I was going to do everything in one thread but I got carried away with posting sightings pictures/videos and pretty well filled up the thread.

Some time ago (months? a year? I dont remember) I was at an estate sale blocks from my parents house.  My parents' neighborhood was built in the 1950s so I was very surprised to find an antique ceiling fan from the 1930s on the screen porch.  It had a bastardized mounting and a light fixture added on the bottom of it that looked 60s or newer.



Further exploration found the entire house full of unusual vintage fixtures.  All the original lights in the bedrooms and hallways, including a row of pendants in the foyer.  In the garage there were two 8' egg crate fixtures, and in the workshop there were 3 1950s era shoplights and one much older 4 tube fixture.

Sorry for the bad pictures, I took them for/with Instagram:





The house was for sale, and in pretty rough shape, and I assumed the fixtures would soon meet a dumpster.  I left my name and number as I have done at a million sales before (and never been called).  I normally would just mention ceiling fan(s) but on a whim I also said "fluorescent fixtures".

Months later, completely out of the blue, I was contacted by the new owner of the houses.  She asked if I wanted the 80s fluorescent fixtures from the kitchen, which were the "cloud" diffuser type.  I said, no, I was mainly interested in the ceiling fan, and also would have hated to see the fixtures in the garage and basement be tossed.  Apparently the ceiling fan was her very favorite fixture out of everything in the house, but she would love if I would maintain it for her, and in exchange I could have all of the fluorescent fixtures-- but the deal was I had to take them ALL.  Not just the antique/vintage fixtures but the newer ones too.

First thing I grabbed was the 4 tube.  Missing one of the end caps and one of the tombstones, so if anyone knows where I can find these parts, let me know.  I subbed a modern tombstone and replaced a starter and now all four tubes work:

I forgot I had videos of my learning curve on the 4 tube half pipe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56K3404ZWM0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSblDBd7hTo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AUiRnKJQNo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73IDwrXZEfc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9Y9S-ZimA

Next I picked up the 8' egg crates:

I rent a workshop to restore Hammond Organs and Leslie speakers, I also use it for other projects.  The lower level (which I split with a car collector) is finished and lit with generic 8' T12 striplights.  The attic is unfinished and simply had a row of porcelin sockets until I added a metal shade fixture.  I added cool vintage commercial ceiling fans on both floors.

I dont have pictures but here's video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj1vkvxiSj8

Last year I decided that the lighting in the attic was not doing the fans justice.  I added some clamp lights and various fluorescent lights, mostly along the sides, to imitate cove lighting.  Worked, but I still wasnt happy with the porceline sockets.  I also didnt want to modify or remove them, since everything is meant to be temporary.

At some point the light bulb came on (no pun intended) to hang the 8' egg crates upstairs.  I mistakenly assumed there was at least 8' between ceiling fans, and it did not go according to plan.  Here are pictures:





And, of course there were (3) spaces for fixtures, and only (2) egg crates.  I experimented with putting the half pipe at the end, but I didnt like it.  The light went everywhere instead of being diffused up and down, and it was loudly buzzy.



And video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foOXsNyLq3o

The other problem I was having is that the far end of the shop, where the 4 tube was in the previous pictures, is where I test ceiling fans, and so a fixture down the middle is in the way.  On the other hand, I didnt want to keep the CFLs in the porcelin sockets on one end and cool vintage fixtures on the other.

I went and picked up the 1950s shoplights from the same house, and hung one on either side of where I test fans:








And the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-zpsdN7_Jk

It's not ideal but I like it.  I think I'd like it better if I could find (2) 4' egg crates instead of the shoplights.

I want everything I install to look like it belongs, not like it was thrown there by a collector.

Vintage uplights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djq8JGuXYCk

Installed behind my TV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeWCENbnHFc

By request, starting all my (vintage) fluorescents in the cold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJYaEPhVEPM

Finally found a good home for my 4 lamp half pipe, over the air compressor at my shop.  I also gave it a good cleaning, added rubber washers to the ballasts, changed one of the starters (still (2) original, (2) new replacements) and glued the (temporary) replacement socket in place.

Video from tonight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZWO0I9sEFE

Found a label on one of the preheat shoplights:

Here is a pictoral tour of my workshop, including all of the vintage lights.  The less-full half downstairs is rented by a guy who works on cars and motorcycles, and some of the stuff upstairs belongs to my landlord.

Updated pictoral tour.  All of the fans except the Codep and the SMC are permanent.  The antique/vintage fluorescent lights and all of the other added lighting is semi-permanent.  The Freshy is permanent, the GE is not.  The Codep and the SMC temporarily replaced Gold Lines, I'll be switching them back at some point.  Enjoy.

Here is a video tour:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGAucoekUhA

Cool videos and pictures I like very much. I always hated Those egg crate lights because they were the type of fitting installed in a hospital ward where I spent ages when I was a girl but your video makes me almost love them now

Cool videos and pictures I like very much. I always hated Those egg crate lights because they were the type of fitting installed in a hospital ward where I spent ages when I was a girl but your video makes me almost love them now

You know, I cant remember where I first saw a lot of vintage fluorescent lights as a kid.  I mean, when I was a kid, they werent vintage yet!

I've never seen anything cool in a hospital, just recessed troffers.

Today's find.

Nice fitting that and your lucky it works well or did you have to change anything to get it going? The hospital I was in was rewired whilst I was there but I don't remember if they chs GED the lights or not.