FieryFurnace Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 No they aren't iron! Client doesn't pay that much! Anyway, one of my regular colonial production clients ordered this rush lamp and hook. His drawing. I think his picture represents a much taller lanky lamp than what he wanted. (His specs were quote "12-15 inches?") I was shooting for between 13 and 14 inches in mine but came up with 11.5-inches total height. I'm waiting on my client's opinion of this one, having offered to remake it if he wants more precise specs. (He's usually pretty open about stuff though.) The chandelier weld was fun! That's the first rush lamp I've ever made and the first rush lamp I've seen of this design. It took me 6 hours to make. The second piece was a hook. My client wanted a swivel hook with a 3-inch circle, and a 6 inch hook. So this hook required a loose tenon! The ring is 3-inches on the center line, and the hook is exactly six inches. A bit closer to spec. It took me 45 minutes to make! Thoughts??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Well I do think the rushlight is a bit stubby... otherwise nice though. The swivel hook is VERY nice and so quickly done too! Great job Dave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Nice lamp and hook Dave. When I first looked at the drawing of the lamp I scratched my head for a second. Then realized it was for colonial Drs to look at x-rays with . X-rays yeah right. Really I think they are cool. Nice job. Mark <>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Process looks great, but proportions mean a lot. I'd like to see it per drawing. Looks just like a piece in Sonn's, Early American Wrought Iron. Hook looks good and well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewed Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 The hook is great. The problem I see with the rush lamp is that the bottom circle is too big, the candle arm is too long, and overall, the metal might just be too big / thick for the scale that the customer is looking for. Nice work with the metal, I don't think I could have done it that fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 nice work! if you wanted the rush lamp a little taler you could get a couple of inches by changeing the curled section a little make the curl tighter at the top and closer (hard to decribe ) i think you did a good clean job ! i like that type of ironwork tho i dont get much call for it... too far out west ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Very good points all! Thanks for the honest opinions. I do agree that it is a bit stuby. I did an 8-inch center line for the circle on the lamp. I wanted to make sure it would give it plenty of stability. So maybe if I increased the upright tong arm by 3-inches, decreased the height of the legs by one inch, and decreased to circle base to 6 inches, I might be more on the drawing. I don't know! It will be fun to play with to try to get it right. And now that I have one and have the stock measurements written down, I can work from there with a better idea of allowances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maillemaker Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 So what is the tong-like fixture on the lamp for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 So what is the tong-like fixture on the lamp for? Mailmaker the tong like fixture was to hold a rush that had been soaked in fat or oil. The pith of the cattail type stock was soaked in fact clamped in the tongs the candle acting as a counterweight to hold the tongs closed. These are early English colonial lights which went out of favor because the pith of the North American cattail was of a different structure and didn't work as well as the European-style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Dave, Nice forge work although I agree with everyone else that the proportions are wrong on the rush light. The circular bases were usually about 4 1/2 inches in diameter and the tongs shafts or reins were somewhere between 5/16 and 3/8 square. Stability is gained by not having the candle holder extend beyond the diameter of the circular foot. Hope this helps, Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I thought it was well done, especially as a first off, I always struggle with proportion on the first go round because my minds eye is not as clear as some, then adjust as I go, anyway well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maillemaker Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 but if you already have a candle as a counterweight, what purpose does the rush serve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Rushes were dead cheap, candles were *expensive*. If you had a lighting fixture where you could burn $20 bills with better light in one part and $1 bills with less light in the other part---which part would you use the most? Just like the clothes I wear to the smithy are not the ones I wear to church. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willis Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Really like the work. I enjoy the colonial period of iron work in America more than any other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 The hook is beautiful, does it swivel? The lamp looks good quality wise but way off on the proportions. If I scale the drawing at aprox 13 1/2" tall then the base ring should be aprox 4 1/2" across. With the 8"ring base you made your lamp would need to be 24" tall to look like the drawing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I found several examples of the rush holder in Colonial Wrought Iron The Sorber Collection by Plummer. There are examples there that range from 10 x 6 inches, 10 x 4 inches, 14 x 5, 12 x 5 and 10 x5 inches. This is a great book with lots of pictures, descriptions and well indexed making it easy to find items without thumbing through the pages for hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 After completing some other work, I made it back to the rush lamp. I made the second one today. Total time was 3 hours and 5 minutes. My client's specifications were 12-15 inches tall. Here is the original drawing again. Here is the first rush lamp. Once again it was too bulky, too short (11.5-inches,) and too clumsy. Here is the second. Much more refined, elegant, and proportional. The ring is 6-inches in diameter along the center-line. (Couldn't bring myself to make it four. I wanted better stability.) The total height is 13.75-inches.....I was shooting for 14-inches. Everything is smaller steel too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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