Cleaning Harbour Lights

I recently purchased two Harbour Lights Big Bay Point and Edgartown and upon inspection they appear to have come from a home with a heavy smoker.Is there any way to clean these pieces without damaging the original finish? If so, how do I clean them?

Thanks

It is very possible that the pieces you bought have the "antiqued" finish that was popular with early Harbour lights. I know that I had approximately 130 pieces when I finally broke down and bought some of the original 17 lights. Burrows Island and Cape Hatteras came in from the secondary market dealer really looking dirty. I knew for sure that they came from a home where there was a heavy smoker or they had been displayed in the kitchen where all the food was fried. I almost returned them until I decided to call HL and get some information. I was told about the antiqueing process. Even as late as HL123(Michigan City) you can still find some of the pieces being antiqued. I guess it was at the artist's discretion. If you can smell the smoke on the piece and the box then you got smoker's odor but if there is no odor then it's the possibility of the antiqueing process. My suggection is to call HL on Monday and ask about the antiqueing process and if it was ever done to these pieces. I know my Big Bay has a yellow tinge to the colors, however, my Edgartown does not. If you do have smoke on your pieces I don't know of any "SAFE" way to get rid of it. DON'T use the washing machine as Saint John of the Forums did. You might try a little mild soap with a sofe artists brush in a hidden spot in case the paint comes off but you do it at your own risk.

I will contact Harbour Lights to check on the pieces that I purchased about the antique process. The lighthouses are fully intact they just don't have a clean look to them. So I don't want to destroy them.

Thanks
Steve

Steve,

Rich gave you the best info possible on checking with Harbour Lights. I would be very reluctant to mess with trying to clean them. Maybe someone on the forums has an easy and safe way to clean them. If so I'm sure you will get the information.

Glad to see you posting. I hope we hear a lot from you, especially on how you made out with cleaning or not.

Bert

Steve,
Do the pieces or the boxes have the smell of cigarette smoke to them? Cigarette smoke that gets into the box is almost impossible to get rid of. Also, if you got a GOOD price when you bought them and they are stained from cigarette smoke you can always look at the bright side and that is they are in perfect condition. Tell your friends that they were antiqued. Only you, your hairdresser and 500 people on the Forums will know. And you can rest assured that WE won't tell.

I was one of the people who bought Big Bay Point on Ebay in December. Also they included a signed Edgartown for $80.00 plus shipping. So the price was right but not the condition.This was the only Christmas piece I didn't have in my collection so I'm happy to have added it.

Steve

BUT, can you smell cigarette smoke on the piece or the box or is it just the coloring that you don't like. With NO SMELL at all you probably have the antiqueing on the Big Bay and maybe even the Edgartown. Do you have a smoke smell?

Sorry to butt in here, but I don't think any 'antiqueing' was done by Harbour Lights after the first couple of years.

Certainly not on 1995 Big Bay pieces. If they have that 'yellowing' or 'spattered' look, the discoloring is from smoke and/or plain old dirt (maybe grease).

There's not much you can do to clean a Harbour Lights. A simply lens cleaning brush with a blower bulb would help to dust it off.

Long time Collector Forum members know that there have been cleaning experiments done with a Kitchenaid Superba dishwasher model by a 'collector nut.'

I can't recommend the 'canned air' kind of blowers, especially on older pieces where the paint may flake off.

I would probably leave them alone. The only cleaning I've ever done on my older pieces is a light dusting with a "blush brush". Make sure it's new or clean and the lady of the house hasn't used it.

Believe it or not, old pieces do get old. Paint colors will not stay bright forever. If a piece has been left out on a dealer's shelf or at someone's home for a long time, it may develop a coating of dust that won't brush off. Not much you can do to bring it back to that new look.

I recently purchased a Grosse Point Canadian piece that was advertised as "new old stock". I think the order of the words were mixed up. They should have advertised it as "old new stock". It appeared that this fine old piece had been displayed since day one with no protection from the elements other than being inside a building. I must admit the piece still has character and there was no damage to the piece. It was cheap money so I really have no complaints other that truth in advertising.

:rolleyes: Bob :rolleyes:

John. John John John. Isn't there some unwritten Wacko law that says you can't do those kinds of things? :rolleyes: