Legal Lamp Chop Shop

Sometimes the best way to reuse an item is to break it down into parts.  Often, collectors and normal people (collectors, did you know you weren't normal?) have an old piece of furniture or a lamp that they love, but it is missing that one thing that will make it beautiful or functional. Here are some photos showing how we removed the decorative cast iron spill ring from this antique oil lamp.

Collector Cool

OK, now, I'm not really a collector. I'm more a little-bit-of-this-and-that type of antique buyer. I had a small collection when I was a kid, but didn't really hunt things down the way Keith did.  One thing that makes it clear I'm not a collector is my interest in common things. This little leather keychain would not thrill any collector. Collectors focus on the rare and less common, and there were (and are) just too many of these around to really interest a collector. But I think this image of the 1940s car, pressed into the leather and worn just a bit, is pretty neat.  Your father won't be impressed since he probably had the car and not just the key case, but in my opinion this is an authentic affordable antique. (If you're picky about your antiques being at least 100 years old, can I call it a valid valueful vintage?)

Metal Patch

I've mentioned how we give industrial sewing machine tables a new life as adjustable desks. Often, the original tops for industrial sewing machine tables were wooden butcher block made from some type of hardwood, usually maple.  Unfortunately, that top had a huge hole where the actual sewing machine sat. Useful for sewing, but not useful for the table's second life. Usually we replace that top with other wood. Sometimes, though, Keith will patch the original hole with pieces of angle iron. He uses a chisel to set in the metal so that the angle iron patch is level with the wood.  Very sweet.