Coca Cola Lamp Repair Part Deux (Another Cat-astrophe)

This beautiful Coca Cola lamp may look familiar .. The owner's cat damaged it again, this time by dropping something heavy on it from a high shelf!  There were many more pieces broken this time, but it was a pleasure to repair the second time around.  The first repair was about six months ago.

Here's a side view showing the cracked pieces of the amber, the green-mix color band at the top, the logo and the bottom rows.

It also sustained a significant dent in the side.

Ouch ..

I began the repair by gently tugging on the bent side to get the lamp back into a circle again.

Then I cleaned up the borders of one of the cracked pieces and created a template for it as shown.

Then I went back and cracked out nearly all of the pieces that needed replacement.  I don't normally do it this way, but I know this lamp and I knew it could withstand such a gaping hole.  It held up fine.  Here I'm using a hand file to rough up the edges of the borders where the replacement glass will be installed.

 

Here are four new pies of the amber glass, traced and ready for cutting..

Each piece needs to be ground on the electric grinder.

Now I've re-foiled the borders of the pieces as well as the pieces themselves and I've soldered them into the shade. This is the view from inside the shade.

View from outside the shade with the amber row replaced.

Here I've made patterns for the next row of striped, multi-colored glass.  I used the purple pistol grip glass cutter to score the four pieces, then snapped them apart.  After I ground the edges of each piece, I rinsed them off, dried them, and applied new copper foil.

Here's an upside-down view of the lamp with the multi-color band re-foiled and ready for the addition of the replacement pieces.

Now the multi-colored pieces are in place.  They've been soldered as well.

Next, I removed and made templates for the several pieces of red glass that cracked.

Two pieces of red have been replaced and re-foiled and are awaiting soldering.

I replaced all the cracked red pieces, then moved onto the iridescent white glass for the logo.  Because these "C"s are so deeply curved, I used my ring saw rather than risk having them crack if I were to hand cut them.

I've removed several of the cracked white pieces and foiled the borders.  After those were replaced, I went back and completed the rest of the logo with new glass.

Now the damaged side of the lamp has been fully replaced and soldered.

Now I'm applying black patina to all of the new solder.  After the patina sets for a bit, I wash it off, then apply wax to the entire lamp to make it shine.

Holding up the lamp to a light to check for light leaks.  None .. All set!

Here's the lamp, fully repaired.

Another view ..

Thanks again Barry for coming all the way from Queens to drop off and pick up your lamp.  I hope your adorable kitty will learn to leave your beautiful lamp alone so you and your family can enjoy it.

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