Restoring antique lighting

If you live in a vintage home, retaining and restoring the original fixtures helps retain the character of the home and architecture. The first order of business is to have the fixture professionally rewired. You don’t want to get shocked or worse, burn down your home! If you have the expertise and qualifications you can certainly do this yourself. The next thing you want to do is clean your fixture. Sometimes the fixture just needs a light cleaning with a soft brush and cloth. If your fixture is brass, it may need to be polished or if the lacquer is deteriorated you may need to remove it and have it re-lacquered. Make sure not to soak metals such as steel or cast iron and cause rust. Do not use harsh chemical cleaners. Wax or tung oil can help to seal the metal frames and parts. If your fixture had a polychrome finish or gold gilt or any hand painted areas, these are best left to the professional restoration person or company.. Stained glass lamps that have cracked glass or broken soldering need to be attended to by a stained glass artisan. Often fixtures are missing parts such as crystals, or bobeches. These can be found online or at antique shops. Sometimes the cardboard tubes that mimic candles are stained or brittle and these can also be found in lighting restoration catalogs and websites. You can always purchase a vintage fixture from the same era or a reproduction but an original is always more desirable if you are trying to keep the home authentic. Your local hardware store had all kinds of light bulbs to choose from nowadays that look like vintage filament bulbs and even come in led. Old gas or kerosene fixtures should be converted to electric, open flames and antique wood do not mix well! I like the old kerosene lamps but I would not want to use a kerosene light fixture and you still have to be careful with your kerosene lamps that they don’t get knocked over. Make sure to use and enjoy your vintage light fixtures and don’t be intimidated by a fixture that needs repairs. There are all kinds of parts available and companies that are in the restoration business if you don’t want to tackle the process yourself. Happy Collecting!