Vintage Plumbing Fixtures
Available and for Sale
Over the past several years I have acquired a good number of vintage plumbing fixtures. Formerly I have only made them available upon request, repairing and restoring them when there was a demand for them. There were two reasons for this. The first is that by waiting till I had a buyer I was able to offer the fixture in whatever degree of restoration the client chose. The second reason has been that the demands for my plumbing services locally have always kept me too busy to focus on projects that were not needed immediately.
Many businesses expand in scope and size as they mature but this is not what I have done. Instead I have consistently chosen to narrow the focus of my business, going after the least competitive work as I grew in skill and the understanding of my craft. That mindset has proven to be a strong catalyst for growth and is what led me to turn to the restoration of vintage plumbing when I reached the point at which regular service and remodel plumbing became mundane to me.
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A Crane Elayne Counter top lavatory complete with original mounting rim. Nothing mundane about this mid-century beauty. |
Now, once again, my business is undergoing a change of focus. To the dismay of some local clients I am entering semi-retirement and am taking on fewer and fewer types of jobs. What I do not intend to retire from however is the service, restoration, and installation of vintage plumbing fixtures. Indeed, my mail order business is becoming more and more robust as clients discover me though plumbing-geek.com and learn that they may ship their projects to me. Typically there are several projects in my shop in various stages of work and when all are waiting for plating or machine shop work I turn to one of my own fixtures to fill the gap. Over time this will create a stock of vintage fixtures that are ready to be shipped and the first of these will begin to be shown on page links listed below.
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First disassembly and examination of project. This is a pull chain activated, spring loaded, overhead shower head valve to serve a "Rib Cage" shower. The shower head only dumps water on your head while you hold tension on the chain. Chain and lever were gone, I fabricated replacements using blown up images from the internet to know what they should look like. The exploded view effect helps keep the parts in order and the worn faces go back facing as they were. |
There are many vintage plumbing fixtures available on the internet.
Indeed, it is a major source of unrestored fixtures that will in time
come to my bench. The problems with these fixtures are that not only are
they unrestored and therefor unreliable, but that many are incomplete.
To know when a fixture is missing important parts one must be familiar
with the fixture in the context of it's function as well as it's
appearance. To make fixtures work as they were designed to work one must
have the ability to address failing brass parts, some of which can be
had while others must be replicated by a qualified machinist. There is
also the hurdle of converting older faucets with non-removable seats to
faucets that have removable seats and the vintage tools and kits to
perform that task. Then there is the making of proper seals, packings,
and gaskets that are asbestos free. All of the fixtures I will be
offering will be in full and complete working order, ready to install.
 Working on standing waste valve like these has become a mainstay of my business. New thread in seats will greatly extend their life. |
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Cutting gaskets, making asbestos free packing sting, using parts from fifty and sixty year old repair parts kits, cutting my own extra large washers from select sheet rubber stock, and even shaping my own fuller balls from select neoprene stock are all part of my I can do it approach. Each year I add to my repertoire of problem solving tricks and solutions. |
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As with this "Speakman" one handle shower valve, fresh polished nickle on a fine vintage fixture creates a thing of beauty. |
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