Before The Light Man set up business in 2016, much time was spent buying old lamps, for refurbishment or parts, and odd objects to use as the basis for a repurposed light.
On one such expedition the name was coined when some lamps were chosen and left at the counter at an antiques centre, awaiting a price. "This is the light man", said the assistant to the dealer. Thus, The Light Man became.
There are two sides to The Light Man's business. Firstly, there is repurposing. This involves taking an item that is no longer required for its original purpose, or an alternative can be seen from its intended use, and creating a new design reflecting the aesthetics of the shape and form of the object.
Secondly, there is refurbishment. Many lamps are past their best and have developed faults rendering them inoperable or even dangerous. It is not uncommon to find damaged plugs, cables or lampholders. Some old, metal lamps sometimes don't have an earth connection. Whether it requires a new plug or a complete rewire, it will be made safe and fully functioning again.
This early Anglepoise, model no. 1227 had a previous restoration. Although it looked attractive in red and black, these were not the original colours. On closer inspection, the repaint wasn't very good, with runs and overlap. The white PVC cable was unsympathetic to the age of the lamp and it still had the original lampholder, which was cracked.
A complete strip down was needed. The paint was removed and the chrome parts cleaned. The lamp was resprayed in burnt orange, rebuilt and rewired using a new lampholder, cable and plug.
