From what i can remember here on oldgas that topic came up and no one was willing to let someone make a mold of their original top for fear of being broken. If i had one i would probably say the same thing.

1 was offered [not mine], guess no one wanted to take responsibility for it.

It appears that you would need to make a three-piece mold.

The original glass tops look like they were blow-molded. The lower lips curve into the center of the piece. You could not simply mold the piece and then pull it 'up' out of the mold. You would need a left and a right side and a top piece to mold one.

The process would be quite different than reproducing a regular Milkglass body.

As is usual for the reproduction of fairly rare pump parts - the costs are prohibitive for the limited amount of sales.

Everyone 'says' they would buy one - but how many of you would actually step up to the plate if they were $500.00 or $600.00 retail?

Or could you live with a plastic reproduction piece? Like the repro tops for the 36B pumps?

Later . . .

Jim

The less produced the higher the repo price, because of cost of molds & imperfections.
As Joe Yocom found out with the signs, everyone wants a PERFECT PIECE.

Good point Jim i could live with a plastic version. But hey im cheap like that.

I could live with a plastic version as well, until a suitable original replacement could be found. At least this way I'd get the pump restored. Now it's just sitting because I don't the top.

Yeah a well made plastic version I think would serve a lot of people well. Look how many acrylic cylinders are out there, not that I really like acrylic cylinders, but there's a lot of them in use. I'm with Badgas, better to at least have a placeholder, if you will, to get the pump restored rather than it just sitting in the garage waiting for the day you find an original.

Let's not forget how good this pump looks with a globe on top. Although mine is a factory globe mount pump, if I waited for a factory milk glass top to come around, mine would never be restored. If I had an original milk glass model without the factory globe mount, I would cut a piece of flat stock to fit on the top of the pump and mount a globe holder on it. Then I'd sit back, pop open a cold one, and admire my lastest addition to my collection, just my 2 cents... Brady

Brady's got the right idea. All you need to do if you have the sheetmetal top piece is to cut a suitable piece of flat steel (with a clearance hole in the center for the bulb), screw it down to the top and mount a globe ring in the center. Viola - ready for the globe of your choice!

If you have the sheetmetal top - there is really no excuse for not restoring these great looking Art Deco pumps.

If you sit on the pump waiting for a glass top to magically appear for sale - you'll be waiting a long time.

How many have we seen sell in the last 3-4- years? One? Maybe two?

I drove all the way to California from Michigan to buy an Erie 70 with a glass top. How many of you are willing to go to that extreme?

Just saying . . .

Later . . .

Jim

Jim I would if the price was right. Plus like you said "IF" a top comes up for sale you better be ready to pay dearly for it. There are a few hundred other people looking for one too. Is anyone re-popping the the top in plastic?

Not at this time to my knowledge.

Again, there is a high initial investment for the molds to make this piece in plastic. Less than it would be for a full-on glass version, but substaintal non-the-less.

If anyone is serious about wanting these done in plastic - shoot me an e-mail at: T-ways@email.com.

If I get enough response, I'll look into it and see if I can figure out how to make it happen economically.

Later . . .

Jim

I looked into it a few years ago & decided it was not economically realistic.
I doubt if a maker could sell 50 in 3 yrs. either in glass or plastic.
My 1st attempt at making with cast resin FAILED.
Making with Vacuum Formed Plastic or Blown/Cast Glass you'll need at least a 3 part mold. No matter which way someone goes they will still have rejects that have to recovered in cost.
db

I have 2 of the milkglass tops and after looking at how they are shaped, it would be pretty difficult to repo them.

It wouldn't be impossible,just a very costly mold. It would have to be cast out of aluminum and have hinged pieces at the top(actually the bottom of the part) of the mold to allow for removal of the part.

This was looked into before and decided that it would be cost inhibitive.