Product Focus | Skinflint

Reclaimed Beauty

UK brand Skinflint salvages vintage beauties and restores them to their former glory with updated LED fittings. The Industrial LED Lighting by Benjamin is its latest success.

Skinflint is one of Europe’s leading vintage lighting retailers with more than 10 years’ experience in salvaging vintage lighting pieces across the UK and reinvigorating them for the modern market. It is also the only vintage lighting retailer to be accredited by the UK LIA (Lighting Industry Association), ensuring that all of its lights are expertly restored to modern standards for faultless functionality. Co-Founder Chris Miller has more than two decades of experience in the lighting industry, working with some of the top names including Isometrix Lighting and Design and iGuzzini UK, and leading architects Foster + Partners and designer Philippe Starck. He sits down with darc to discuss one of their newest reclamation projects, the 1960s Taskmaster Flurolier pendant by British lighting brand Benjamin. Now known as the Industrial LED Lighting by Benjamin, a large run of these pendants were rescued from the recently demolished Eggborough Power Station in Yorkshire, UK. “Sourcing and salvaging lights has taken us to intriguing locations across the world and sometimes just getting permission to access these sites can take months,” says Miller. “Once the lights arrive safely back in our Cornish workshop, the meticulous process of restoration begins. Sometimes the whole process can take many months or even years. Each product we salvage and restore is a truly unique piece, with its own individual story and character. This is celebrated by retaining

Images: Co-Founder Chris Miller

authentic worn surfaces and the storied patina of each light, as well original manufacturer’s branding, and labels. “We were fortunate to salvage a large run of the [Benjamin] lights from Eggborough Power Station, made all the more poignant as the station was dramatically brought to the ground early one Sunday morning this summer (August 2021) and where Yorkshire locals gathered around to witness what one called the ‘end of an era’,” he continues. Skinflint use a range of restoration techniques including recoating, polishing and environmentally-friendly soda blasting. In some cases, including for this range of Benjamin lights, the products need a thorough clean to get rid of decades of industrial grime. “All our products are initially put through a review process to access how they will be restored, what process will need to be applied, and to establish what works will need to take place to ensure the finished product will comply to lighting standards BS EN 60598,” explains Miller. “With this large run of Industrial LED Lighting by Benjamin, the first stage was to be fully dismantled, and all the existing electrical components discarded,” he adds. “Second stage, each component was individually cleaned and polished, and the enamel shade cleaned and polished. The painted galleries were sympathetically restored to ensure the aged patina is preserved and any original labels and manufacturer's plaques are retained. Thirdly, each product is reassembled reusing a combination of original fixings and new components. “Many of the lights we refurbish are products that have been in production over a long period of time. Inevitably, design and manufacturing processes will have been developed and it’s at this stage that those variations must be overcome. Our product engineers have autonomy to ensure that the fitting both retains the products’ aesthetic whilst ensuring it complies to BS EN 60598 standards. “Finally, the product is wired. This particular light is a very versatile product, which we can wire with a with a number of options to suit our client's needs.” All of Skinflint’s reclaimed products are fitted with brand new LEDs to replace the outdated fluorescents lamps. This increases their longevity, prevents glare and provides an even distribution of warm white light. It also ensures the new lights are suitable for international high-end residential and commercial projects and for clients who are looking for a sustainable approach to their interior design. “At Skinflint, a vintage light is a light for life. So, as well as offering a lifetime guarantee that includes repairs, our recently launched Full Circle buy-back scheme also gives our clients the opportunity to trade-in their Skinflint lights in exchange for 50% credit towards a future purchase. Returned lights are then repaired, restored, and recertified by our experts and placed back into the market. This is our commitment to sustainability, keeping lights out of landfill and in use forever,” concludes Miller. www.skinflintdesign.com