It's lovely . . . from what I can see of it, that is :^D
What does the top of it look like????
Does it need to be refinished because the brass is in bad shape? It looks great as is, to me. How cool is that to get such a beauty for free?? Lucky you!

We bought this downbridge floor lamp from the Thirties at an antique shop down in ALbuquerque. It cost us $240 and we were OK with that price. Gosh, I'd have LOVED free, though!

This was it with it's cracked shade, which I disliked and was glad to get rid of. I doubt that it was the original shade. It was too starkly white for me.
{{!gwi}}

Here's the base of it. DH took this at the shop before buying it.
{{!gwi}}

Here's the shade I bought for it. IMO, a glass shade was the only way to go for this lamp.

This one in our living room is not an antiqe, but it was designed to resemble one. The shade came with the lamp and we love it. I don't have a picture of the base, but it's lovely. BTW, the sofa is not that close to the chair IRL. Must be the angle I was taking the pic at.
Lynn

lynninnewmexico.....I've seen prior posts of your home, BEAUTIFUL!

I used a magnet, only the little decoration on the bottom is brass, the rest must be iron. Not nearly as high end as your antique lamp. The fluted pole goes staight up, no other decoration. It's more of a torchiere top. I was thinking maybe a black lamp shade? or a fluted glass flared shade? The finish.....I'm not sure what to do with it.....??? I do like the aged look it has.

Nicole, do a search for torchiere lamps on Ebay and see what you come up with. I'd search for you but DH will be home any sec with the pizzas . . . Friday nights are pizza & DVD family nights here.
My3dogs will hopefully chime in soon with more pics. Her lamps are TDF!
I'll try to check back tomorrow.
Lynn

I have 3 that I got one was free and the other 2 were $8 each all from the man next door. Before you do anything else take PAM spray and 0000 steel wool and lightly clean and clean the metal. Keep wiping with paper towels. This will remove rust and not patina and clean it. After this if you still want to touch up the finish you can use Sophisticated Finishes. It is sold at Michaels or online.

For all lamp parts including the beautiful glass shades here is the place to get them. I have bought all that I needed from them and been very pleased.

http://www.paxtonhardware.com/Lighting-Lamp-Repair-Parts/departments/42/

also here is another company but I have not used them. They have the candle covers for the base of each lightbulb also and the glass shades.

http://www.antiquelampsupply.com/

If you want beautiful shades at a wonderful price then look at the ones here. I got 3 from them. Mr Brown is very helpful and answers the phone himself.

http://www.brownslampshades.com/

I have pics of the lamps and will link below. I never took pics after I completed all the restoration w/ shades. If you would like I can take more pics...

I will be glad to answer any other questions. You got a great deal !! c

I love old floor lamps! I have a few. in storage I think. one in the other room. I don't spiff up t he metal much. just clean it. there's a lamp store about 20 miles or so from here that'll rewire them for 15.00. well, in the mid 90's they did anyway. Haven't taken any to them since then.

lynn - that is a beautiful lamp!

Well, here's my newest old lamp. A relative asked me out of the blue last weekend if I'd like it. Because I was looking for a floor lamp for the living room, of course I said "yes." Free is always good, isn't it?

It needs a bit of work--apparently there's a coat of green paint, or something, under the gold and black paint. And the lining of one of the shades is shredded, so I need new shades. It's neat, though. One of the bridges was broken at some point and very carefully repaired and the whole top part painted gold to make the repair blend in. And the socket where the lightbulb goes is too loose on one side and the whole thing just falls out when you put a lightbulb in, but I should be able to replace that myself. If I can't, I have found a wonderful lamp shop in the next town over, where the owner can fix just about anything.

I love old floor lamps, too. How wonderful to get one for free! The one below was inherited from my parents. In the 70s, my mother's decorator convinced her the lamp belonged in a funeral parlor. Over my objections, my mom banished it to the attic. When I brought it to my home, the finish was quite worn. I bought many different colors of gold paint and, using nearly a dry brush, just played around painting it until I got the effect I liked.

oh annes that is beautiful!!!! I can't believe your mother banished it to an attic! the glass is just gorgeous.

You all have beautiful floor lamps!!!

trailrunner.....I looked at the lamp fixture sites.A glass shade for a torchier like annes....but hers is probably real alabaster...? would be around $165!!!!! then I would need a decorative base....
Soooooooooooooooooo.....I decided to use this old light fixture DH took out of an old office building. What do ya all think?....?
{{!gwi}}

Nicole, I think the shade looks great. Can't wait to see the final piece!!

Anne

Lamps, lamps and more lamps....they're all wonderful. Nicole, I love the glass globe for yours, great look!

trailrunner......you do a LOT of "do it yourself " projects....right!? So what if I start using steel wool & pam....and the finish underneath isn't attractive. Anne did a cool paint job.....how hard would that be to do??? Anne???? I'm pretty sure iron will just be a silver color....right?

Ya know....I can refinish wood, sew up a storm...cook....garden.....even weld.....but I'm afraid I'm gonna mess this one up!!! lol

nicole that shade looks great. I didn't see the shades you were talking about but I think the one you have is perfect.

As far as the finish I still would not paint it. The SF that I mentioned is metal in solution so it looks like the original metsl. Just get the color you want. They have a web site and you can choose whatever you want. It looks like the real thing and covers beautifully. Also you can use just a very tiny amount and blend w/ a sponge brush or q tip and you will never know that you put anything on it...or you can use more and change the color to whatever metal you want.

At any rate there is no "mess up" involved with at least cleaning the metal with PAM and steel wool. You will have to do that prior to anything else you want to do. Keep me posted...the shade was a lucky find. c

trailrunner.....my lamp is not neeeeeeeeeeeear the quality you all own! lol I used pam,steel wood & brasso.....the only metal part that looks "pretty" is the little 3" fluted part near the base. :0) The shade and acanthus leaf holder looks period appropiate.....sorta like trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear? But.......I like projects! So DH rewired it, screwed it together, we now have $2.50 invested in it....no finish decisions yet...
{{!gwi}}

Well for another 2.50 you can get SF and it will look wonderful. That shade is so beautiful and deserves a gorgeous metal beneath...go for it...you will be pleasantly surprised. c

Nicole,

SF sounds like a good product. I think you should try that technique first.

Good luck. It's going to be beautiful.
Anne

yeah cause IF you don't get the metal to look good enough for that globe then I want you to send it to ME! I have a floor lamp that really needs a new globe. I had an old globe with blue on it and since I was putting it in my dd's room (blue) I just put it on there. looks better than no globe... however, that was about 25 yrs ago and it's still on there... when I get moved and settled i might post a pic and see what kind of globe some of you think it should have... maybe nicole's...lol!

That's a great lamp, and outstanding considering it was free! I LOVE antique lighting.

This one is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I thought it was interesting. It's wood. The paint is a bit chipped. I got the lamp at a local lamp repair shop and the shade from ebay. The section that goes from black to gold to black again has a mottled texture. I can't quite figure out the era, but if I had to guess I'd say 50s? 40s? Maybe not quite an antique yet.

Oh that is a wonderful lamp bungalow ! I love that base. I hope nicole will post again and let us see what she decided to do . c

bungalow.....that's beautiful! Yes, the base is really nice!!! I purchased sophistocated finishes in light bronze, used an antique gold to highlight the rope accent on the base and hope to post pictures later today of a finished lamp.....:0)

What a great thread -- I love old lamps! Nicole, lucky you getting that for free. The glass looks great on it. If you want to paint it, don't be scared. It's only paint, and you can paint over it as many times as you want. I just use Plaid acrylic paints from Michaels... they have all sorts of metallics. Keep a damp sponge handy to wipe off anything you do that doesn't look right to you. You might need layers. Of course, you could just use a spray paint and make quick work of it. Repeat after me, "It's only paint!" Painting, I think, takes more guts than skill and the scariest part is before you start. Be brave!

Annes, you did a great job on the paint on your lamp and it looks wonderful!

Lynne, Bungalow, and Camlan, check out what this gal makes for bridge lamps by clicking HERE. I can't afford her work, but her DH makes the frames and sells them (plus Arowire.com does), so you can make your own if you want. If anyone wants to make their own shades, I can advise how. If you're a visual learner, there are videos. If you can hand sew a hem in a dress, you can do this. That's the only type of sewing required.

Bungalow, your lamp is almost identical to mine, and they must have been made by the same company. I absolutely adore it! Like yours, mine was scratched up and chipped, and on mine the base was rusty. I used a wire brush and rustoleum primer on the base. Then I went at it with my Plaid acrylic paints and patched the old gal up. It's still a work in progress... I'm thinking I'll work on the base some more and make those roses a bit redder, and then seal it with poly. Here's some shots of it I just took...

I am doing the shade myself and I just ordered these off eBay to put on it. I think these are in keeping with the sort of heavy drama of my living room...

I have some very long gold fringe for it, and gold braid, and I've already done my own bead fringe for parts of it. What do you all think so far?

Ok....this is what I was afraid of, it's hideous. I don't want it in my house. It no longer has an aged patina, now it looks spray painted and cheap! The sophisticated finishes is a heavy, hand applied paint, yes with real bronze in it..... It looks exactly like copper spray paint. I may have to strip it.

You used Sophisticated Finishes on it? Did you pick up any other colors? Chances are you can fix it by adding some other colors with a fairly dry brush. More layers will give it depth. Do you like the basic color or not? If not, then repaint the entire thing, then dry brush some more layers on.

If anyone is interested (?) there are less expensive lampshades on eBay, and in addition to the link I posted bove, here is a site for even more expensive ones, for those who would like inspiration, or who have oodles of decorating budget...

Here is a link that might be useful: Victorian Lampshades

Help! I don't know what I'm gonna do. Up close it just looks like I spray painted it. It no longer looks like metal......of any "real" kind. I think it was too large a surface area to "paint". The top decorative piece under the glass globe no longer is a color match. The lamp needs more brown to it...and the top piece won't accept the SF paint, it's ceramic. Any suggestions....? This is new territory for me.......
{{!gwi}}

Yep. Haul your lamp into Michaels and have them help you match the paint of the top piece.

Upon closer inspection I just didn't get the top piece covered well enough. Another coat & it matches up fine. I think a metallic blackish paint would help define the fluting in the pole & rope detail around the bottom. Maybe I'm just not finished yet? A little dab of antique gold to highlight the bottom starburst piece maybe? I just need to work on the color....keep it from being too uniform. ALL in ALL it isn't rusty anymore! lol :0) The glass globe is still VERY attractive sitting there!

Hi Nicole,

I think the lamp is looking good. I think highlights would be great, but if it was me, I wouldn't use black for highlights. I would find other colors of gold or bronze that are slightly different from your main base color and use those. I used a lot of different colors and kept applying them with nearly dry brushes (that's the crucial part).

Anne

I am sorry that you have not liked the SF finish. I used maybe one brush full to do the whole base....as in VERY litle...barely touched the metal with it. I would strip and start over. Use ONLY A TOUCH.Takes very little. All is not lost. That is a great lamp and think of it as a learning experience. LOL. I have hundreds of $$$ invested in "plants no longer with me" to prove that we do learn from things we try. DO post more pics...it will be great ..soon ! c

Dh came home from work, he thinks the finish is a HUGE improvement. smile OK. So I used burnt umber(dark brown) paint I had on hand to accent the rope detailing, the little starburst detail and I'm just gonna let it rest. See what I think of it in say a month....it's not like I have to hurry up and finish it. It's a weird gold color....just unexpected....

Like trailrunner said....got a garden to tend...new Collie mullins planted...6 of them...not sure how they will turn out either....smile

Well that's certainly good news. Are you liking it better now?

Also bump for Lynne, Bungalow, and Camlan.

oceanna....I think SF is a "quality" product & trail runners lamps are beautiful......but to do a whole lamp base with such a big area like mine....well...it's a weird effect. I tried the dull brown as an accent...it's not so good on top of the rope design....just down in the grooves. I like the overall look of the lamp. DH has decided that the glass globe was a fruit bowl, not a light fixture after all! I think that's a hoot!!! I have a fruit bowl I used as a lamp shade!!! lol

oceanna, I agree that our lamps look like they came from the same company. You are such an artist with paint finishes!

Nicole, I'm glad you're happier with your lamp. You can keep playing around with it. Lots of times the dark settling into the recesses makes it look like a patina.

Bungalow house, I think you can fix yours up too. Just get some paint and start playing around with it. Keep a damp sponge handy to wipe off whatever you don't like. You should at least be able to blend in some of the dings and scratches.

Did any of you visit the lampshade sites I linked to above?