A nice fitting and well done resisting the temptation to use abrasives, the patina is what makes it an honest addition to a Victorian house. As for lamps up or down I would say down without shades up with but 2600 K. One observation, retrofit rubber grommets just to be safe. You can frost the lamps with acid or dip in epson salts. My UK house is 1848 13 rooms and I am very particular about my lamps which replaced the gas mantles. Best wishes.
Thank you for the compliment and suggestions. I may try a warmer white lamp in the bathroom but I have to see how I feel about the 4000K for a while. All my bedrooms are 2700K and I like the warmth. Where you would suggest the grommets? I like your idea about frosting the glass. I've never done that and may give it a try. My house was built in 1864 and was originally built without bathrooms but 4 rooms in the attic (garret) for servant's quarters. Those rooms are now "galleries". If you're interested, I did two videos on one of them ("Renovation of my West Attic").
@@Mr.BrownsBasement Warm white is more comfortable the colour from Gas mantles is a higher temperature but has a nice blue/green component not match is modern lamps. I am in the UK and we stuffed the servants in the basement and the kids in the Attic nursery, there are 48 stairs between the two !. My house has only had 3 owners and is very much as was built, the Butlers pantry is still as was with call bells and huge dresser but full of detritus from items saved from destruction over the years. I will sort through it some day, the fitting you have is the style used in a porch and in some cases made of bronze. It looks more Arts and Craft than Victorian. My Lounge light originally had Gas mantles and was suspended on a counterbalance so the height could be adjusted, it had 6 jets !. It is of course converted to Electric but before LED it consumed 360 Watts but now 36 so my Electricity bill is much reduced. The house originally had 53 gas jets then mantles. I will take a nose at your other video. Best wishes from the UK
@@WOFFY-qc9te The history of old houses is fascinating and you are indeed lucky to live in one. My family is the 2nd owner of this house after the builder's with my grandparents buying it in about 1926. They threw away nothing, so I have spent literally the past 25+ years sifting through the interesting and unusual furniture, furnishings and ephemera but also stuff at the other end of the spectrum. And like your house, there are lots and lots and lots of stairs from the attic (garret) to the basement (cellar). It's a good workout going up & down. I hope you enjoy the videos. Best wishes from South / Southwestern Ontario, CANADA.
@@Mr.BrownsBasement Good afternoon, what a nice description of your home, I / we are indeed fortunate to have a roof over our heads and even more blessed that they are homes with soul. I have lived here for nearly forty years at first as a tenant of a run down house and now the owner of house and land. I took it on myself to keep ahead of natures influences as the owner Peter was getting on and had no family or interest in the house just enjoying retirement with his wife, a decent chap and sadly missed. Pete left part of the house to me and I bought the remainder from the estate after many years of unnecessary games to get me out. I just didn't want to think about sorting and moving all my stuff and the house deserved a future. The basement was abandoned in WWII and was used as a workshop and a place where Pete's Father would make films. There are still DIY studio bits a pieces and Celluloid film cans ! ???? and a Morison shelter which was a kit of quart inch steel angles and plate big enough to squeeze four people in for a short time during bombing, Pete's dad used it for a work bench and it still has a belt driven lathe in place. The first casualty of the war was just up the road from me as my house was on the west to east bomb track for Cammell Laird shipbuilders Birkenhead or Liverpool docks over the river Mersey, the Luftwaffe occasionally got there maths wrong and would drop a 'stick' of bombs early especially if under attack from the 'Duck pond' gun battery up the road from me. The house opposite and the church were casualties, my roof was lifted and landed two inches out of place, now I have replaced the wooden roof plates so now sits squarely on the walls. Amazingly the original sash window glass is in place, the bedroom window is plate glass and so large that the sash has steel ropes. The walls are locally fired clay brick from the quarry that became the duck pond and has lime mortar the well fired bricks used for outside walls the weaker ones inside and for the foundations the plaster is two inches thick and now mostly back contact with the brick ?. The house has thirteen fire places not all used but most still in place, must have been a big job keeping those as the coal bunker is huge. The servants lived in the basement and the kids in the attic this house was built just when live in servants were declining but they still kept up the 'stuffy' Victorian attitudes even though they were no longer wealthy. You say your in Canada, the weather there is too say the least robust, I expect your house is brick with timber partitions and casements probably 'central air' heating (I have yet to explore your channel so behind the ball). Mine is no part hydronic but I use dehumidifiers to keep the lime plaster from drawing in moisture. The house is comfortably ventilated ha ha but dry and more healthy that the modern stock which is stuffy. Some house like mine are now double glazed with PVC, this is the worst thing you can do to a Victorian house, wood is best as for the gaps in the sash windows they get a roll of toilet paper in November. I have many photographs of things fixed and problems to be sorted, as I no longer have any family google sends me daily reminders of my companions Banjo, Cooper and Indi (English Pointers) with the occasional photograph of broken tile, leaks or damaged plaster etc etc etc ........ Back to your light fitting which you 'resurrected' without destroying its age I wish more restorers made use of wax instead of lacquer. I rebuilt the porch a few years ago, the sandstone lintels had failed and the six columns ten foot by eighteen inches with Doric/Greek Ionic capitals ! (translated from metric for you) had moved so the whole shows was succumbing to gravity. All was dismantled and rebuilt with the columns now supporting timber lintels with a slate roof and plastered ceiling. To top it of I made up a lamp fitting from scraps of bronze and and old Arts and Crafts fitting, after many adjustments to the chains I am happy with the job. One link can be too little or too much. I hope you and your commenters find this interesting, you and I know that homes like ours are full of little clues to past and I think we both feel a duty to keep things true and honest as we are just custodians of a house. Very best wishes to Canada, Liverpool have a special understanding and gratitude to the courage of those no longer here. For further information on the Battle of the Atlantic have a look at Western Approaches on You Tube. A friend of mine repainted the large convoy map.
Your house sounds spectacular and is probably much larger than mine. I am very grateful that my grandparents’ house and much of its contents stayed in the family and ultimately to me as her custodian. It was not without disasters though. In 1996 the furnace failed or the radiators couldn’t keep up with the frigid winter temperatures. The pipes froze and caused many tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. The house was one step from demolition. I’m relieved we didn’t go that route. That was the end of the oil furnace and radiators, as they had all split. The scope of the damage was heart-breaking, and to add insult to injury, it was not a loss that could be covered by insurance. All that damage has since been repaired and I have gas/forced air heating now. The house is double brick construction. The brick was made locally. There were never any fireplaces. The house was originally heated by various wood-burning stoves connected to the 3 chimneys. The interior partitions are all 2x4’s or larger, and really are 2” x 4”, not the spindly 1.5” x 3.5”’s that are called “2x4’s”today. The front porch had ornate columns but they were rotted beyond repair and have been replaced by simple fluted columns. The roof was originally cedar shakes but is now asphalt. I don’t think it was designed to support slate. While my father was growing up, the cellar had an earth floor that routinely flooded. Now I have concrete floor (and sump pumps with a dehumidifier) which keep it dry and clean. I do appreciate you taking the time & care to share details of something so special to you and the steps you have taken to keep it presentable and preserved for the future.
Nice job. 😊
Thanks. But I think there is an unhealthy relationship between some of the bulbs stored in the basement.
A nice fitting and well done resisting the temptation to use abrasives, the patina is what makes it an honest addition to a Victorian house. As for lamps up or down I would say down without shades up with but 2600 K. One observation, retrofit rubber grommets just to be safe. You can frost the lamps with acid or dip in epson salts. My UK house is 1848 13 rooms and I am very particular about my lamps which replaced the gas mantles. Best wishes.
Thank you for the compliment and suggestions. I may try a warmer white lamp in the bathroom but I have to see how I feel about the 4000K for a while. All my bedrooms are 2700K and I like the warmth. Where you would suggest the grommets? I like your idea about frosting the glass. I've never done that and may give it a try. My house was built in 1864 and was originally built without bathrooms but 4 rooms in the attic (garret) for servant's quarters. Those rooms are now "galleries". If you're interested, I did two videos on one of them ("Renovation of my West Attic").
@@Mr.BrownsBasement Warm white is more comfortable the colour from Gas mantles is a higher temperature but has a nice blue/green component not match is modern lamps. I am in the UK and we stuffed the servants in the basement and the kids in the Attic nursery, there are 48 stairs between the two !. My house has only had 3 owners and is very much as was built, the Butlers pantry is still as was with call bells and huge dresser but full of detritus from items saved from destruction over the years. I will sort through it some day, the fitting you have is the style used in a porch and in some cases made of bronze. It looks more Arts and Craft than Victorian. My Lounge light originally had Gas mantles and was suspended on a counterbalance so the height could be adjusted, it had 6 jets !. It is of course converted to Electric but before LED it consumed 360 Watts but now 36 so my Electricity bill is much reduced. The house originally had 53 gas jets then mantles. I will take a nose at your other video. Best wishes from the UK
@@WOFFY-qc9te The history of old houses is fascinating and you are indeed lucky to live in one. My family is the 2nd owner of this house after the builder's with my grandparents buying it in about 1926. They threw away nothing, so I have spent literally the past 25+ years sifting through the interesting and unusual furniture, furnishings and ephemera but also stuff at the other end of the spectrum. And like your house, there are lots and lots and lots of stairs from the attic (garret) to the basement (cellar). It's a good workout going up & down. I hope you enjoy the videos. Best wishes from South / Southwestern Ontario, CANADA.
@@Mr.BrownsBasement Good afternoon, what a nice description of your home, I / we are indeed fortunate to have a roof over our heads and even more blessed that they are homes with soul. I have lived here for nearly forty years at first as a tenant of a run down house and now the owner of house and land. I took it on myself to keep ahead of natures influences as the owner Peter was getting on and had no family or interest in the house just enjoying retirement with his wife, a decent chap and sadly missed. Pete left part of the house to me and I bought the remainder from the estate after many years of unnecessary games to get me out. I just didn't want to think about sorting and moving all my stuff and the house deserved a future.
The basement was abandoned in WWII and was used as a workshop and a place where Pete's Father would make films. There are still DIY studio bits a pieces and Celluloid film cans ! ???? and a Morison shelter which was a kit of quart inch steel angles and plate big enough to squeeze four people in for a short time during bombing, Pete's dad used it for a work bench and it still has a belt driven lathe in place. The first casualty of the war was just up the road from me as my house was on the west to east bomb track for Cammell Laird shipbuilders Birkenhead or Liverpool docks over the river Mersey, the Luftwaffe occasionally got there maths wrong and would drop a 'stick' of bombs early especially if under attack from the 'Duck pond' gun battery up the road from me. The house opposite and the church were casualties, my roof was lifted and landed two inches out of place, now I have replaced the wooden roof plates so now sits squarely on the walls. Amazingly the original sash window glass is in place, the bedroom window is plate glass and so large that the sash has steel ropes.
The walls are locally fired clay brick from the quarry that became the duck pond and has lime mortar the well fired bricks used for outside walls the weaker ones inside and for the foundations the plaster is two inches thick and now mostly back contact with the brick ?. The house has thirteen fire places not all used but most still in place, must have been a big job keeping those as the coal bunker is huge. The servants lived in the basement and the kids in the attic this house was built just when live in servants were declining but they still kept up the 'stuffy' Victorian attitudes even though they were no longer wealthy.
You say your in Canada, the weather there is too say the least robust, I expect your house is brick with timber partitions and casements probably 'central air' heating (I have yet to explore your channel so behind the ball). Mine is no part hydronic but I use dehumidifiers to keep the lime plaster from drawing in moisture. The house is comfortably ventilated ha ha but dry and more healthy that the modern stock which is stuffy. Some house like mine are now double glazed with PVC, this is the worst thing you can do to a Victorian house, wood is best as for the gaps in the sash windows they get a roll of toilet paper in November. I have many photographs of things fixed and problems to be sorted, as I no longer have any family google sends me daily reminders of my companions Banjo, Cooper and Indi (English Pointers) with the occasional photograph of broken tile, leaks or damaged plaster etc etc etc ........
Back to your light fitting which you 'resurrected' without destroying its age I wish more restorers made use of wax instead of lacquer. I rebuilt the porch a few years ago, the sandstone lintels had failed and the six columns ten foot by eighteen inches with Doric/Greek Ionic capitals ! (translated from metric for you) had moved so the whole shows was succumbing to gravity. All was dismantled and rebuilt with the columns now supporting timber lintels with a slate roof and plastered ceiling. To top it of I made up a lamp fitting from scraps of bronze and and old Arts and Crafts fitting, after many adjustments to the chains I am happy with the job. One link can be too little or too much.
I hope you and your commenters find this interesting, you and I know that homes like ours are full of little clues to past and I think we both feel a duty to keep things true and honest as we are just custodians of a house. Very best wishes to Canada, Liverpool have a special understanding and gratitude to the courage of those no longer here.
For further information on the Battle of the Atlantic have a look at Western Approaches on You Tube. A friend of mine repainted the large convoy map.
Your house sounds spectacular and is probably much larger than mine. I am very grateful that my grandparents’ house and much of its contents stayed in the family and ultimately to me as her custodian. It was not without disasters though. In 1996 the furnace failed or the radiators couldn’t keep up with the frigid winter temperatures. The pipes froze and caused many tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. The house was one step from demolition. I’m relieved we didn’t go that route. That was the end of the oil furnace and radiators, as they had all split. The scope of the damage was heart-breaking, and to add insult to injury, it was not a loss that could be covered by insurance. All that damage has since been repaired and I have gas/forced air heating now. The house is double brick construction. The brick was made locally. There were never any fireplaces. The house was originally heated by various wood-burning stoves connected to the 3 chimneys. The interior partitions are all 2x4’s or larger, and really are 2” x 4”, not the spindly 1.5” x 3.5”’s that are called “2x4’s”today. The front porch had ornate columns but they were rotted beyond repair and have been replaced by simple fluted columns. The roof was originally cedar shakes but is now asphalt. I don’t think it was designed to support slate. While my father was growing up, the cellar had an earth floor that routinely flooded. Now I have concrete floor (and sump pumps with a dehumidifier) which keep it dry and clean. I do appreciate you taking the time & care to share details of something so special to you and the steps you have taken to keep it presentable and preserved for the future.