u/sittingbulloch

Recently picked this pedestal/plant stand up for a song and a dance. It appears to be all cast metal (maybe spelt?) with a marble top.

I can't find any markings on it anywhere, and the bottom is covered with felt. I didn't want to pull that off. From the styling, I thought it might be late Victorian/early Edwardian, but I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on it. The finials are definitely held on using bolts. It's stable and solid, and heavier than I would have expected.

It's dimensions are 34" high, with the base and top being 9x9", and the middle tier being 7x7".

If anyone has any thoughts on it, I would love to hear them. Thanks, and have a great day!

Hi, everyone! It's the update no one asked for!

I posted a few days ago looking for any suggestions about how to go about preserving and lightly restoring my late Victorian andirons. Well, I have completed the preservation and restoration, and I humbly submit to you before and after pictures, along with a couple of bonus pics of them in my living room fireplace (along with my electric space heater).

I know the post didn't catch really any traction, but I figured I would update and let you know how I ended up going about the work, just in case someone was interested in doing the same to their andirons at some point and had difficulty finding any information on it, like I did. So, here it is, a kind of show and tell, if you will.

First, my andirons were structurally in amazing shape, so that helped. I also want you to know I did a bit of research online to try to learn how to do this, and then I actually contacted a cast iron preservation specialist at a local museum. We had a short phone call, and I followed his suggestions. He is a metalsmith, and he actually runs the historic iron forge at the museum and is in charge of all of the iron preservation of historical artifacts. Also, I wanted to preserve as much of the 125 year patina on the andirons as much as possible because I love the way the look.

Okay, so on to what I did to preserve and very lightly restore the andirons.

First, I used a stiff nylon bristle brush to knock off any dirt, soot, rust, etc. I didn't have any real issues with any rust, other than some very light surface rusting on one of andirons which was really more dry than anything, probably caused by humidity and sunlight exposure being near a door or window.

Next I used a very light coat of mineral oil to help remove any grime that was on them. When I say very light, I mean super light, and I wiped the oily grime away with shop towels.

Once that was done, I moved on to using preservations wax (Renaissance Museum Wax is the gold standard and what I used) and the stove polish wax (I used Rutland Stove Polish Paste). You can purchase both on Amazon.

First, I covered the both andirons fully (vertical and horizontal bars) with the preservation wax, waited for it to dry, and buffed with a soft cloth. Next, I covered the log irons (horizontal ones) with a very light coat of the stove polish wax, waited for it to dry, and buffed with a soft cloth until the cloth came away clean (that part takes a lot more time than you might anticipate). Finally, on the vertical iron that was more weathered, I mixed a 2:1 ratio of preservation wax to stove polish wax and applied it with a soft cloth, waited for it to dry, and then buffed with a soft cloth. This "toned" the more weathered andiron to a much closer match with the better preserved one.

I had run several test patches at different ratios on the log (horizontal) irons before applying the stove polish wax to make sure I was getting a decent toning match.

So, that's it. If I hadn't wanted to do the toning to try and make them match just a bit better, then all I would have needed to do was use the preservation wax.

Again, I know no one asked for an update, but I wanted to share just in case someone might find the information useful in the future. Also, I absolutely love the way my andirons look in my fireplace!

I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend.

Hi, centuryhomes folks!

Yesterday I picked up a very nice set of late Victorian andirons, and I was hoping someone might have some suggestions on restoring and protecting them. So far, my research has led to using museum wax for the finials (which are cast brass) and to use stove polish/wax for the cast iron bottoms. I would like to keep the patina on the finials, as I prefer it over polished brass. I will be using these andirons in my living room fireplace, but I will not be burning wood on them - they will only be decorative.

As you can see from the pictures, one has a bit more surface rust than the other. I think it may have been exposed to more direct light and humidity (maybe a window or door on that side of the fireplace it was in, idk). It is all just barely surface rust, though - the andirons are in amazing structural shape and still retain some of the original cast iron black (possibly even japanned) finish.

If you are interested in more information about these particular andirons, feel free to read more below. If not, feel free to just send me your suggestions on how you would go about restoring and protecting these beauties!

___

Info on the andirons.

They were manufactured by Bradley and Hubbard (see triangle mark on log bar in pics) likely sometime between 1895 and 1905 and are probably part of the 9500 series of andirons, though I have not yet been able to locate the precise design number. I have two more places to try to check, but they require me to get the finial off and/or the log iron off.

They are made of cast iron on the bottom and a cast brass "melon" or "urn" finial on the top. When first sold, the finial would have been brightly polished. These are fully molded and finished, and are a size 4 set (for large living room/parlor fireplaces), standing at just a hair over 22 inches tall, 21 inches deep, and just a touch under 11 inches wide, each. The finial is attached with a threaded rod, and the log iron is attached with a bolt (see pictures).

When they were new, they would have been considered a luxury set due to the full molding and finishing, meant to be viewed from any angle. Most of the fully molded sets like these were expected to go in wealthy urban homes and brownstones (according to the information I read on the Smithsonian's webpage about the producer).

Anyway, this seems to be a design that was not one of the most popular that B&H produced, and there do not seem to be a lot of them available for sale online, that I can find. I was only able to come across one eBay listing (where they have been painted gold and which the seller has mislabeled) and one antiques dealer's auction page (where they are stupidly expensive). Other than that, I can't seem to find an exact match anywhere, which seems odd since B&H were such a popular producer of andirons.

Regardless, I am super stoked about them, and they are going to be beautiful in my fireplace, and I was extremely happy to come across them at my local architectural salvage spot while searching for something else.

Hi, everyone. Today I picked up what appears to be a pair of Bradley and Hubbard andirons from what is likely from the 9500 series.

They have cast iron bottoms, brass finials, are fully molded and finished, are 22" high, have the Bradley & Hubbard triangle marking, and the size 4 marking. The horizontal log bar is bolted to the vertical iron. (See pictures)

I was hoping someone might know what actual design number they are, as I have had a difficult time finding others online. There are only two other postings I could find that are the exact same - one on eBay and another on a dealer site. The lister on eBay seems to have the wrong manufacturer.

Anyway, what I am mostly here for is to ask for your suggestions on how to clean these fellas up while saving the patina and protect them. I DO NOT want to polish the brass finials. Structurally, these are in amazing shape, but there is a bit of surface rust on one (much more than on the other), and I would like to just bring them back to their cast iron glory and protect them. They will be going in my fireplace, but I will not be burning anything on them.

I appreciate your suggestions and any help you can give me on their design number!