Posted 12 years ago
greenwillow
(1 item)
I recently found this oil lamp and purchased it because I like the look of it, and I'm curious if it may be antique? I want to maybe restore it but I don't want to mess it up.
The wick wheel turner is different than most oil lamps I have seen. I can't find any kind of stamp or mark anywhere.
The base and the burner have the matching pattern so I believe these to be the original parts. They are made of some sort of metal, maybe tin? A magnet will stick to it. I soaked the base in vinegar to try and strip away some of the rust, it revealed a textured pattern on the metal (see close-up of base).
The glass looks like it may have had a red enamel at one time. I believe the pattern may be called bullseye but do not know, the glass has some bubbles in it, but there are also seams, if that is helpful in any way. The chimney is missing.
If anyone can help identify or date my lamp in any way I would appreciate it! :D
If a magnet will stick, - it is iron/steel. Vinegar is acidic so you should soak it now in a solution of water & baking soda to kill the acid or it will continue acting on the metal. After drying, wipe with some sort of oil, even corn oil. If you live in an area that has salty air, wipe as much of the oil off as possible so that it can dry as salt will migrate thru wet oil & start corrosion again. If it has a lot of rust, you might want to treat it with Ospho as it leaves a protective coat made from the rust itself.
PS, the bubbles in the glass are a good sign of an antique.
Ohhh, thank you!!! I will definitely do that now that it's out of the vinegar! The metal is very lightweight, so I wouldn't think it would be iron......
greenwillow ; Sorry to have to tell you this but your lamp is not an antique . A true antique is 100 years or older . Your lamp is not that old . It is not new by any means , but it is not 100 years old . For one thing if it were an antique I do not think the glass would have been painted at one time .
I did not realize it needed to be 100 yrs or older! Wow! I would still like to know if anyone does know an approximate age, even if it's not an antique :)