News — Antique

Pot Metal had its start in the early 1920’s budding automobile industry. All the non-ferrous metal leftovers were gathered and thrown into a pot. The non-ferrous, or iron-free, metals had a low melting point making them great for castings. The pot metal mix was not at all precise. Some common metals used were lead, zinc, tin, copper, magnesium, aluminum, and cadmium.  Small amounts of iron would also find their way into the mix.          Image courtesy of NPS.gov  Many of the casted metal fixtures from the early 20th Century are pot metal and if you follow our social media...

Nothing is quite as charming as the Storybook architecture movement, being rediscovered and brought into fruition for the U.S. populace by returning WW-1 G.I.s, many of whom would later become Americas’ product designers, builders, craftsmen, and artisans. These scenes of old European towns and villages would play as inspiration in their new line of work.    We were proud to be given another opportunity to restore several pairs of these porch sconces, giving them a new life. This time we were commissioned to restore, as well as match, other restored sconces in the storybook style on a client's home so all exterior lighting...

The Restoration of A Porcelain Pull Chain Flush Mount Ceiling Fixture Vintage porcelain light fixtures are among my favorite types of antique fixtures, so its no wonder why I jump at the chance to fix these little ceramic gems. Upon the first inspection of this flush mount porcelain fixture, I knew it would need a deep cleaning. Remove the socket, socket ring, and hardware from the piece. Soak the porcelain parts in hot soapy water. This will usually be enough to get off any sloppy paint residue and dirt from the fixture. You may encounter staining or other difficult areas...

The Restoration of Antique Brass and Wrought Iron Flush Mount Ceiling Light.  I came across two of these antique brass with cast iron rosette flush mount fixtures while browsing the inventory of an online vendor. I liked the deep relief of the Acanthus leaves on the rosettes.  You never really know what you are getting from an online purchase but I felt pretty confident in the vendor's photographs and description to pull the trigger on the purchase.  Once they arrived, I had to decide if this was the type of item that would be more desirable by just cleaning it...

In the works for the week of August 18th, 2019 Vintage Goldilocks nightstand lamp. The fixture should be ready for market in a week or two so visit us again at www.vintporium.com to watch its progress.