Home Page link

Antique Fountains? How?

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Antique Fountains? How? mrclose 03-22-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by mrclose on March 22, 2007, 2:06 am



Is there anyone that can answer as to How Victorian era, private/home
owned water fountains worked?
I am exhausted from the number of searches that I have done .. all to
no avail!

Sure, I have learned about the Roman aqueducts and the flow of water
from hillsides 'but', assuming that not Every Victorian home lived
hillside and 'We Know' that the electric pump wasn't in use at that
time .. How did these fountains work?

Maybe they were Force Flowed in someway but, that would not explain
How the return was made!
Example: from spout to bowl, back to reservoir and then to spout
again?

There is probably a simple explanation but if there is .. I have
overlooked it!

I know that this is a strange question but I have reason to ask.

I am not able to take photos of a Large, three section, all copper
fountain that I just purchased from a renowned antique store .. until
Saturday.

The pictures need to be shot in daylight and I wont have any free time
until this weekend.

If anyone is interested in pictures, I will be happy to post them at
that time.

I can tell you that the copper sections are very old, very dark and
Very heavy. (as well as having some green areas. lol)

There are also a couple of figural pieces attached to this fountain
and I Swear that they are brass but are almost Black with the years of
accumulated patina.

I used a dremmel and paste cleaner, in a Real Small, out of sight area
to verify this.
It took Almost fifteen minutes just to lighten a spot the size of a
pencil eraser!

Any clues would be So Greatly appreciated.

Mc


Real Goods Solar, Inc.
Posted by on March 22, 2007, 2:36 am


prmincey@gmail.com says...

> Sure, I have learned about the Roman aqueducts and the flow of water
> from hillsides 'but', assuming that not Every Victorian home lived
> hillside and 'We Know' that the electric pump wasn't in use at that
> time .. How did these fountains work?
>
> Maybe they were Force Flowed in someway but, that would not explain
> How the return was made!
> Example: from spout to bowl, back to reservoir and then to spout
> again?

Are you sure there *was* a return? Before the era of water meters, many
fountains simply took an acceptably small flow of water from the supply
and fed it into a pond that percolated naturally into the ground.

> There are also a couple of figural pieces attached to this fountain
> and I Swear that they are brass but are almost Black with the years of
> accumulated patina.
>
> I used a dremmel and paste cleaner, in a Real Small, out of sight area
> to verify this.
> It took Almost fifteen minutes just to lighten a spot the size of a
> pencil eraser!

Quite possible that you removed a finish applied at the foundry, not
accumulated patina. I happen to have a 1910 catalog from the Fonderie
Artistiche Riunite in Naples, which includes samples of the finishes
they offered on their bronzes, and one of the finishes is nearly black,
a very deep green/brown combination. This was sometimes used for
contrast, much like the intentional blackening of recessed details on
silverware.

If you care about the historical accuracy of your find, I wouldn't
polish off any more of that blackness until having it inspected by
someone familiar with similar works.

--
josh@phred.org is Joshua Putnam
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/>
Braze your own bicycle frames. See
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html>

Posted by mm on March 22, 2007, 6:26 am



>
>Is there anyone that can answer as to How Victorian era, private/home
>owned water fountains worked?
>I am exhausted from the number of searches that I have done .. all to
>no avail!
>
>Sure, I have learned about the Roman aqueducts and the flow of water
>from hillsides 'but', assuming that not Every Victorian home lived
>hillside and 'We Know' that the electric pump wasn't in use at that
>time .. How did these fountains work?

Again, no real knowledge, except to say that there was electicity
during some of the Victorian era (1837 to 1901, I guess). Once the
lightbulb was popular (starting 1879) other things got invented very
quickly. Maybe couldn't get a motor and pump as small as today, but
if one is really rich, what does it matter to him? Conservation was
not an issue.

But I don't know enough to say they used electric pumps for your
fountain.

>Maybe they were Force Flowed in someway but, that would not explain
>How the return was made!

Posted by Norminn on March 22, 2007, 6:41 am


mrclose wrote:
> Is there anyone that can answer as to How Victorian era, private/home
> owned water fountains worked?
> I am exhausted from the number of searches that I have done .. all to
> no avail!
>
You've got my curiosity going. Knowing the general area and age of the
fountain would help. Most likely, it ran from a public water supply.
NYC had piped water system by 1800. Just about any combination of
pumps, cisterns and servants :o) I did a google search, but too much
junk to wade through. I ran across a ref. to a roof-top cistern, so any
combination of wealth and resources might have come into play.

Posted by RicodJour on March 22, 2007, 9:44 am


> Is there anyone that can answer as to How Victorian era, private/home
> owned water fountains worked?
> I am exhausted from the number of searches that I have done .. all to
> no avail!
>
> Sure, I have learned about the Roman aqueducts and the flow of water
> from hillsides 'but', assuming that not Every Victorian home lived
> hillside and 'We Know' that the electric pump wasn't in use at that
> time .. How did these fountains work?
>
> Maybe they were Force Flowed in someway but, that would not explain
> How the return was made!
> Example: from spout to bowl, back to reservoir and then to spout
> again?
>
> There is probably a simple explanation but if there is .. I have
> overlooked it!
>
> I know that this is a strange question but I have reason to ask.
>
> I am not able to take photos of a Large, three section, all copper
> fountain that I just purchased from a renowned antique store .. until
> Saturday.
>
> The pictures need to be shot in daylight and I wont have any free time
> until this weekend.
>
> If anyone is interested in pictures, I will be happy to post them at
> that time.
>
> I can tell you that the copper sections are very old, very dark and
> Very heavy. (as well as having some green areas. lol)
>
> There are also a couple of figural pieces attached to this fountain
> and I Swear that they are brass but are almost Black with the years of
> accumulated patina.
>
> I used a dremmel and paste cleaner, in a Real Small, out of sight area
> to verify this.

What were you hoping to achieve by removing the patina? How do you
know the patina was not an intentional effect?

That renowned antiques store took your money and they'd probably be
willing to offer/locate some information if you asked them nicely.

R


Similar ThreadsPosted
Antique Ceiling Fan April 19, 2006, 8:12 pm
antique bottles June 14, 2006, 11:57 pm
Help with antique Briggs & Stratton? August 21, 2005, 6:22 am
antique electrical cutout box December 10, 2006, 9:17 am
Antique Phone Junction Box in a 8-Plex June 7, 2006, 9:31 pm
Please Help! 4 bulb antique floor lap wiring August 11, 2006, 11:17 am
I need a photocell for an antique yard light May 24, 2007, 1:44 pm
3" Antique Brushed Nickel Lamp Post July 25, 2005, 2:18 pm
Possibly faulty seal beneath the flush valve in a 1935 antique Toilet July 24, 2006, 5:56 pm
Possibilities with fixing SQUEAKY antique wood floor (common 1st try fixes wouldn't work) June 29, 2008, 1:02 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap