Rush lamp

A what lamp?

A Rush Lamp?

What's a Rush Lamp?

Glad you asked!

During the colonial days, the majority of settlers where too poor to afford burning candles all of the time. Instead, they used a creek-side plant known as a rush. They dipped a piece of the rush plant in tallow or some other type of oil and used that as the source of light.
However, when special company came over (I.E. the oldest son's lady love, or the head farmer in the village,) the candles where broken out and used.

The ingenious blacksmith thus invented the rush lamp. A multipurpose, rush holder and candle holder.

Once of my clients commissioned me to make a rush lamp. This is the drawing he sent.

The drawing above is of a much taller lamp than what he wanted. So I scrunched it down a bit, and came up with this.

 

The rush lamp works like a pair of tongs or pliers. The rush goes in the mouth of the pliers and the weight of the candle holder holds the rush in place.
This used what I call a chandelier forge weld. This is where several pieces are welded together and then curled around like in this next picture.

The jaws.

 

I made a nine inch circle to provide a stable base. The legs of the lamp were rivetted to the circle. The rivets are flat on the bottom of the circle so that the stand sits level. I also stamped my signature "FFF" into the ring.

That's a rush lamp!