Vintage Lighting Old Fixture Collectors section
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My Mom taught me some form of phylosophy that I agee with in concept. If it were meant to be, it would be. Will have loved to get such fixtures, and I already knew where they would fit - 70' pipe already and I'm starting to top mount for 8" on center clamps. As with me witing on the Circle K Lekos for now, perhaps it wasn't the right time for them. That or given my Wife paid all the bills this week, perhaps not the best time for me to bid on them. That and all I had to do was look in again that night and increase my bid some. I had maximum amount I will have paid. Placed minimum bid in thinking I would get them, someone else has them instead.
As for old fixtures - as soon as I see an asbestos whip, or one that is probably one, I bag and clip it. Doesn't matter if a fellow employee is bringing in his fixture for me to have a look at or I get it in a box. After that asbestos abatement is followed immediately for the rest of the fixture if mine to work on.
First thing for me is that the safety of those at work and viewing the gear, and my own health is at play. Also, any antique lighting fixture seller advice will tell you that it's ok even on an antique light to re-wire it without loss of resale value. If done properly, it sould increase the value some or at least not effect it.
Next for me is all the fixtures I present are fully servicable and brought to factory specication or better. I retain the old and unless necessary don't effect the origional finish, but on the other hand do preserve their use. A heat duct with surface rust will grow and rust thru, so will a tail pipe to a car in making it useless later. A rusted thru fixture is useless thus preventing it and at times work done to it.
Answer is yes. I do alter it's origionality in re-wiring and even major fabrication for missing stuff or saving other stuff done to fixtures. Heck, I even have a pre-62' black texture Altman 360 ready to go with MR-16 uprade to it. The owner of it wanted that and will do the first bench focus of it's ENH lamp in such a thing as I never got around to doing so for my own Grand Stage version with one. Assuming his own work (his other fixture will be in the museum once we are done sand blasting the rust of both lens trains), he will be the first with a workable MR-16 based radial Leko. If converted to DC low voltage, he can even do color changing LED MR-16 for it once proven it can bench focus properly. Such a fixture has an added hole in it's base plate for socket mounting, otherwise is origional and can go back easily.
I also use different chemicals for stuff like treating shutters these days than what will have been used in the past if at all, even grind off up to 1/4" of the shutter surface in bringing it back from damaged condition when I cannot replace it.. Shutters will never fully close all the way in two out of four shutters, but were saved from scrap and non-function. I invent parts, grind down lenses I think the correct lens - just too large, or in another fixture have a new lens that's too small that I'll be adding brackets to so as to make it fit. Kliegl... if not a 5.3/4" lens, now they have a 6.1/4" lens I need to mount and is missing.
For me, first is the safety of the fixture. Wiring is replaced in most cases, fixtures are also grounded. Second that they are functional and brought back as best possible to factory specification or better. Some 360Q's for instance I upgraded to clutch cam instead of clutch break they had when broken. What else can you do given this part is no longer sold and would be very difficult to make? Than for my museum in that they function also, that they are as origional as possible - past posts about the question of even a square nut verses hex nut date. Mostly I often also add a cord grip to the fixture as I don't do the UL knot for smaller wiring. Cord grip to an old fixture for me is also acceptable.
Beyond that, many of my lights have been upgraded to modern lamps if antique and went out on the last rental of them. Part of that brought back to factory spec, is them now working... sure why not if someone wants some old lights and will rent them. Next week might get a rental that would pay for like $150.00 worth of lenses and retainers for other old gear in need of parts.
Takes hours to upgrade without damaging an old discontinued fixture for something else, but the old lamps are no longer for use and often without replacement. This from adding socket extender to Mog to medium screw adaptor, to spending a lot of time in spacers and long screws on a 3Kw follow spot in making it CYX instead. Litererally hours spent in bench focus of it. Only fixture I cannot touch is one owned by the owner of the company and that's just because I don't see him much these days. He has a c.1936 bi-pin Fresnel that I would love to study and is still asbestos and in the front lobby next to my follow spot. It won't stay that way.
"Origional" for that one would have to visit Darak's garage or where ever he has his stock in storage. The public other than on this website doesn't get a chance to view such gear. He only pulls them up for discussion purposes in handling the asbestos whips. I'm doing a museum for people to view in exposure to, and where possible rental of the gear as working props is a good thing that eventually might pay for more of them or at least replacement parts to them. Beyond that, I cannot figure out why anyone would want something so origional that it could be dangerous to be exposed to. Even on "Antiques Roadshow", it's acceptable to have re-wired a fixture without decreasing it's value. Easy enough and best to do.
You ever have to change any switches on that Frank Adams Board? We are over in Baltimore & need a Cove Master rewired.
First question, nope... should be standardized parts and could do so but never seen such gear or if I did worked with it.
Call Vara-Light/Dimatronics/Hub Electric 6207 Commercial Rd. Crystal Lake, Il. 60014. (815)455-4400. They are the owners of the Major line now and nice guys. That's their job in fixing the old Major gear as Frank Adams became for a brand. Sorry no website but are good people.
Second reply, thanks in keeping them alive - I also think fixture history important, replies and questions are also good in keeping debate and the topic alive though. Should you have questions - like why was the first Fresnel a 400G30/SP... while doccumenting what's found, that would keep the topic alive for discussion by me and others in answering it. At least I believe that's the first Fresnel. Stuff like that.
Call Vara-Light/Dimatronics/Hub Electric 6207 Commercial Rd. Crystal Lake, Il. 60014. (815)455-4400. They are the owners of the Major line now and nice guys. That's their job in fixing the old Major gear as Frank Adams became for a brand. Sorry no website but are good people.
Second reply, thanks in keeping them alive - I also think fixture history important, replies and questions are also good in keeping debate and the topic alive though. Should you have questions - like why was the first Fresnel a 400G30/SP... while doccumenting what's found, that would keep the topic alive for discussion by me and others in answering it. At least I believe that's the first Fresnel. Stuff like that.
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Anything in particular you are looking for so we can keep an eye open?
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