I bought a pair of antique circa 1890 ceiling lighting fixtures for a hall.
I have not yet installed them.

Today I find this picture with a pair just like mine:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...25WYGSS.html#3

But they are oriented 90 degrees differently than what I had planned. Now
historically there must have been an orientation that was used. Which way
was it?

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Don Wiss wrote:

I bought a pair of antique circa 1890 ceiling lighting fixtures for a
hall. I have not yet installed them.

Today I find this picture with a pair just like mine:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...25WYGSS.html#3

But they are oriented 90 degrees differently than what I had planned.
Now historically there must have been an orientation that was used.
Which way was it?



Maybe it's supposed to make you feel like that narrow hallway is wider.

Today I find this picture with a pair just like mine:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...25WYGSS.html#3

But they are oriented 90 degrees differently than what I had planned.
Now historically there must have been an orientation that was used.
Which way was it?

While you may be thinking of better light distribution having them run
with the hall, the fixtures are better viewed as shown. I doubt it
will make much of a difference in the brightness of the hallway.

On Dec 23, 5:31*am, Don Wiss wrote:
I bought a pair of antique circa 1890 ceiling lighting fixtures for a hall.
I have not yet installed them.

Today I find this picture with a pair just like mine:http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...nddestinations...

But they are oriented 90 degrees differently than what I had planned. Now
historically there must have been an orientation that was used. Which way
was it?

Don.www.donwiss.com(e-mail link at home page bottom).

The Times pic looks better to me...YMMV.

Joe

On 23 Dec 2011 16:36:59 GMT, Han wrote:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...25WYGSS.html#3

I think these are imitations of gaslights. If so, the orientation would be
so the gas flows up into a whatchamacallit thingy that lights up (the
thorium-impregnated fabric that does the actual lighting, like in a propane
lantern).

They are called mantles. I've only seem them attached at the top. These
fixtures have the gas coming up from below.

You can't really tell from the picture whether those are replicas or old
gas ones converted to electric. But looking closely I suspect that they are
replicas. The pair I bought are old.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Don Wiss wrote in
:

They are called mantles. I've only seem them attached at the top.
These fixtures have the gas coming up from below.

I can never remember the name. In Dutch they are called the equivalent of
"little socks".

You can't really tell from the picture whether those are replicas or
old gas ones converted to electric. But looking closely I suspect that
they are replicas. The pair I bought are old.

That's what I thought.

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

I bought a pair of antique circa 1890 ceiling lighting fixtures for a hall.
I have not yet installed them.

Today I find this picture with a pair just like mine:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...25WYGSS.html#3

But they are oriented 90 degrees differently than what I had planned. Now
historically there must have been an orientation that was used. Which way
was it?

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).


*With the way they are mounted in the Times photo you can appreciate the
full beauty of the light fixture. If they were turned 90 degrees you would
only see an edge.

On Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:31:50 -0500, Don Wiss wrote:

I bought a pair of antique circa 1890 ceiling lighting fixtures for a hall.
I have not yet installed them.

Today I find this picture with a pair just like mine:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...25WYGSS.html#3

But they are oriented 90 degrees differently than what I had planned. Now
historically there must have been an orientation that was used. Which way
was it?

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

"Orient" is no longer considered acceptable use. You should be using
"Asian".

--
Q: "How does one measure the height of a building using a barometer?"
A: Drop the barometer off the building onto someones head, killing them
outright. Wait for the next day's papers and read the part where is says
"A man (39) was killed yesterday when a scientist (26) dropped a
barometer from the top of an [x] foot building".
-- Dr N.C. Eastmond, , in sci.physics


12/23/2011 6:09:03 PM

On Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:31:50 -0500, Don Wiss
wrote:

I bought a pair of antique circa 1890 ceiling lighting fixtures for a hall.
I have not yet installed them.

Today I find this picture with a pair just like mine:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...25WYGSS.html#3

But they are oriented 90 degrees differently than what I had planned. Now
historically there must have been an orientation that was used. Which way
was it?

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).
GENERALLY, you would have seen them 90 degrees from the shown
installation, but either is "correct"

On Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:58:28 -0500, wrote:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...25WYGSS.html#3

GENERALLY, you would have seen them 90 degrees from the shown
installation, but either is "correct"

Actually my hall is different from what is pictured. My hall is a hallway
that surrounds a side stairs (the way they did rowhouses back then). There
is a door on the side of the hall at each end. By orienting mine parallel
with the hall, the sides will be seen as one is turning at the end of the
stairs (especially on the way down), and when exiting those two side rooms.

To me the way it was done in the picture is odd.

I had not unwrapped mine. To be transported home (via car service, hotel
storage, bus seat, taxi) they had been all wrapped in bubble wrap. I
decided to unwrap and post a picture. I found that the very, very flimsy
shade-holders they put on got mangled. Checking my other 1890 gas fixture I
found much sturdier holders had been put on (and have brass lips under the
cardboard sleeves). Here one is:

http://donwiss.com/pictures/misc/Hal...ixture1890.jpg

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Dec 24, 7:09*am, Don Wiss wrote:
On Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:58:28 -0500, wrote:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...nddestinations....
*GENERALLY, you would have seen them 90 degrees from the shown
installation, but either is "correct"

Actually my hall is different from what is pictured. My hall is a hallway
that surrounds a side stairs (the way they did rowhouses back then). There
is a door on the side of the hall at each end. By orienting mine parallel
with the hall, the sides will be seen as one is turning at the end of the
stairs (especially on the way down), and when exiting those two side rooms.

To me the way it was done in the picture is odd.

I had not unwrapped mine. To be transported home (via car service, hotel
storage, bus seat, taxi) they had been all wrapped in bubble wrap. I
decided to unwrap and post a picture. I found that the very, very flimsy
shade-holders they put on got mangled. Checking my other 1890 gas fixture I
found much sturdier holders had been put on (and have brass lips under the
cardboard sleeves). Here one is:

http://donwiss.com/pictures/misc/Hal...ixture1890.jpg

Don.www.donwiss.com(e-mail link at home page bottom).

In the photo showing the fixtures 'crossways' in the very, very narrow
hallway:

It looked like the lighting was oriented [oops] to show the fixtures,
visually 'widen' the hallway, AND very effectively throw light down
onto the pictures hanging along the hallway's picture gallery. All in
all, the best orientation for that claustrophobic hallway.

On Dec 24, 7:09*am, Don Wiss wrote:
On Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:58:28 -0500, wrote:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/201...nddestinations....
*GENERALLY, you would have seen them 90 degrees from the shown
installation, but either is "correct"

Actually my hall is different from what is pictured. My hall is a hallway
that surrounds a side stairs (the way they did rowhouses back then). There
is a door on the side of the hall at each end. By orienting mine parallel
with the hall, the sides will be seen as one is turning at the end of the
stairs (especially on the way down), and when exiting those two side rooms.

To me the way it was done in the picture is odd.

I had not unwrapped mine. To be transported home (via car service, hotel
storage, bus seat, taxi) they had been all wrapped in bubble wrap. I
decided to unwrap and post a picture. I found that the very, very flimsy
shade-holders they put on got mangled. Checking my other 1890 gas fixture I
found much sturdier holders had been put on (and have brass lips under the
cardboard sleeves). Here one is:

http://donwiss.com/pictures/misc/Hal...ixture1890.jpg

Don.www.donwiss.com(e-mail link at home page bottom).

Just looked at the jpg, a bit wonky on the right? But all in all,
where is the best place to get architectural accents?

On Mon, 26 Dec 2011, Robert Macy wrote:

Just looked at the jpg, a bit wonky on the right?

Wonky or not, the quality of the shade holders is unacceptable. I'll need
to get new ones and have the fixture rewired. Are there some tricks to
getting the wire stuffed through the piping?

But all in all,
where is the best place to get architectural accents?

There are architectural salvage places all over. I hunted the web and made
a list of them for reference. These fixtures were purchased in DC at The
Brass Knob. I had previously bought some antique brass door hardware from
them and while on a visit to DC I wanted to stop in and say hi. They had
these fixtures and I bought them.

I'll send you my list.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Dec 26, 6:55*pm, Don Wiss wrote:
On Mon, 26 Dec 2011, Robert Macy wrote:
Just looked at the jpg, a bit wonky on the right?

Wonky or not, the quality of the shade holders is unacceptable. I'll need
to get new ones and have the fixture rewired. Are there some tricks to
getting the wire stuffed through the piping?

But all in all,
where is the best place to get architectural accents?

There are architectural salvage places all over. I hunted the web and made
a list of them for reference. These fixtures were purchased in DC at The
Brass Knob. I had previously bought some antique brass door hardware from
them and while on a visit to DC I wanted to stop in and say hi. They had
these fixtures and I bought them.

I'll send you my list.

Don.www.donwiss.com(e-mail link at home page bottom).

Two ways to thread:
1. springy 'needle' about 18 inches long, push through and then pull
stuff afterwards
2. rounded weight tied to a thread, bounce through structure, then
pull wires though afterwards