antique weathervanes

What is weathervane? Weathervane is a tool to detect the direction of the wind. Founded in 48 B.C, created based on the Tower of the Winds in Athens, Greece. From the 1^st century until now, there are many literatures about weathervanes. But in America, Shem Drowne was the first person who created weathervane in 1716. After that, in 1740, he also created a large copper Indian vane and installed it on Boston’s Old North Church.

Antique weathervane is rare, that’s why many people want to have it. It is very difficult to copy a handcrafted one. So many factories create weathervanes which take date back to 19^th century. To make it look so antique, some dealers coating the weathervanes with animal manure, placed in dirt-filled boxes with salt water, and burying in underground for months. Also, by treating them with copper sulphate, acetic acid and potassium sulphide, you can make an antique look of weathervane.

Antique weathervane is very highly experimented, like Thomas Jefferson’s. He can decide the direction of the wind inside of his house by attaching the weathervane with a string into his house.

Antique weathervane also has many types, such as: deck or fence, lawn, roof top, table top, etc. Special accessories are needed for these kinds of weathervanes, such as mounting shafts, roof mount bases, or cupolas.

You can identify if the weathervane is antique or not, since real antique weathervane is better than fake one. Antique weathervane has several square borders of gilt remaining, because they are usually covered with metal sheets, not just painted on. Instead of just shiny look, antique weathervane has a mellow burnished finish. Some real antique weathervanes have bullet holes in them, since in the past time, people usually treat them as shooting targets. You may do some testing, for example a shake, to reveal the dust inside the holes. Even though it is not a certain method to determine if it is real, it can help to know at a glance.

Many collectors demand this antique weathervane.