Posted 12 years ago
BRussel
(50 items)
Hi , just got this at a garage sale and l have no idea what it is , used for , why the color purple for the lense. It is a oil lamp and had a round stamp on the top but I can't make it out. it looks like a old bike lamp light but not sure. Any help would be great thanks!!
model t ford i think but not sure of the purple lens
It was clear glass to begin with, during manufacturing manganese was added to make it clear, but over time U V light oxidises the manganese turning it purple.
I USED TO HAVE ONE LIKE THIS IN NEAR MINT CONDITION (GLOSS BLACK). OF COURSE, I LET IT GO AT ONE OF MY YARD SALES, YEARS AGO! OH! WHAT HEARTACHE!
TO MY NEOPHYTE KNOWLEDGE THIS IS A VERY OLD "CARRIAGE" OIL LAMP [THINK WHALE OIL]...I.E. PRIOR TO THE AUTOMOBILE. IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN, IT CONTINUED TO BE USED ON THE FIRST HAND-CRANK AUTOMOBILES AS WELL [BEFORE THEY FIGURED OUT THE ELECTRICS FOR TAIL LIGHTS] WHICH IS WHAT THIS IS, A TAIL LIGHT AND/OR SIDELIGHT MOUNTED ON THE CARRIAGE BODY JUST AHEAD OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE. THUS, THE LEN'S COLOR PATTERN...PROBABLY, IN IT'S DAY, THE CLOSEST THEY COULD COME TO THE BRIGHT RED TAIL LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLES OF TODAY. THE DESIGN OF THE LEN'S "STEPPED" PATTERN IS MODELED AFTER THE TYPICAL "FREZNEL" LENSES ONE FINDS IN LIGHT HOUSES FOR PURPOSES OF GREATER MAGNIFICATION.
THE SAME STYLE HOUSING WAS USED WHEN TRANSITING TO ELECTRIC...THE VENT HOLES WOULD INDICATE OIL USE...DOES THE BASE COME OFF WITH A TWIST? DON'T FORCE IT OPEN...DEFINITELY WORTH THE EFFORT OF A RESTORATION PROJECT!
CHECK OUT "CURRIER & IVES" PRINTS [INTERNET SEARCH] AND YOU WILL PROBABLY SEE SOMETHING SIMILAR, OR MOST LIKELY IDENTICAL [THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF CHOICES BACK THEN].