I’ve no connection with the Birmingham, UK, company ‘Genius of the Lamp’ but I’m impressed with their obvious capabilities and mention them here should others be interested in browsing their website. They evidently do a lot of work restoring lamps and other parts for vintage and veteran automobiles, including the carbide and oil lamps of the real old-timers. John
It looks like they are real professionals. I think the even have capabilities to make an identical item when provided with an original piece. Their finishing appears superb, next to flawlessly-new. Do you think they completely re-plated some of those?
I think that must be the case, yes. Though with my amateur attempts at nickel plating I’m content to go over existing intact plating as well as where it’s absent or patchy, it doesn’t strike me as something they would tolerate, most likely chemically or by other means getting back to the core metal to thoroughly prepare it for electroplating. If they didn’t, they couldn’t be assured that the plating under their plating would provide a stable base. I doubt their Bugatti or Delage owning clientele would baulk at stumping up the funds to have the job done properly. The issue of course is whether a ‘good as new’ restored condition for cars (or our lamps) is desirable to individual collectors.
Case in point, this Lucas carbide headlamp and generator for a motorcycle. Personally, I’d not want the extraordinary, waxed leather appearance of the patina lost with a return to to shiny brass.
The patina is what many collectors would desire. The bright, shiny new appearance would completely erase that certain "aura" on a piece that only the elements of time, aging and meticulous restoration could bring upon.
I much prefer seeing lampses in a 'used' condition, there's nowt wrong with a bit of gentle restoration to stabilise the lamp, but bringing it back to as new takes away all of the history that the lamp has picked up over the years. There's nowt better than seeing a little ding on a lamp and remembering just how it got it.
