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.

For more information on my other projects, please click here to visit my website.

If you're on FaceBook, please click here to "like" my BoehmStained Glass Studio page to keep up with all the latest projects.  Thank you!

Coca Cola Stained Glass Lamp Repair

My customer found this unusual, collectible lamp at a lighting store in Paramus, NJ over twenty years ago.  When his curious cat leaped at it and caused it to fall, he came all the way from Queens, NY to have me fix it.  Here's how I went about the repair ..

When the lamp fell, the side got pushed in and several pieces of red glass, as well as two pieces of green and part of the "C" cracked.

Here is the damaged side showing the cracked pieces and the dent.

 I took out one of the cracked pieces to give the lamp some "breathing room".  Then, with both hands, I slowly and carefully pulled it back into position.

When repairing a lamp, its not a good idea to repair adjacent pieces.  They can cause the lamp to collapse.  Its also more difficult to repair a piece in mid air .. Here I've removed two red pieces which are not next to one another.

 Many lamps of this era were not ground before they were foiled.  This one is no exception.  Grinding the edges of the glass helps the copper foil to adhere much better.  Therefore, I used a hand file to rough up the edges of the open areas as shown.

Here I've traced one of the openings to make a pattern to cut a new piece of red glass.

Snapping the glass with a specialized tool called "running pliers".

These pliers, called "groziers" nip off smaller bits of glass.  After the glass piece is cut, I use an electric grinder to grind down the edges.

Here's a piece that's been foiled and is ready for the application of liquid "flux", which allows the solder to flow freely onto the copper foil.

Here I'm tugging off old copper foil and solder from another opening.  At this point, three red pieces have been replaced

Tracing another pattern for another red piece.  The pieces may appear to be the same size, but I make separate patterns, just in case they're not.  Its easier to cut an extra piece of file folder paper than it is to re-cut glass.

Now the reds are replaced, and so are two green pieces at the bottom border.

After they've been soldered, cleaned and dried, I brush on black "patina", the chemical which turns the solder black.  After the patina sets, I clean it thoroughly so as not to leave any residue.

Now I've removed the cracked "C".  Often, when a lamp sustains a fall, the damage extends to beyond what can be seen initially.  In this case, As soon as I removed the "C", the three red pieces to the left of it became very loose.  I took them out also, cleaned up the borders and re-foiled and re-soldered them in place along with the new "C".

Here's that area, repaired. After the pieces have been replaced, soldered, patina-ed and cleaned, I apply "stained glass finishing compound" which is a light wax which protects the patina and gives the lamp a nice shine.

Here's an "after" picture, all repaired.

Thanks Barry, for coming all the way from Queens to have me repair your lamp.  It's a beauty and I was happy to repair it for you!

For more information on my other projects, please click here to visit my website.

If you're on FaceBook, please click here to "like" my BoehmStained Glass Studio page to keep up with all the latest projects.  Thank you!