The screws holding the plate to the tree were stuck. But I found out that the box had rusted through on the back so i just ripped it open and got access to the nails to remove it.
The socket was missing the threads!
Here is where the box was mounted.
As you can see it was quite old because of the depth of the dent in the tree. Good thing I removed it. The tree probably didnât like it.
It was difficult to remove those nails and here is why:
Yep, our hammer is broken.
It had a bamboo handle.
Do you think glue will work to fix this hammer?
A nice old âfindâ. I work on a lot of old houses so I come across such as this regularly. Early sockets used aluminum for the threaded part, but the alloys we have today hadnât been discovered so it was quite soft. And some had just one steel rivet holding it in place- electrolysis waiting to happen making the problem worse. The best fixtures were of all-brass construction and I brought one of these back home a couple weeks ago. Mine was a pull-chain switch type, probably 70+ years old, and it still works like new! The cheap plastic fixture I was told to replace it with wonât last 5 years, but thatâs what they wanted and I couldnât convince them otherwise. Whatever, more easy work for me later on I guess.
The hammer handle is dead and unless you can find a old replacement handle Iâd just trash it. Till about 20 years ago you could get decent wood tool handles. Now the woods used are not from the best species, not correctly dried, not as densely grained for strength, and are âmusket cutâ; in other words they donât think about the grain pattern when cutting but only in making as many parts from that piece of wood as they can. Todayâs wood handles are mostly junk, and fiberglass handled hammers are cheap so treat yourself to one of those. If you want a really good hammer look for a âVaughnâ brand with a fiberglass handle- I wonât use anything else. Their wood handled line has some of the best handles you can get but for a few $ more you get one that will last through a lifetime of daily abuse.
These are pictures of a simple porcelain pull chain light fixture I cleaned up and repaired last year.
To someone who has never seen or had the pleasure to use one can not appreciate how ELEGANT one of these can be.
All copper and brass parts and the switch is of top notch quality. The pull chain glides like silk
This one originally was meant to just hang from wires connected to rod and tube wiring. Not my idea of a safe way to do things. Back in those days nothing was grounded either!
I used to go through the waffle on my framer regularly and cycled it into a finish hammer. If you look through the bin you can usually find a handle with decent grain running fore and aft through the grip which is much stronger than side to side and handles cost 1/10 the price if a new hammer. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Donât throw away just because itâs easier.
@dchomak- many thanks for the pics, really heartwarming to see such quality. Too bad to know that todayâs âupgradedâ junk is all you can buy now. As to wiring, thatâs easily dealt with and needs to be. It was good for itâs time but weâve got better for that now. As to asbestos, thereâs no real risk here unless you break it up and sniff it deeply then repeat daily for a few years. What you find in a fixture wonât hurt you if you avoid the dust.
@RDB- I generally agree, but what you can get now is crap compared to just 20 years ago. Old growth woods have become a âspecialistâ thing as has the knowledge of the art of making wood tool handles. Properly done, a wood tool handle should last 10+ years if not abused or pushed beyond itâs designed purpose. I choose carefully, fit well, treat with respect, and get about 5 years at best from them now. Nobody uses my ancient sledgehammer because I canât replace itâs handle if they break it. I fitted it back around 1990 with one I found collecting dust at an old lumberyard. Less vibration, better feel, and a firmer but blister-less grip compared to the new ones. I love old quality and hate waste, but Iâm realistic too, and claw-hammers have come a long way in time. Nothing ruins your day worse than a tool which breaks mid-job and most folks pull harder to pry something loose instead of going back to get a crowbar which is why I recommend something less prone to breakage. Youâd like the way I RRR things here; nothing goes to waste in my house (except my time from finding more interesting stuff to learn online)
Iâll dump some pics here when I get a few more interesting fixtures and bulbs to show.
Sorry, didnât mean to come over all Eco just donât want to see a serviceable head get trashed for lack of a handle. Fitting a new one properly is a skill but in this age of videos itâs not hard to find out how. I enjoy reading threads about salvage stuff and this is a good one.
+1 on Vaugn, been using them since 1985. For most people a fiberglass handle is a better choice since they probably wonât be buying or wearing out a waffle face hammer anyway. I always preferred the feel of wood and how it slides from the loop but I know many others who chose otherwise.
Yeah; have you read the reviews for all of the pull-chain lampholders at Home Depot? If you have, you will notice that they all have poor reviews, and they all have one thing (or several related things) in common. The pull chain rubs on the body and after several months or a year, the chain breaks. Or the switch fails inside. They have to be replaced frequently.
The best thing to do (and probably cheaper, heh) is to install a wall switch and run a wire from the lamp to the switch.
On the surface of it I KNOW I sound crazy. But until someone experiences for themselves the quality and FEEL of one of these vintage porcelain lights switches, they just wouldnât get it.
What happens is someoneâs old fixture breaks and they go out and replace it with one of the cheap pieces of junk. Of course itâs a betterment and theyâre happy, it works.
BUT, compare that to a restored vintage fixture that works like new, then you realize how poorly made things have become.
According to some Psychiatrists I know, those who question their sanity usually have nothing to fear there, but those who think they are sane are their patients. And the saner they think they are, the tougher the cure becomes.
