I have a number of porkpie table lamps that have been re-painted crappy. I need advise from people who have actually restored a porkpie table lamp. I will be stripping the paint off, then using wet & dry sandpaper 600g to start with followed by 1000g then 1500g after 2000g Finish 3000g Super Finish Then Brasso polish to finish off, unfortunately I don’t have a buffing machine so everything has to be done by hand. Is this the correct procedure, and can I use sandpaper on the stem as well. Kind Regards Darren
@Kiwiboy00 1. If you strip the paint off, and you want to paint, all you need to do is to "key" the brass underneath. 2. If there are scratches, that you think won't be hidden by the paint, then use steel wool or fine wet and dry... but you don't need to go to 3000. 3. If you want to leave it bare brass, DON'T, polish too much; and DON'T use Brasso (it has too much ammonia which leaches the zinc from the brass and can cause stress cracks). Use something like "Autosol". 4. if you do want the polished brass to remain, polish then overcoat with a fuel resistant clear coat. Cheers Tony
Thankyou Tony, i want to leave the table lamp bare brass without a clear coat, fingers crossed over time the natural patina will set in giving an aged look to the lamp. When you say don’t polish the tank to much why is this ? And will wet & dry sanding give it a nice look followed by Autosol. In your opinion dose the porkpie table lamps look better polished or re-painted. Wow.....Thats a new one stress cracks from using Brasso, never would of thought that. Kind Regards Darren
Ok. Bare brass is fine. My personal preference on this lamp is to use a paint, as in the original, but that's just me. My point about the wet and dry is that the lamps were not made as a mirror, and every bit of brass taken off is a loss. Cheers Tony
Is there a particular paint that you can recommend that gives the closet colour to the porkpie table lamp, that gold/dark rustic colour. Is there a particular auto paint or brand of paint colour that gives the closet original look to mimic the pork ? Any help or guidance would be very much appreciated. Below photos show 6 porks i wanna strip to brass as they have had shit paint jobs, the last photo has two highly polished lamps that i brought from Jim. And another pork that i brought from another collector who had it polished. I still have 2 boxes filled with porkpie table lamps that I still haven’t gone through. Kind Regards Darren
@Kiwiboy00 The two lamps in your first image - fair enough The four lamps in your second image, the paint job on the lamp at top left is as close to original as you'll ever get ! Lamps at top right and bottom right, I've seen that finish before and assume it's a variation and therefore original ! Lamp at bottom left - looks to be stripped already. They're your lamps to do with as you wish so if you wish to devalue them, then go ahead and strip them. Henry.
As sold the gold paint on these was a bright brassy colour. What we generally see is the darker dull gold after years of fading. So to restore to original Plastkote Brass is a very good match. It always looks too bright but is period correct. The Pork Pie lanterns and lamps were never sold as polished brass so they tend to have a slightly keyed finish to accept the paint. They do look pretty good polished and I have some here but it ain't right. I don't see that as too important but the brass does need protection to preserve it so for long term survival lacquer or paint is perhaps best. ::Neil::
As Neil sad the original was brass/gold metal flake finish with shading of brown on the crown and lower rim to give an antique style to them.
Hi Henery, the Lamps at top right and bottom right, You said you have seen that finish before, im interest where you have seen this. You assume it's a variation and therefore original ! I brought those two from Jim Dicks collection, im far from qualified to even guess if its original, but to me it looks like jim had them re-painted. Tony no doubt you have seen these two lamps when going through Jims Lamps. What is your thoughts, original or re-painted. Any tips on sanding the brass or removing the keyed finish to tidy it up a little better. Im not after a super high polish, just tidy so it can age naturally. Also thankyou, Tony, Neil, Graham, Henry for your feedback. Kind Regards Darren
I too have seen those lamps in amongst Jims lamps and these have been resprayed. As far as I am aware the shading was done in black.
Hi Darren, after reading the post by @Anthony and looking again at the lamps, it's clear those at top and bottom right have been repainted and my reply to your post was far too hasty. I still have this nagging thought at the back of my mind that I've seen that colour combination somewhere before though. Henry.
My recollection and judgment is as @Anthony said: Top left: Original paintwork Top right: Jim Dick repaint Bottom left: Stripped Bottom right: Jim Dick repaint If it were me, I would paint the unpainted one and keep the rest as is. Tony
