Just a few random thoughts, no pictures

I hope I haven't killed the rhododendron. Like the magnolia in the front yard, it has suffered years of bad pruning. It's also been unfortunate enough to be covered with ice time and time again. I trimmed perhaps half of the growth off of it. The plan wasn't to go quite so far, but that's what it took, and it looks so much better for it.

The magnolia is another matter. For the most part, it is healthy, but again, we have the issue of bad pruning. It is considerably bigger, so it's harder to work with. I've tried to address the branches that are rubbing against each other, but at the same time, not leaving too many open spots. I trimmed off one mostly healthy branch that had some significant rot, only to find that the rot went back into the trunk.

Hopefully, when I get home, I'll find that there has been some progress made on the removal of the truly dead trees. If they're in decent shape, they'll be good for firewood.

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I've started looking at the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. While his style is a bit closer to art nouveau than I can afford, I really think that I can gain some insights from his furniture, which was often painted. The built-ins in the guest bedroom and the baby room are both painted white. I've noticed that there's some nice arts and crafts furniture at auction that has been painted, too - and it sells for much much less than it's unpainted brethren.

As much as I'd like to strip the paint off of the woodwork in all these rooms, there's only so much of my life that I can spend stripping paint. There are the places where it simply must happen - certain doors and trim - but there are many areas where it would merely be nice.

Mackintosh did so much great work with wood that was painted white. Yes, he worked into that, with various painted floral and other designs, but I can learn that. My hand is steady enough with a brush. And there's a lot to be said for work that can be done inside, without the worry of disposal of the waste paint.

Finding the right words

As you may know, I'm a librarian. Theoretically, I'm good at wading through the mass of junk to find the desired information. In practice, this is usually true, but there's one word that has been giving me real trouble - antique.

Somewhere along the way, someone decided that "antique" was the perfect word to describe the finish the finish on a bit of plumbing hardware. As a result, when trying to search for, say, antique plumbing fixtures on eBay, in the category Home & Garden > Tools & Home Improvement > Plumbing & Fixtures (because this seems to be where all the good stuff is), you get too many new fixtures with an "antique" finish. Within this category, decent results can be obtained by searching for "(vintage,antique) -new" and limiting to auctions.

However, there are many other areas of eBay where things are not limited so easily. Further, larger plumbing fixtures like tubs and sinks might be better procured locally, via Craigslist, which cannot be limited so easily. The word "vintage" seems to be one generally agreed upon replacement, but it's not so widely used as to be reliable.

What will we do when people start referring to something as having a "vintage" finish?

Lighting for 1920s bathrooms

I love old bathrooms. The beautiful details never cease to amuse and interest me. I was conflicted about removing the light fixture above, but it scared me, somewhat, and it was one of the violations that the city is requiring we address.

I didn't realize it at the time, but this is a fixture that was designed specifically for use in bathrooms. Note that there are no visible screw holes - the fixture is attached to a mounting bracket in through screws at the base of the socket.

While this may have been the best that was available at the time, I was bothered by the possibility of being electrocuted, especially given my long, awkward arms and 6'8" frame. I've had my eye open for something better, something that would look historically correct, but at the same time be waterproof. Then I came across this fixture, in the Oviatt Building penthouse.

The fixture is simple enough and fits the space well. Finding a similar industrial fixture might be quite easy. I came across this one, from Barn Light Electric, which might do the job, if one removed the cage. I've a feeling, however, that something simpler and cheaper might be found at an industrial hardware store.

Of course, the problem remains that the code specifies a flush-mounted fixture... maybe in 30 years when I redo it again, the inspector will be more lenient.

The Cleveland Co-Operative Stove Co.

Our new old stove is a Grand, model 850, made by the Cleveland Co-Operative Stove Co., probably in the late 1940s. A comment on my Flickr account regarding the data plate led me to think about stopping by and checking out their premises. The address wasn't so far off the route from home to work, so I stopped by today.

It's not a terribly big factory. I haven't been able to learn much about the company. It doesn't help that "grand" is a relatively common adjective. Still, I'm sure I'll be able to dig up more around here, eventually.

Light switches and electrical outlets

Virtually all of the electrical outlets and perhaps half of the light switches in my house are original. I find it curious that while the 1920s light switches all still have excellent action, virtually all of the outlets are so worn that a plug will barely sit in them. Did someone underspec the electrical outlets when the house was built? I can't imagine that many switchless items were used, and anyway, the deterioration of the outlets is too consistent - even those in underused areas don't want to hold a plug. Are electrical plugs thinner today than they used to be?