Antique Cage

[regularjoe2]

Nice cage .

Since you've already painted your item , you could really 'pimp it out' by adding white highlight(s) to the green metal elements & green to the white , and tie the two colors together in that manner .

When I mention highlighting here , I mean to paint certain 'high' (or low) portions of the cast elements of the 'stand' of your birdcage .

You could also distress the glossy paint a bit (after it's fully dry) with some 000 or finer grade steel wool , rather than sandpaper .

As KC said .... do it the way you like it !

[hosman321]

I was thinking of doing just that, regularjoe. Taking a small brush and highlighting the green with white and vice-versa. I might try it. I just don't want to have to add even more layers of paint if I mess it up. 
I really wish I could find this same stand somewhere online so I knew when/where it was from. And possibly see what it looked like orginally. But I know that's a slim chance. Anybody have any ideas about the maker's marks I posted a little further up? Thanks guys. And gals.

[regularjoe2]

Believe it or not , hosman , it's easy to do (with a steady hand and a light touch) with a cheapo SPONGE FOAM brush (think 'dollar store') .
The 'brush' is firm enough to avoid making hairline 'bogies' that are easy to make with bristle brushes .

[hosman321]

Ok, I know I said I was done with this thread but I just now got a bright idea. Literally.

I have been looking through patent sites and antique sites for hours. I think I just realized why I can't find out anything about my cage stand. I think it's a floor lamp. I was wondering why there was a hole at the top of the stand, I thought it was just a random hole. But now that I look at all of these other antique floor lamps, I see that they definitely didn't try to hide the cord coming out of the top. The cord just comes out the hole and leads to the fixture that hangs at the end. You can see it in these pics. And the style of my stand matches much better to these old floor lamps than it does to any cage stand I've ever seen. I was wondering why my base seemed to be a little bit different style. You can see the hole at the top of my stand somewhere in all these pics I have posted. Any ideas if I'm right or wrong on this? The following floor lamps are ones I found online that remind me of my stand design.

I'm actually fairly upset at this revelation. Here I tried so hard to paint it all white to look like all the old white cage stands. It looks nothing like a lamp anymore. I could have added a new fancy shade and fixture and not painted it like this.

I'm really surprised all you experienced guys and gals didn't call me out on this one! I feel pretty darn smart...for the moment at least. 

[D&b antiques]

I did mention it was 1920's. typical stick lamp design. a close up at the beginning would have confirmed that. Of which was'nt available.

[cogar]

Yes you did D&B.

Wouldn't Hosman's stand with a light socket and a Carnival or Cranberry glass shade on it ..... be a nice one to find in a dusty corner of someone's garage?   

[regularjoe2]

Cool .

Now you can find a lampworks & a bird cage stand & have your own unique 'fusion' display !

[talesofthesevenseas]

Hey, now you could wire it, put a small light in the cage and have it illuminated with a couple of artificial feathered birds. Or you could put a UV light in there and grow a plant in the cage like a vine trailing out of it... Opens up all kinds of interesting options!

[KC]

We never know without all the details...plus there are so many "unique" items made that this was truly feasible.

You, however, with the up close and hands on ability figured it out!  Great job!

Just for fun, I had mentioned swing arm drapery rods (aka crane rods) that this resembled from the Victorian era (and to art deco) here's a few to peek at!
http://www.malleries.com/antique-iron-swing-arm-curtain-rods-i-3308-s-4.html
http://cgi.ebay.com/COLORFUL-VINTAGE-SWING-ARM-DRAPERY-RODS-WITH-BRACKETS_W0QQitemZ140373572177QQcmdZViewItemQQptZArchitectural_Garden?hash=item20aeeaba51
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170413614176
http://www.sherrades.com/s/Basic_Cranes/basic_cranes.html

[waywardangler]

It seems these antique bird cages are the new decorating rage. My wife has been after me to buy one at a rummage sale so she went with me two weeks ago and bought a cage w cast iron stand in old blue paint for $8. Nothing fancy. The blue paint is chalky and for awhile my hands looked the part of The Blue Man Group.The glass feeder/water inserts were gone and I thought I could get repros or old ones reasonable. Wrong. I will be on the lookout for these now. Years ago they were common at sales. I remember seeing Hendryx glass inserts on many cages.

Just thought I would bring back up this topic because bird cages are in and not just for the birds.

[mart]

And some are pricey !!!  At least you only spent $8. !!

[hosman321]

I have several sets of feeders wayward. I'm super attached to them because I collect all the different styles. But I may sell a set if you're interested. They are pricey on eBay!

[waywardangler]

Thanks, hosman, but my wife doesn't care one way or the other about the feeders so I think I will just pick them up when and if I see them (cheap). That way you can keep your collection intact because I think they are neat too. I just did not think they would cost as much as they do, especially if they are original. I remember passing up cages at auctions and sales for a $1 or $2 where the only good part left was the feeder(s). But that was years ago when everything was still available.

I have a nice rectangular brass bottom tray for a Hendryx cage. Nice large 'HENDRYX' name embossed in it. Hendryx made fishing reels and lures years ago so I picked it up because it looked neat.

[hosman321]

Alrighty, let me know if you want them later. I have two of those sets. It can be hard to find a matching pair sometimes. I have one cool set that has the patent dates embossed on them. 1876 I think. They don't fit any of my cages but they are my favorites.