Bradley and Hubbard Chandeliers Blog

#592 with deep acid etched shades in black and white

John Trotter — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:36:38 +0000

Bradley and Hubbard #592 12 Twelve Arm Chandelier

John Trotter — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:47:17 +0000

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

John Trotter — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:03:38 +0000

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

John Trotter — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:33:08 +0000

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

John Trotter — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:57:22 +0000

The Bradley and Hubbard 568. Manufactured 1883-1884.

a few projects in the waiting

John Trotter — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:05:04 +0000

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

John Trotter — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:23:57 +0000

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.

restoring more than lighting

John Trotter — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:21:00 +0000

The amber flicker of a flame is healing for the soul. The atmosphere a real kerosene lamp brings to a room in the evening hours cannot be duplicated. In our world of dead lines and noise the flicker of amber flame quiets the soul. The bracket lamps of the 1870′s and 1880′s represent the finest in artistic expression as well as the twilight of an era. Slowly we have traded our quieting yellow for a disturbing blue flicker. Time to think without distraction can be frightening at first (especially if we aren’t used to doing it) but those that dare to do it are rewarded with quiet contentment. Find an old book of matches from some little business in your home town. Find an old book you have been wanting to read for a long time. I dare you to light the wick. Let me know how it goes.

a picture of how we get them sometimes

John Trotter — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:52:45 +0000

This light is an example of what kind of condition the lights are often in when they are brought to us for restoration. Have you ever took something apart thinking… “I’ll remember how this goes.” Then when you go to put it back together, it starts looking really strange. These lights are the same way, they are like putting together a puzzle. One little piece wrongly placed or upside down on the center stem… and everything else is out of place and cast iron just doesn’t bend. We have already started restoration on this (it had about 6 coats of paint on it!) I’ll post a pic of it when it is complete.

a picture of how we often get them

Well from there the light was completely disassembled and bead blasted. You are never sure what you have until this process is completed. There were a few damaged pieces, so a visit to our parts department once again proved to be the difference between having a light done wrong or an authentic restoration. Below are two pics of the light in pieces and ready to begin the finishing process.

After running each piece through the finishing process – time for assembly. You will notice high quality brass fitters are used. This customer already had glass to install on the fixture, so the glass on the lamp in this picture is for illustrative purposes.

12 Arm Bradley and Hubbard Chandelier

John Trotter — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:47:13 +0000