Our Process - The Creation of Colonial Lamps
The Nauset Lantern Shop was established in 1959 on historic Route 6A on Cape Cod in Orleans, MA. In almost half a century we have not lost sight of our original mission: to faithfully create copper, brass and pewter reproductions of Early American, Colonial, Onion and Nautical Marine lighting fixtures.
To enter our shop is to travel back to a time where you will see hand tools and hand-operated machinery more than a century old. Using templates and patterns originally designed and used to handcraft oil and candle fired lanterns, we ensure our present day, hand-made lanterns are true and loyal to the enduring style and lasting quality of their ancestors.
The hand-operated equipment and crafting process we use, is the same as that of our forefathers. Flat sheets of copper, brass or pewter, are cut using those century-old templates as guides. Those sheets are folded, beaded and ridged all by hand. Even the hinges, latches and handles are hand-crafted in those old ways.
The personal and traditional handcrafting process continues at the soldering station, and particular attention is paid to hand-fitting each piece of the lantern in assembly to ensure its long-lasting quality. Soldering skills developed since the founding of our Shop forge strong joints with a minimum of exposed solder. These acquired skills include the expertise to "blind" solder many joints; this process takes longer but results in a lantern that will stand the test of time.
Using hand operated machinery, our coppersmiths cut, fold, bend and bead fabricating lantern parts. We hand fit each handcrafted copper part to ensure long lasting quality and integrity that stands the test of time.
The personal and traditional handcrafting process continues as our coppersmiths hand solder lantern parts. Many joints are tinned with a soldering iron, and then soldered together with a torch for joints that stand the test of time.
Our Copper smiths blind solder inside joints, using soldering skills developed since the 1935 founding of our shop, the result is strong joints with no exposed solder.
Onion and Navigation Lamp vertical and horizontal guards are wrapped with 20 gauge copper wire then soldered with a torch for a never fail joint.