3 Legged Pewter (pot metal / spelter) Lamp Ident Wanted
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3 Legged Pewter (pot metal / spelter) Lamp Ident Wanted
by William P. Gainey (Gaineyw@aol.com)
Posted: Dec. 21, 2003 @ 16:46.
Hello Forum, I recently inherited my Great Grandmothers lamp. When I
got it, it was butchered to make it "electrified". Most of the burner
was missing and drilled out to accept the electrical outlet. After
being a victim of the BlackOut of 2003, I decided to convert it back
to oil. After countless hours of searching Ebay, I found an HB & H
burner like the one on the lamp when I got it. I'm not sure if the
lamp originally came with a Duplex burner or not, but I like it.
Later I found a reproduction chimney that seemed to match the style
of the lamp. Here are some questions I have: 1) When, Where and Who
manufactured it. 2) What type of Chimney and Burner would it have had
originally. Thanks in Advance, William P. Gainey Mr.
Gainey's original title identified the decorative metal fount carrier
as "Pewter".
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On Dec. 22, 2003 @ 02:32, laszlo rusvai (rusvailaszlo@hotmail.com) wrote:
William, a piece of practical advice: the chimney indeed looks
decorative but if you actually want to use the lamp you will need a
standard heat-proof duplex chimney. This one will break after one or
two minutes of operation. Happy holidays,
Laszlo
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On Dec. 22, 2003 @ 02:39, John at Light International (lightinter@aol.com) wrote:
The Duplex was invented by James Hinks in 1865, the idea being that
the synergy of two wicks burning in such close proximity would
increase the light output: The Duplex has been made with/without
licence in many countries of the world - and is still being made to
this day. It is one of the most successful burners ever made. Chimney
is oval in section and should be about ten and one half inches in
length with a two and one half bottom diameter. Your burner DOES NOT
look out of place in the lamp in which it sits. Wicks should be
separate and about one and 1 1/8th inches in width, but should fill
the wick-tubes. Allow an excess of one inch per month for burning in
the lighting season. That would be a lovely lamp with the correct
chimney! - Check the Pewter mark that will distinguish pewter from
spelter..John in England
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On Dec. 22, 2003 @ 12:26, William P. Gainey (Gaineyw@aol.com) wrote:
Thanks for the quick replies! I learned the hard way about the
chimney. The first time I fired up the lamp the chimney exploded. So,
decided I need to learn a little more about using an oil lamp
properly. I bought the decorative chimney shown in picture and I
allow the lamp to warm up 30 minutes before turning it up. So far, it
seems to work (I'll buy a heat-proof Duplex chimney before using it
again). The HB&H burner I have on it seems to be an odd size. It has
1.75" threads and takes a 3" chimney. Will it be difficult to find a
3" Duplex Chimney? I've looked the lamp over and can't find any maker
marks. Any ideas who may have made this lamp??? Reading one of
Thuro's books, it appears the collar is a very early one like those
using Whale Oil. Oh, how can I tell Pewter from Spelter? Sorry for
all the questions! William
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On Dec. 23, 2003 @ 07:38, Fil Graff (fgraff@comcast.net) wrote:
William: Welcome to the whacky world of lighting, where one question
leads to another, sometimes endlessly! 1) Your 1 3/4" collar is a
standard American #3 fitter. Yes, a 3" Duplex chimney will not be
easy. I do not show a 3" oval Duplex chimney on my list, and neither
of the chimney catalogs we have shows one either...everything is 2
1/2". It may be that HB&H made an odd size, but I suspect it was
probably just a round chimney. You can use a "regular" #3
chimney...it just won't shape the flame as well as an oval would.
2) On the metal question: Pewter is a solid tin-lead metal alloy like
brass, where "spelter" or "pot metal" is often a sort of gritty lead
or zinc-based aggregate (we seem to use the two words interchangably,
although they do not seem to be the same material). Cheap and easy to
cast, hence its common use. A fount cast as yours is likely to be
spelter or perhaps cast iron. IF the HB&H burner was original to the
lamp, you can probably date it from 1886 or before (when HB&H was
sold). You'll probably never know who actually made the lamp
exterior. Even finding it in a catalog (fat chance!) may not tell you
who made it, only who sold it. :: Fil Graff ::
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On Dec. 23, 2003 @ 08:29, William P. Gainey (Gaineyw@aol.com) wrote:
Dear Fil, Thank you for your email. I'm afraid you're right about the
likelihood of find who manufactured my lamp. I've been coming to dead
ends at every turn. The base of the lamp is extremely heavy. Just for
fun, I put the base (without font, burner or chimney) on a scale and
it weighed in at 7 lbs! I really love this lamp. The light output
with the two wicks being 1.5 inches wide is amazing. No more using
flashlights when the power goes out! Slowly learning, William P.
Gainey
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On Dec. 23, 2003 @ 09:13, William P. Gainey (Gaineyw@aol.com) wrote:
As a side note, I grabbed a magnet and checked to see if it would
"stick" to the lamp. It didn't stick to any part of it. Does that
more than likely mean it's made of
Pewter?
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On Dec. 23, 2003 @ 12:52, John at Light International (lightinter@aol.com) wrote:
William - Pewter is ALWAYS marked thus, English Pewter is marked with
the manufacturer and often the date of manufacture. If it not marked
'pewter' then it will NOT be pewter. John in
England.
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On Jan. 03, 2004 @ 02:56, Antonio (antongala@msn.com) wrote:
NO attraction to magnet does not tell you what the metal is. What it
does tell is what the metal is NOT. Your lamp is NOT made of iron or
iron containing alloy.
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On Dec. 23, 2003 @ 15:40, Michael Dolan (twmtk@aol.com) wrote:
Hello William, If your lamp base is pewter,the legs will have
deformed somewhat due to the weight. Spelter will crack and break
with increased load. Most old pewter is deformed in some way, either
from loading or impact. The high lead content of old pewter makes it
mallible. If pewter, a small tap on a solid area will leave a
impression.
Mike
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On Dec. 23, 2003 @ 20:22, Mike Dolan (twmtk@aol.com) wrote:
Hello William,again . Spelter is at least 97.9% zinc ..Marks' 1924
Mechanical Engineers Handbook states that zinc casts well ,contracts
little and is largely used for the manufacture of statuettes and
other ornamental castings which are usually coated with or brass by
means of electrodeposition. (plating) It is probably zinc.
Mike
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On Jan. 30, 2004 @ 23:29, William Gainey (gaineyw@aol.com) wrote:
I'm currently looking for a testing laboratory to find out the exact
composition of the lamp. More info should be coming soon!
