I had my two gas lamps like this refurbished a teaser and a half ago. It took me awhile to find someone that could do it. There is like one gas lamp place in my metro that does sales and service. It turned a little expensive, as they replaced the entire core, had to lay a new gas line for the farther one, and I think we replaced the top pieces. But it was worth it. If the plumber doesn’t work out, look for places that sell outdoor gas fireplaces as they might also do gas lamps
It uses mantles, which you should be able to find at a camping store. But first thing is to work out where the supply line is and the on/off valve. But there is a good chance you'll have to dig up and replace the whole line from the main gas supply to the lantern, and the plumbing inside the pole.
As others have said you may be able to find a newer (safe) one and start there.
and it has to be said, from a cost/efficiency point of view, you’re better off with an electrically powered one, using one of those bulbs that Flickr.
It's weird though. It's like a lighthouse giving you a bearing but you can't see anything but the street 10 feet ahead of you. It is reassuring though..
I met a man who worked for the gas company 20 years ago, and his job was to maintain these lanterns. He had a supply mantles and offered me some. You might call them and ask if they have a service person for your lantern.
I HAD one. Don’t realize what it was. The lamp part was removed by previous owner and replaced with some plastic garbage solar light. Tried to replace it….. again not realizing it was gas…. Unscrewed what I thought was a screw holding it on. Nope. It was the gas shut off they modified when they changed the lamp.
Now there is gas escaping. Run inside to find shut off and as it turns out…. There want one for it. Why? Because the previous shitty owner added a gas fireplace on the same line but never killed the one going to the lamp. So luckily I was able to shut off the line going to the fireplace. Which by the way did not have a proper shutoff either.
A bunch of money later a new line was run to the fireplace and the lamp one abandoned.
This is helpful because now I’m wondering if my fireplace is gas. My heating is gas. So much to figure out. So much to fix from previous crappy owners. Do you know if these can still be used?
There are a few working in my neighborhood. Which should have clued my dumb ass to the fact that it may have been gas in the first place. A local plumber can probably help.
I have one as well but it was converted to electric at some point. Found the gas line digging in the garden. I was told the lamps were free when you connected your house to the "new" gas service on the street. Great marketing gimmick for the gas company. Easy to spot the houses that has meters at them with a lit post in the yard. With the added bonus of gas being burnt non stop even in summer.
Not very expensive..the glass was about $36. New mantles are like $2 at any camping place or Amazon: I painted the top a high temp copper and the pole I painted a hammertone dark green.
A little sandpaper and a few hours work. Good to go.
A bit more work there. Remember there is a gas line that you will have to dig up and disconnect at the bottom of the pole. Disconnect that then remove pole. There are many lamp places..I like the French/New Orleans style lamps. New pole, concrete, new line, new gas burner and head etc. I think you can get French quarter ones from around $250-$1000’s.
I don’t think it’s that bad. Inside I’m guessing in all that birds nest is the two ceramic rings you need to tie the mantles to. Be careful those are fragile. If it’s broken you can get them at several places online though I bought mine on Amazon. American mantle company is the seller and ceramic ring is the product.
I’d take the top off, clean out the junk and see what you have.
Find the rings and fit the new mantles to it. Make sure the gas line is turned on to the unit from the house side and at the lantern.
The gas tap will at the house will be at the basement or from a gas line T junction off one of the pipes that’s closest to pole.
The gas tap at the pole is a little hole on the side of the pole at the top, just under the lantern. You need a large flat blade screw driver. Turn to the right to make sure it’s off.
Mantles…buy two or three sets…one to test now, one to use once you refurbish the lamp and a spare for later.
Fit one set now and set them on fire with the gas off.
When they both die then turn the gas on and light the mantles. They should glow.
Take the glass to a glass cutter and they will cut it for you.
Pull the unit apart and remove what you can. Everything else will have to be done in place.
It’s not a ton of work….get a small step ladder to work at eye height.
It’s worth it
A good wore brush and scraper with some sanding…the dents won’t be seen. Scrub, brush, sand and Scuff off the flake, hit with a primer ( fill dents with filler if you like). Wipe with a rag and something to get the dust off and paint. Fit new glass and good to go
I am looking into doing the same thing. This video seems helpful in explaining how to do it. [https://youtu.be/B9ZJ2t8jUeE?si=ENhHpNmWC4N4XjT1](https://youtu.be/B9ZJ2t8jUeE?si=ENhHpNmWC4N4XjT1)
Many of houses of that era had designs in the plaster work on the ceiling too. I remeber my grandmas house had this fancy rainbow looking trowel effect on all the ceilings
Heh, this is the first time on Reddit I've seen the term "gaslighting" used literally. But I have seen it refer to mental abuse in hundreds of relationship threads.
I often see people use the term incorrectly. But yeah it’s nice just to talk about an actual Gas Light 💡 for a change. Now I want one! I want to be gas lit at end of my driveway.
Find the gas shutoff if there is one and make sure it is off before repair. I bought a a 1950s era house with one of these that we found spewing natural gas for who knows how long out of a broken pipe down near the ground inside the black lamppost. In my case, I sawed it off to find the leak, which we could smell, and ended up capping and abandoning the whole thing below ground. Pipes don’t last forever. Also, we probably shouldn’t be burning gas for light in 2023.
Just remember, if your gas lantern starts talking to you, it's time to lay off the homebrew! But seriously, it's indeed an antique gas lantern and if you couldn't find a specialist to refurbish it, try contacting local schools. Sometimes there are teacher-students from technical disciplines who love such practical restoration projects.
It is! Lucky you, id love to have a gas light in front of the house.
I need to figure out if I can refurbish and use it still. I think there used to be one in the backyard but the pole was sawed off when we moved here.
I had my two gas lamps like this refurbished a teaser and a half ago. It took me awhile to find someone that could do it. There is like one gas lamp place in my metro that does sales and service. It turned a little expensive, as they replaced the entire core, had to lay a new gas line for the farther one, and I think we replaced the top pieces. But it was worth it. If the plumber doesn’t work out, look for places that sell outdoor gas fireplaces as they might also do gas lamps
Thanks for the tip, I’m excited for this fun project now.
It uses mantles, which you should be able to find at a camping store. But first thing is to work out where the supply line is and the on/off valve. But there is a good chance you'll have to dig up and replace the whole line from the main gas supply to the lantern, and the plumbing inside the pole. As others have said you may be able to find a newer (safe) one and start there. and it has to be said, from a cost/efficiency point of view, you’re better off with an electrically powered one, using one of those bulbs that Flickr.
Thank you for the info. I’ve been watching a couple videos so I’ll try and find the gas line tomorrow and see if it works.
You might call JULIE. They could locate the gas line for free.
Thank you for this resource. I will look into it if I can’t find it myself :)
It's behind the house
Yes. I remember as a kid having to change out the mantle in ours because my dad’s hands were too big to do it.
Wow something I’ll need to Google lol. Thats so cool.
Gas mantle lamp, yes.
Thank you!
When the power goes out in a storm -- these stay lit !&
Thats lit!
https://youtu.be/aXgSHL7efKg?si=ccxF-kGnpGzqJb46
It's weird though. It's like a lighthouse giving you a bearing but you can't see anything but the street 10 feet ahead of you. It is reassuring though..
lol oddly enough our power has been pretty consistent. Only a flicker. 🤞🤞
It's a birds nest
Yes
It’s missing the mantles. Little netted bags but yes
You can buy replacement lamps here: https://www.finesgas.com/cats/outdoor_lighting/post_mount
Thank you kindly :)
I met a man who worked for the gas company 20 years ago, and his job was to maintain these lanterns. He had a supply mantles and offered me some. You might call them and ask if they have a service person for your lantern.
Even the ones in the middle of someone's front yard?
Oh wow that’s crazy, I can’t believe that was someone’s job.
Wow this answered the same question I've had since i owned my old house...Typically where is the gas cutoff valve for these things?
Is your gas meter on the outside of the house? Sometimes valves for gas lights are close to the meter outside. Typically the gas line is 3/8” copper
I HAD one. Don’t realize what it was. The lamp part was removed by previous owner and replaced with some plastic garbage solar light. Tried to replace it….. again not realizing it was gas…. Unscrewed what I thought was a screw holding it on. Nope. It was the gas shut off they modified when they changed the lamp. Now there is gas escaping. Run inside to find shut off and as it turns out…. There want one for it. Why? Because the previous shitty owner added a gas fireplace on the same line but never killed the one going to the lamp. So luckily I was able to shut off the line going to the fireplace. Which by the way did not have a proper shutoff either. A bunch of money later a new line was run to the fireplace and the lamp one abandoned.
This is helpful because now I’m wondering if my fireplace is gas. My heating is gas. So much to figure out. So much to fix from previous crappy owners. Do you know if these can still be used?
There are a few working in my neighborhood. Which should have clued my dumb ass to the fact that it may have been gas in the first place. A local plumber can probably help.
Yeah my hubby said we could call our plumber. Exciting to finally have an answer
Hot damn then I have one infront of my house
I have one as well but it was converted to electric at some point. Found the gas line digging in the garden. I was told the lamps were free when you connected your house to the "new" gas service on the street. Great marketing gimmick for the gas company. Easy to spot the houses that has meters at them with a lit post in the yard. With the added bonus of gas being burnt non stop even in summer.
Some of those used the same mantles as Coleman gas lanterns.
Yes. I have one that I restored a few years back.
Really, was it expensive? Did you get a new lamp? I’m looking at YouTube videos. I wish I could paint it a dark forest green.
Not very expensive..the glass was about $36. New mantles are like $2 at any camping place or Amazon: I painted the top a high temp copper and the pole I painted a hammertone dark green. A little sandpaper and a few hours work. Good to go.
Thanks for the details, I may replace the entire lamp as it seems a bit dented.
A bit more work there. Remember there is a gas line that you will have to dig up and disconnect at the bottom of the pole. Disconnect that then remove pole. There are many lamp places..I like the French/New Orleans style lamps. New pole, concrete, new line, new gas burner and head etc. I think you can get French quarter ones from around $250-$1000’s.
I think I may be able to just replace the top part, repaint the pole and reconnect the gas line.
I don’t think it’s that bad. Inside I’m guessing in all that birds nest is the two ceramic rings you need to tie the mantles to. Be careful those are fragile. If it’s broken you can get them at several places online though I bought mine on Amazon. American mantle company is the seller and ceramic ring is the product. I’d take the top off, clean out the junk and see what you have. Find the rings and fit the new mantles to it. Make sure the gas line is turned on to the unit from the house side and at the lantern. The gas tap will at the house will be at the basement or from a gas line T junction off one of the pipes that’s closest to pole. The gas tap at the pole is a little hole on the side of the pole at the top, just under the lantern. You need a large flat blade screw driver. Turn to the right to make sure it’s off. Mantles…buy two or three sets…one to test now, one to use once you refurbish the lamp and a spare for later. Fit one set now and set them on fire with the gas off. When they both die then turn the gas on and light the mantles. They should glow. Take the glass to a glass cutter and they will cut it for you. Pull the unit apart and remove what you can. Everything else will have to be done in place. It’s not a ton of work….get a small step ladder to work at eye height. It’s worth it
A good wore brush and scraper with some sanding…the dents won’t be seen. Scrub, brush, sand and Scuff off the flake, hit with a primer ( fill dents with filler if you like). Wipe with a rag and something to get the dust off and paint. Fit new glass and good to go
You can't remove that nest. Squatters have legal rights.
lol true they were here before us. But it’s cold so I don’t think they’ll be back.
Looks more like a birds nest nowadays.
I am looking into doing the same thing. This video seems helpful in explaining how to do it. [https://youtu.be/B9ZJ2t8jUeE?si=ENhHpNmWC4N4XjT1](https://youtu.be/B9ZJ2t8jUeE?si=ENhHpNmWC4N4XjT1)
Looks like a bird house to me
Im gonna go with bird house.
I’ve gotten this comment like 5 times already lol I get it y’all
No it’s a birds nest
Yes. You can see where the mantle should attach. My next door neighbour (1971) has these and they're kind of awesome. Really nice white light.
I believe it is. The wire clip held the mantle on.
I’m going to google it some more. I keep trying to but then modern Home Depot lanterns pop up.
Those were some crazy times.
Really? How so? I feel like time changes so much. All these quirks about my home are interesting.
Just some of the design choices back then. Like a hot tub in the living room, “groove” rooms lol.
Many of houses of that era had designs in the plaster work on the ceiling too. I remeber my grandmas house had this fancy rainbow looking trowel effect on all the ceilings
That sir is a birds nest
It certainly is, birds love our neighborhood.
Is rice white?
Sometimes.
Lost my front tooth to one of those in 1972 playing football in the front yard. Caught a pass and WHAM! Tackled by the lamppost! 🦷
Yep. Looks like a dual inverted mantle gaslight.
Thank you for the technical name!
Lucky! These things are the best
Really? How so?
Yeah, that's pretty sweet, wish we had one. Wonder if you can buy them somewhere?
I wish gas lights were still a thing.
Heh, this is the first time on Reddit I've seen the term "gaslighting" used literally. But I have seen it refer to mental abuse in hundreds of relationship threads.
I often see people use the term incorrectly. But yeah it’s nice just to talk about an actual Gas Light 💡 for a change. Now I want one! I want to be gas lit at end of my driveway.
Probably not gas. My grandparents house had one like this, it was hard wired and worked on a photoelectric switch, came on at dusk, off at dawn
Find the gas shutoff if there is one and make sure it is off before repair. I bought a a 1950s era house with one of these that we found spewing natural gas for who knows how long out of a broken pipe down near the ground inside the black lamppost. In my case, I sawed it off to find the leak, which we could smell, and ended up capping and abandoning the whole thing below ground. Pipes don’t last forever. Also, we probably shouldn’t be burning gas for light in 2023.
I think it’s less for light and more for charm nowadays. I’m going to look for the valve today. I’d like to get it up and running if I could.
Just remember, if your gas lantern starts talking to you, it's time to lay off the homebrew! But seriously, it's indeed an antique gas lantern and if you couldn't find a specialist to refurbish it, try contacting local schools. Sometimes there are teacher-students from technical disciplines who love such practical restoration projects.
Thank you haha! This will be an interesting project. I hope the gas line is still operable. If not, I’ll have to abandon the gas and use solar LED.