What Is It? Non-Tool Version

[DerbyDad03]

This object was screwed to the ceiling of a closet in a 1935 built house. Is it nothing more than an old-fashioned coat or hat hook that would normally be screwed to a wall, perhaps used for some other purpose by the previous owners? (light hanger?)

The whole thing...

The 2 parts, plus the threaded connector that goes in the larger hole to hold the "hook" piece on. The smaller hole is not used for anything...

The back of the "base" with the threaded connector holding the "hook" piece on...

Just a coat hook or something more interesting?

[Markem618]

Wild guess, a candle sconce?

[Bill]

That is/was my guess too! :)

[J. Clarke]

If it doesn't have anything that looks like a candle holder, it could be a smoke bell for an oil or gas lamp. They typically would be above the lamp for the purpose of preventing the rising hot combustion products from scorching the ceiling.

[hubops]

We can't see what the inside of the "bell" looks like ? Just a wild-ass-guess - an electric wire feeds through the extra hole - supplying a lightbulb fixture that is perhaps clipped-into the "bell" ? or for wall-mount - hanging down from the loop ? John T.

[Markem618]

I based my guess upon what the pictures show.

[hubops]

This idea : ?

John T.

[Joe Gwinn]

To me, it looks like the sconce to hold a wall-mounted hanging light up. The loop would be down, and there would be a chain connecting the sconce to a hanging base for a light bulb. Chain and base are missing. There seems to be a path for the wires through the pictured fixture. The wires would emerge from the base of the loop, and proceed down the chain, woven into the chain.

Joe Gwinn

[hubops]

Here's a wall fixture that has the light socket & switch hanging down :

John T.

[Clare Snyder]

My thought exactly

[Michael Trew]

Yes, I thought a light fixture right away. Does the closet have another light in it? No kind of wires mounted under or near the thing?

[DerbyDad03]

That's it. I had my daughter take a look at the "hook" portion and she said that there definitely room for a wire to come through the hole in the "base" and come up through the hole where the little loop is at the end of the hook.

When I was at the house yesterday, she told me that she'd like a light in that closet. That object was screwed to the ceiling right in the middle of the closet. I took it down to see if there were wires behind it, but there wasn't. Even though I now know that it could have been used as a lamp holder, it certainly wasn't used for that in that closet, unless they were hanging something like a battery powered lantern from it. A kind of "old meets new" thing. ;-)

Anyway, I now have to figure out how to get power into that closet so I can put in a proper fixture. Old houses can be so much fun!

Thanks to all for the answers.

[hubops]

Depending on the age - original or olden-days reno - ? - for a closet - it was probably a pull-chain fixture .. It looks like a wall-sconce fixture - pehaps re-used for the closet ? John T.

[DerbyDad03]

At the present time, there is no power in the closet. This device was screwed to wooden ceiling with no hole under (above?) it. I doubt it was ever as an electric fixture in the closet, unless the "power" was covered up by the bead board. But why hang it from the ceiling? I can only see it being used as a hook for something, like, as I said earlier, perhaps a battery powered lantern.

Knowing what I know from already doing a bunch of repairs on this house, the previous owner didn't know how to spell DIY and wasn't paying anyone to fix simple things, so hanging a battery powered lantern from the hook would fit right in.

[Michael Trew]

You should wire the old fixture in, it's pretty darn cool!!

[DerbyDad03]

Except for the fact the actual lamp portion is not around.

If it was, I would have known what the object was and wouldn't have started this thread. ;-)

[krw]

Perhaps you can put modern guts inside the old fixture.

[hubops]

If running the wiring becomes just too much fun - there's always battery-powered LED - as a last resort. They aren't my fav due to reliability issues - but might be OK for a closet <?>

John T.

[Dave in SoTex]

Is there attic above it? Is the structure old enough to ever have had knob and tube wiring? Any evidence of such?

Dave in SoTex

[Michael Trew]

Ah, yes. It would would be cool to wire and hang some kind of modern fixture from it, however. :) At the least, don't throw it out! I'll pay you shipping to mail it to me ;)