Antique-shop.com
Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: frogpatch on February 28, 2012, 08:15:18 PM
-
How do you determine the age of this? I bought this at a church sale in Clearwater Florida. It has a nice patina and a little handle soldered on. The push up was stuck from old wax but a couple hours in the Florida sun loosened that up. it appears to be pretty old. What do you all think?
-
I'm curious to know if the underside of your unit has been 'schmeered' with 'something' , or is it painted/enameled ?
The handle (which looks like something that was added , post manufacture) looks almost like a fairly-currentish metal gate latch part .
Can't tell much from the images ... but it looks like a machine-stamped & rolled piece to me .... is the base showing much wear ?
Is it steel/copper/etc ?
-
Gosh...beat me to it fancypants!
-
From what I can remember (it is still in FLA and I am in NJ) the handle is original to the piece. The whole thing made of brass except for the washer and screw that hold the two pieces. The bottom did not oxidize as it apparently stayed in the same spot for decades and the bottom never got exposed like the top. If you hold the handle the your thumb rests perfectly on the top and the hook catches your middle finger for a perfect grip. That is how I can tell the handle belongs.
-
I will try to get closer. That did not work well.
-
Look what I found!
http://www.antiques.com/classified/13110/LARGE-ANTIQUE-BRASS-PUSH-UP-CHAMBER-CANDLESTICK
-
What timing! I have a chamberstick in the projects section of the forum, trying to remove the wax. Now if only I had some Florida sun, but maybe a hairdryer on low...
Nice find! They also refer to these push-up style candlesticks as "hog scrapers" and the type with the pan like we both have they call chambersticks.
-
Hey there Frogpatch, I'm sending a big "thank-you" your way. I replicated your Florida sunshine by sitting with my chamberstick in front of our woodstove moving and turning it so that no part of it got too hot. It worked beautifully. I was able to free it up carefully and gently in about twenty minutes.
-
I think its an excellent find !!
-
Thanks. The hairdryer would work just fine too. I had a gut feeling about this because of the wear on the handle and mechanism and by the diameter of the opening. I honestly did not think it was from 1820. I have so much stuff in storage down there in FLA. I am trying to save the money to go get it but it is enough to fill a 22 foot truck. Once I do I will have a lot to put up here for people to look at.
-
Good for you for having a good eye and recognizing the age! One of the reasons I picked the chamberstick that I did was the patent date. I have no experience with seeing or holding them in real life and there are so many later repros that I wanted to get a feel for them and at nine bucks I could hardly refuse. I love the character these have. It looks great sitting on the pie safe in the kitchen and it will be put into service next time the power is out. Frogpatch have you seen the battery operated flicker candles with timers that are selling on Ebay? They run six hours then shut off for eighteen. They are five dollars-ish on Ebay
-
Well for gosh sakes !! Hurry up Frogpatch !!
-
LOL @ Mart! :D
Here's a link to one seller with several battery operated options: http://stores.ebay.com/Streetcar-Junction/Battery-Candles-AA-/_i.html?_fsub=2418017016&_sid=183940456&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322 (http://stores.ebay.com/Streetcar-Junction/Battery-Candles-AA-/_i.html?_fsub=2418017016&_sid=183940456&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322) I don't know how long a battery will last, but I was thinking of trying one of these. Would make a nice, fire safe option in the chamberstick. I've sent a question asking about the diameter, to see if it will fit. I've got a 1/2" diameter on the interior lifter pan rim in mine, about 3/4" diameter on the candle tube.
-
I got an answer, they begin at 5/8" in diameter and taper out wider as they go up.
-
Thanks for that. Then the next time a hurricane is coming I ....... Of I forgot I don't live their anymore. Next time a Noreaster is coming I can have an emergency light for the chamber.
-
I got the battery-op flicker candle yesterday, the first one the seller sent was damaged in shipping (arrived crushed!) and she very kindly sent me another at no cost. These are actually quite cute and give out a nice, gentle, flickering light. The one issue we have is that it seems to stay on without shutting off, or perhaps it is because it is in a area we walk through and it is getting triggered to restart. So in my case I have to manually turn it off or it stays on. It looks pretty neat in the chamberstick. The battery operated unit is covered in wax that has been rolled in cinnamon, so it looks like an old-style homemade candle. Hubby likes having the additional night light in the kitchen. I think I would like to find a couple of other antique chambersticks and put them in other rooms.
-
Although both of ours are chambersticks, this article on hogscraper candlesticks (with no pan) is REALLY good.
http://bluedogantiques.blogspot.com/2010/01/hog-scraper-candlesticks.html (http://bluedogantiques.blogspot.com/2010/01/hog-scraper-candlesticks.html)
This article explains where the name "hogscraper" comes from. Interestingly, I spoke to a seller just today who claimed to have found boars hair inside one of these. The person who wrote this article says the same thing.
http://www.peggymcclard.com/aab%20Lighting%20Hogscraper%20Bill%204469.htm (http://www.peggymcclard.com/aab%20Lighting%20Hogscraper%20Bill%204469.htm)