Chandelier

Furniture, furnishings and other items of antique interest
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Old house lady
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Chandelier

Post by Old house lady »

Attended the window restoration workshop at the Allentown Preservation League. Met more of the members and the resident architectural historian. Picked up some hands-on learning, along with a fixture for the front parlor. It needs serious cleaning - what I originally thought was a dark metal under dust and grime is actually filthy brass.
I'm liking the look of leaving darker areas in the detail. Breaking out the polish and 0000 steel wool tomorrow evening! It also needs a number of crystals replaced, but the ones that are present cleaned up nicely. A couple came in, specifically for this piece, as a ladder was being retrieved to get it down for us - the wife was visibly disappointed when I confirmed we were indeed buying it.
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Neighmond
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Re: Chandelier

Post by Neighmond »

Pretty! Good thing you called for it when you did!

1918ColonialRevival
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Re: Chandelier

Post by 1918ColonialRevival »

Nice!

I wouldn't over-clean it, though. It will probably look good with just a bath.

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Manalto
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Re: Chandelier

Post by Manalto »

It's going to look great. Congratulations on a nice find!

phil
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Re: Chandelier

Post by phil »

It's nice ! I know it's brass and yes you can polish it like a new penny. It might have some gilding on there or some blackening that wasn't intended to be removed and doing just that could seriously affect it's value. I'd check with some experts. I would at least get Mick's opinion before you dive in with the steel wool

Phil

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Mick_VT
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Re: Chandelier

Post by Mick_VT »

I concur, just a bath with gentle soap and a sponge - I have used johnson's baby soap in the past. Be sure to rise off thoroughly with distilled water and let dry before you reassemble. If the finish looks dull, washed out or white afterwards some renaissance wax can do wonders and will also help protect it. In extreme circumstances a light coat of shellac will add lustre and protection too. I'm not museum curator kind of expert, but this is what I do
Mick...

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Re: Chandelier

Post by Old house lady »

Should've waited. We used a myriad of things - some we shouldn't have (gentle wire brushing, noxon on a damp cloth on a few of the bobeches). There are some washed out almost white looking areas, some still very dark and the balance pretty much what we were hoping for. The canopy is ridiculously bright (inside and out) compared to the rest, even though we barely touched it (only washed some paint splatters off with soapy water and a toothbrush)
It does appear that the black in the grooves is intentional, and there are parts where it is not as heavy as others - I'm hoping this is something we can correct ourselves.
We've got less than half the crystals - based on the number of holes available for hanging, and a number of the candle covers need replacing (2 are missing outright), so the hunt begins!

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Mick_VT
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Re: Chandelier

Post by Mick_VT »

you can find crystals by the dozen on ebay
Mick...

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Re: Chandelier

Post by Old house lady »

Yep, ebay is on the list. I've looked on amazon, but so many of the reviewers reveal that what they actually receive is acrylic rather than crystal.

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Re: Chandelier

Post by phil »

brass is easy to polish but it also looses that glint pretty quickly, in 6 months or so it'll dull down a little unless it has a coating. I think it's different with some lamps and things , some have an intentional patina that was applied new. If you look there are all sorts of recipes and chemicals for blackening or pickling different metals. brass contains copper which turns green with age. sometimes that is from age and sometimes it is an intentionally applied treatment to add contrast or mimic age. Jewelry makers suppliers or gunsmiths would probably carry some of these chemicals.

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