#592 with deep acid etched shades in black and white

Bradley and Hubbard #592 12 Twelve Arm Chandelier

Originally kerosene from 1870′s this scarce fixture is now ready for glass (finding old glass is usually a time-consuming and expensive hunt). It has been refinished and electrified, wire is colored to match fixture, we usually use 25 watt bulbs. Perfect for great rooms, motel lobbies, banks etc. We have hung several of these across the years in rooms with 12 foot ceilings over a table or 14 foot ceilings with no table. Walking under them is an awe-inspiring experience. Just to know that you have 250 lbs of light above your head is kinda like riding a roller coaster – you know it will be ok but your mind and your body send adrenaline filled messages of caution back and forth. I have several smaller ones in my home and every time I look up I kinda want to stand under it to gaze at the beauty but at the same time I want to run out from underneath… just in case.  Ha!

#622 Bradley and Hubbard

Somehow a number doesn’t do it justice.  This outstanding Bradley and Hubbard 2 arm fixture restored just this week and will leave our shop soon to be hung in a restaurant.

open arms

Sometimes we get complete lights but most often we get lights with a little something missing or broken. And search begins for the right part. 

Above are arms waiting to be held by the elusive “correct” center stem. Restoring cast iron chandeliers can be frustrating. So many parts… sometimes they are a bit like trying to reassemble a 100 piece puzzle dropped piece by piece from an airplane enroute from Maine to California. We use the Bradley and Hubbard catalog and other resources for correct reference on many of these rare lights. A few parts interchange but most do not. And cast iron just doesn’t yield… even a little. 

Yeah and none of those fit…

neither do these…

so we wait… some have been waiting for 35 years in our shop for the correct arms or the correct center stem.

number 568

The Bradley and Hubbard 568. Manufactured 1883-1884.

a few projects in the waiting

Home and Commerical Restorers tired of waiting for full economic recovery forge ahead. For us sales slowed considerably after Sept 2008 but they are now gaining steam again picking up the last half of last year. So far this year sales  have been good too, giving us the opportunity to reinvest in a few projects.

Number 651

number 651

Especially excited about the camera settings that allow the capture of the natural light. The subject matter isn’t bad eigther.  Number 651 (as referenced in the Bradley and Hubbard catalog) just hung today.  I’m already too attached to this one. You can click on the above picture to enlarge.