Took part in an online auction over the weekend. Ended up winning this thing.
Had know idea how big it was till I picked it up. I love it, wife, not so much….
Anyhow - anybody know anything about this? It has Neptune on a tag on the top. I know they made nautical lights.
The body seems to be Bronze (I think), guessing since the oxidation is kind of dark as opposed to lighter green that I’ve seen on some of my brass stuff. (?)
It’s 16” tall and 9.5” in diameter.
The only vent holes are small around the top. So I’m guessing this was not an open flame light originally. Unless there was some voodoo going on to supply oxygen.
It’s been converted to 120v with a regular Edison socket bulb down in the bottom.
So, should I clean it up and make it shiny again? That will take some work as the metal is etched pretty deeply. Or leave it nasty. Not really concerned about collectors value (unless it actually is worth some big bucks).
Neptune Ships Lamp vs BLF LT1 (Click on the image to see a bigger version)
Cool looking. I like it.
Clean the glass. Fire it up, see what it looks like. Then, decide if you are going to mod with LED (s) + battery and/or USB power.
Then….you can decide if it looks great that way, or start the polishing job.
Thank you for sharing a bit of history. I have no knowledge of it, but clearly it looks like a early commercial light fixture. Can I ask: what did you pay for it?
Reminds me of a pair my grandfather owned and converted to electricity also.
They are in a different state from me (and besides, in storage after a fire at the residence they were in), but I’ve claimed them for myself to eventually own. Quite large and brass, with blue glass iirc. I may be able to find pictures of them (but not lit). I won’t have branding/manufacturing info but the two in aware of were definitely nautical lights and appear to be of similar style.
Couchmaster, Normally I wouldn’t kiss and tell, but I don’t think I messed up on this one for $125.
I also scored a pair of Zero Aluminum cases with rotted foam interiors for way less than new cost.
Always liked the way they looked. Kind of like from the early Bond, James Bond - Era. Need me a PPK and some other spy trinkets to fill them out.
I took a green scotch-bright to a spot on the bottom. After the grunge came off, I hit it with some auto polish.
Looks really nice, but the thought of going after the whole thing is kind of daunting.
Looked up some home brew bronze cleaners and might give some a try.
Look for me out by the BBQ on nice afternoons covered in goo…
Scallywag, bet the blue glass really adds a nifty look. I suspect blue signifies something to do with port or starboard to alert other ships. But what the heck do I know. Haven’t seen an ocean for decades.
All the Best,
Jeff
I think you did good. I’ve bought spur of the moment things at auction. …A ships telescope from WW2…A medallion/miniature of Louis the 14th mistress……a manual wind brass clock off of a submarine, bunch of pocket watches, old wristwatches, a 300 year old George the 3rd dresser (that my wife made me put back up for auction as it was too big, so let that be a lesson, don’t watch online auctions while drinking wine…) LOL
If you decide to clean it, consider having it vapor blasted. Unless you're a glutton for punishment & just have to clean it yourself by hand, I'd estimate it would be one of the best $100.00 you'll ever spend. It'll get into the nooks & crannies like nothing else.
Glass bead (not crushed glass!) of 170/325 size @ ~60 PSI should result in a finish gloss very similar to eggshell latex wall paint. If the glass lens cannot be removed, it needs to be masked to prevent etching. An application of metal preservative such as Nevr-Dull will keep it looking great.
If you have it blasted, strip it down as far as possible. An empty shell would be ideal. Glass bead gets everywhere. If there are any threaded holes, plug them with screws or threaded rod first.
There's something to be said for patina too. A clean lens in the lamp as-is with a spiral 2800K CFL in a translucent diffuser might be the hot ticket.
Slimjim,
That’s a good idea. Didn’t think about media blasting.
Somebody I know must have one.
Thinking about walnut hulls or? Since the metal is so soft.
Undecided if i want to go the full mirror look or something more mat.
Unfortunitly, other than the top commimg off, it’s riveted togeather and not comming apart.
Thanks for the suggestion.
All the Best,
Jeff
Good find! When they were decommissioning light houses, a friend made a coffee table with a 3’ diameter glass lense as the base. It was hand cut glass from France and quite valuable. There were other beacon and buoy lenses, but I do not know much about it. But take a good look at the glass before doing any restoration. And you might want to do something really nice with it.
If you're going to dry blast, walnut would be good. It's soft enough that it's unlikely to etch the lens. I wouldn't try anything more aggressive. Test in an inconspicuous area to ascertain resulting finish.
Vapor blast (aka wet blasting) at low pressure with lightweight 170/325 glass bead (45 - 90 micron nominal bead size) @ 45~60 PSI will remove the patina, leaving what I'll call semi-gloss-ish matte finish. I would not suggest crushed glass; it's far too aggressive for your workpiece.
I use a vapor blaster on vintage motorcycle cast aluminum motor covers, hubs & other bits & pieces of polished aluminum. Even @ 90 PSI, lightweight bead won't damage sound paint, but still makes quick work of the greenish crud that grows on old polished aluminum.
Some bike shops have vapor blast cabinets. Maybe there's one close to you. There's also a vapor blast cabinet manufacturer in VA that offers the service I could recommend.