighting porcelain bath or kitchen fixture MORE AVAILABLE" is in sale since Tuesday, March 19, 2019.This item is in the category "Antiques\Architectural & Garden\Chandeliers, Sconces & Lighting Fixtures". The seller is "rossmct23" and is located in Strong City, Kansas. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, Bermuda.