Bronze Lamp - Thursday Thrift Hound

The Find: A heavy bronze finished vintage lamp with good detailing which had good wiring. And separate lampshade.

Where: Salt Lake City Sugar House neighborhood Deseret Industries.

Price: Lamp $5, Shade $2.

Above: Overall photo of the lamp, which had a nice harp intact and finial coordinated with the lamp.

Above: The top portion of the lamp resembles a column capital.

Above: Smooth tapering body.

Above: Detailing on the base.

Above: Some discoloration in the bronze finish on one of the back side corners of the base. Maybe the reason the lamp was donated. Another reason many people give up on lamps is if the shades become beat up, worn out, outdated. Replacement shades can be quite costly at $40-100.

Above: I also rummaged through the shades in the DI, hoping to find one that worked well with the lamp. The shade pictured here is a good shape, size, fabric and color. There was only one issue with the shade. The shade was designed for a lamp without a harp. This type of shade sits on top of the lamp bulb socket. In the store, I held the shade socket ring up to the top of the lamp's socket to determine whether the shade would hit the right height on the lamp. You really don't want your socket and or bulb to show once you have a shade on your lamp! You also don't want the shade to come down so low on the lamp as to hide half the view of the lamp. All seemed good from this examination. So I purchased the lamp and the shade.
Above: Removed lamp harp with finial. When I got home, I removed the harp from the lamp. I always save my "discarded" harps and finials for future use on other lamps.

Above: The lampshade ring is placed over the lamp socket.

Above: New three-way light bulb screwed in place. The little up-turned "arms" are what held the harp. It is possible to remove this element by partial disassembly of the lamp. To me this is not important, as the little arms are obscured from view when the shade is on the lamp. I will typically leave them on the lamp because it's easier and it makes the lamp more flexible for future new shade fittings.

Above: The "new" old lamp and shade. A treasure to me, the total of which cost about the price of a weekday lunch. (Ahhh, yes, the ladder motif in the background is provided by my friendly builder, who did in fact come by last evening and re-stack the fallen exterior siding. Hoping for his return soon to install the siding!)

HAPPY HUNTING, HOUNDIES!!!