Lets throw in the barn hex signs as well. So do you guys have any on your farms? Or have they faded into the past. Was quite a resurgence of them 20 years or so ago it seems. Myself I need to re do them as I took them down for a roofing job and need to put them up on another barn, just never got to it. The old ones sure got pricey years back and it does seem the lightning rods with glass ball are very rare now. So chime in.
- Thread starter JOCCO
- Start date
Steve in VA
Well-known Member
- Location
- Natural Bridge Virginia
I have a hex sign on the shop and painted a quilt square onto the double doors. A few years back I painted a Mail Pouch sign on a friend's equipment shed.
Dad always worried about lightning in our flatland area. When I was a little kid, he would load us all up in the 1935 Pontiac and drive away from the farmyard to sit out a lightning storm. In 1948 when he added onto the house, he installed lightning rods on the house so we felt safe to stay home in a lightning storm. In the late 50's they put up 3 towers surrounding the farmyard; we never worried about being struck by lightning though. The towers took the hits; we would find dead birds on the ground after a lighting storm. The towers are well grounded to prevent damage to the electronic equipment.
Yep they sort of fell out of favor nowadays. However if installed and grounded properly lightning rods CAN HELP PREVENT LIGHTNING STRIKES. Talk about expensive to install cable and ground nowadays with the price of copper woooooooo hoooooooooo that heavy braided cable is EXPENSIVE. I have a star on the barn but no other classic signs. Nice to have a Mail Pouch or See Rock City sign painted on, and maybe a few Burma Shave signs up n down the road. Were showin our age here lol As you travel West then its those Wall Drug signs. As a kid when motel shopping we looked for Vacancy and Air Conditioning or even a Swimming Pool sign yayyyyyyyyyyyyy
John T Old Fuddy Duddy
John T Old Fuddy Duddy
Richard G.
Well-known Member
I intend to build a cupalo to suck the Southern heat out of the attic of my shop. Think I will put a grounded lightning rod on it also.
Richard in NW SC
Richard in NW SC
Fordfarmer
Well-known Member
No signs, but my barn still has lightning rods, both coupolas, and a weather vane. The cow fell off the weather vane some years back though.
I worked with this company 22 years ago, they installed a lighting protection system on a 13 story building project I was managing construction work on to repair all the original defects from when it was built. The conductor used is specific to the purpose, it's a special braid.
Interesting work by this reputable contractor. Some great information on the subject on their website.
Associated Lightning Rod Company
Interesting work by this reputable contractor. Some great information on the subject on their website.
Associated Lightning Rod Company
farmerwithmutt
Well-known Member
Big thing around here is barn quilts
Richard G.
Well-known Member
gtractorfan
Well-known Member
When I was a kid I thought the glass balls on lightning rods on the barn roof were BB gun and pellet gun targets- unfortunately.
Glen SW Wi
Member
House was built in 1912 and has lightning rods with the globes. The woven grounding cable sure is a bunch of metal.
leroy in ne
Well-known Member
- Location
- Sterling, Nebraska
just to keep it interesting add a 40 foot tv mast and antenna to the roof grounded I believe with 6 gage aluminum to 4 ft above 8 ft ground rod that 4 ft had to be 8 gage copper and be spliced with an AL/CU clamp. this house already had lightning rods but you could not tie into the rod grounding cable. this was to code 50/60 years ago by my memory.
farmerjohn
Well-known Member
Here's the Mail Pouch sign I did last summer, photos taken this past winter.
farmerjohn
Well-known Member
We had lightning rods on the old barn at home, they were taken off when a new roof was put on in 1979. It seemed a shame to put holes in the new roof to re-install them, Grandpa said the barn has been hit by lightning both with them on and before they were on, so they were not put back. Another new roof was put on in 1998, steel this time, and barn has been hit again since them. Fortunately never any fires, just some split boards and shorted wiring.
Just a question--the old glass balls on the vintage rods, I was under the impression that their original purpose was to shatter when lightning struck, that way you can tell that you had a lightning strike. Is that right?
Just a question--the old glass balls on the vintage rods, I was under the impression that their original purpose was to shatter when lightning struck, that way you can tell that you had a lightning strike. Is that right?
K Effective
Well-known Member
We lost a barn in 1950 to lightning strike, so the new barn got the full lightening rod and multiple ground cable treatment. I think I still have the certificate from the installer, for what that might be worth.
farmerwithmutt- is that your barn? Looks like ours- gothic arch design, laminated 2X6 studs that rise from the foundation to the peak.
farmerwithmutt- is that your barn? Looks like ours- gothic arch design, laminated 2X6 studs that rise from the foundation to the peak.
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