wood base « Past Imperfect, The Art of Inventive Repair

Posts Tagged ‘wood base’

Sweetheart EAPG whale oil lamp, c.1850

Sunday, November 27th, 2022

This EAPG (Early American Pattern Glass) flint glass oil lamp with the Sweetheart pattern was made in America at the Boston & Sandwich Glass Co., Boston, Massachusetts, in the mid 1800s. It stands 8.5 inches high.

As oil lamps were used daily throughout the house for centuries, it’s not surprising that they are one of the most common types of inventive repair. Since I started collecting make-do’s, I have come across a variety of clever repairs in wood, metal and glass. This lamp sports a straightforward 4 inch square wood replacement base with inlaid trim, most likely done at home. I have many unique glass oil lamps in my collection so please enter GLASS OIL LAMP in the search bar if you want to see more examples.

This intact example suggests what the original base on my lamp might have looked like before ol’ butterfingers let it slip.

Photo courtesy of eBay

Tags:American, EAPG, glass, wood base
Posted in lamp | No Comments »

Mocha ware pepper pot, c.1820

Sunday, April 24th, 2022

This baluster form redware pottery pepper pot was made in Britain during the first quarter of the 19th century. It is decorated in brown, pale blue, and cream glazes and features a tree (aka dendritic) pattern on the body and dome. Intricate inslip-inlaid checkered rouletting in black and cream decorates the top rim. Pepper pot stands 5.25 inches high.

After the original base broke off – I imagine sometime between the middle 1800s and the middle 1900s – this nicely proportioned turned wood replacement base was added. The warm color of the polished brown wood blends nicely with the natural redware glaze, making this distinctive repair unnoticeable at first glance.

This pepper pot, with similar form and decoration, shows what the original base on my pot might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Skinner

Tags:English, mochaware, pottery, wood base
Posted in pepper/salt | No Comments »

Glass whale oil lamp with carved wood base, c.1840

Sunday, February 20th, 2022

This colorless free-form conical glass whale oil lamp was made in North America, circa 1840, and stands nearly 5.5 inches high. Oil from the sperm whale was a popular lighting fuel source in the 1700s to early 1800s but by the mid-1800s, it become expensive and scarce. Lard oil, a cheaper and more readily available option, was used as a replacement but gave off a lower source of light and emitted a bad odor. By the 1860s, kerosene was found to be the most popular and practical oil of choice and lamps were redesigned to accommodate the new lamp fuel.

Over 150 years ago, the original base broke off this fragile glass lamp and a 3 inch square wood replacement was added. Repairs such as this were most likely done at home, using found objects at hand. Wear from holding the lamp at the base indicates that it was used for many years after it was repaired.

This intact lamp suggests what the original base on my lamp might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Invaluable

Tags:glass, wood base
Posted in lamp | 2 Comments »

Glass water goblet with wood base, c.1865

Sunday, June 27th, 2021

This EAPG (Early American Pressed Glass) water goblet in the Bullseye & Rosette – aka Star – pattern was most likely made in Pittsburgh, PA by Bakewell, Pears & Company. It dates from 1865 and stands 6.75 inches high.

At one point in its early life, the original glass base snapped off and was replaced by a turned wood replacement. The new base appears to be an at home repair, repurposed from a section of a stair newel post, as seen in the last photo. A lovely example of making-do, don’t you think?

This goblet with a similar pattern suggests what the original base on mine would have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Early American Pattern Glass Society

Photo courtesy of eBay

Tags:American, EAPG, wood base
Posted in glass/goblet | No Comments »

Glass beehive whale oil lamp with DIY wood base, c.1850

Sunday, May 16th, 2021

This mold-blown glass whale oil lamp with beehive design stands 6 inches high. It was made in North America, c.1850. As oil lamps were used extensively throughout the house, it was not unusual for them to break. If the owner was crafty, they could add fabric and batting to the top portion of the broken base, transforming it into a pin cushion. The upper portion could be fitted with a metal or wood replacement base, which is what we have here.

Judging by the simplicity of the work, this 3.5 inches square rustic wood replacement base was most likely a DIY repair. Wooden make-do repairs done at home range from the simple (Flint glass candlestick, c.1870) to over-the-top flights of fancy (Oil lamp with pyramid base, c.1920). I am hoping that people will be inspired by my collection of inventive repairs and take a stab at repairing their own wounded possessions.

This intact example shows what the original base on my lamp would have looked like before it took a tumble.

Photo courtesy of WorthPoint

Tags:American, glass, wood base
Posted in lamp | 2 Comments »

A toast to the New Year, 2021!

Sunday, January 3rd, 2021

I imagine this is how many of my drinking glasses ended up with early repairs. Let’s raise a glass and welcome the New Year, and hope it’s better than the last one.

All the best to you in 2021 and please drink responsibly!

Tags:crystal, glass, metal base, silver, wood base
Posted in glass/goblet | 4 Comments »

Small brass candle holder, c.1880

Sunday, November 15th, 2020

This petite brass candle holder with turned wood replacement base stands just 3.25 inches high. As there’s not much to go on here, it’s hard to know exactly what it looked like intact. It appears to have been made in England in the late 1800s.

I come across brass antiques with inventive repairs less frequently than ceramic examples, as they are more durable. Please click on these 3 other examples of brass candle holders I previously posted, each with interesting early repairs: Brass candle holder with wood base, c.1880, Brass candle holder, c.1880, Brass candlestick with nutty base, c.1875.

Unless I find an exact match to my remaining fragment, I can only imagine what the complete candle holder looked like. Here’s a grouping showing a multitude of different bases so let your imagination run wild.

Photo courtesy of Birchard Hayes & Company

Tags:brass, wood base
Posted in candle holder | No Comments »

Small compote with wood base, c.1915

Sunday, July 19th, 2020

This small EAPG (Early American Pattern Glass) compote or candy dish was made in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by the United States Glass Co., c.1915. Made affordable to the masses by simulating more expensive cut glass, EAPG was immediately popular and thousands of patterns were manufactured in every conceivable shape and style. This example is in the Australian Sweetmeat pattern and stands 6 inches high with a 4.5 inch opening.

At some point in its early life, the cover went missing and the glass base broke off. A replacement base, made from 2 pieces of carved wood, was most likely created at home. Originally painted black, the octagonal shape mimics the pattern in the glass.

This compote of similar form and pattern suggests with the original cover and base on mine might have looked like.

Photo courtesy of Early American Pattern Glass Society

Tags:American, EAPG, pattern glass, pressed glass, wood base
Posted in bowl/dish | No Comments »

Etched glass wine goblet, c.1850

Sunday, March 29th, 2020

Sorry to have been out of touch over the past month, but I thought it best to not post during these difficult times. Now I realize it might be helpful to try to return to some of our normal activities so I am happy to resume posting. I hope you are all well and remaining safe and healthy.

This colorless etched glass wine goblet stands 7 inches high, and has an opening of 3.25 inches. It dates to the middle of the 1800s and features copper wheel engraved scrollwork around the rim and an inscription of what appears to be William Myher and the word Nov beneath it.

The nicely turned wood replacement base and stem, which I believe to be mahogany, were added after the goblet took a tumble, well over one hundred years ago. Not sure if the goblet was made in America or in Europe. If anyone has insight as to where this was made, please let me know.

This goblet with similar form still has its original base.

Photo courtesy of Etsy

Tags:American, glass, wood base
Posted in glass/goblet | 8 Comments »

“Stippled Medallion” glass spooner, c.1865

Sunday, April 28th, 2019

I purchased this humble flint EAPG (Early American Pattern Glass) spooner in the Stippled Medallion pattern many years ago while visiting Mark’s aunt and uncle in Framingham, Massachusetts. It was made by Union Glass Company in Somerville, Massachusetts, just 20 miles northeast of Framingham, between 1860 and 1870. It measures 5.5 inches high, and has a diameter of 3.5 inches. After its original base snapped off, a simple turned wood base was made (most likely at home) and the spooner was returned to the dining table and put back to use.

I spotted it at an antiques shop, sitting on a shelf among other “perfect” glassware, with a faded price tag of around $10. I assume it had been gathering dust on that shelf for many years, watching as dozens of nearby pieces came and went, feeling as an orphan must feel seeing others taken away to start a new life. It’s a good thing I found it and added it to my collection, or else it might still be sitting on that shelf, anxiously eying each customer and hoping “maybe this is the one…”