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Ok,I bought this sign(not a clock,no hands) and first, want to say I'm very pleased with my purchase.

A very unique and uncommon advertising sign.have only found a few on the net.problem is,due to the way it was constructed,the face on it was deteriorating,and literally falling apart.so.... I decided to do,some work on it myself,and also to have a new face made.(yes it will be dated,just haven't decided how yet)I thought I would share and show you all how i am going about it,and also ask for opinions along the way.
I had talked to a vendor about restoring the face,and was told I could get it done for about 300.00 with a time of six months to a year for completion.that's a long time.when I asked if it would compare to the original,I was told" it would look good"then I found this pic on the web of one that had been restored by the same vendor.

Gotta admit "it looks good" but to me,it did not have the same "POP" as the original.so I decided to look around a bit.well that's how I found Art Glass Chicago, http://www.artglasschicago.com/ and got to meet Kathleen Schalk,the owner. After checking out a bunch of websites,I contacted Kathleen ,and was very impressed by her prompt responses,and the down to earth attitude and sense of humor she had."What the heck is a spinner?"
After sending her some pictures,Kathleen told me that this was something that she could do.one of the things she told me during a quite a lengthly conversation was" I want you to see that every day,and enjoy it"that's what I wanted also! After a couple more phone calls,we agreed to meet so I could bring her the face,and then she could take it to her artist,and together they could decide how to proceed.
So,carefully removing the face from the body,I left it in the ring,and was safely able to transport it to our meeting place.(turns out I got to window shop at bermans house of tools for a half hr,cause I arrived early.worked out well)
Couple of pics of what I brought


As it turned out,this was two pieces of glass sandwiched together,with the front glass( cracked one) back painted,and also back painted on the inner glass.Although a neat design,it ultimately led to the demise of the face.in the next post,I will show you what Kathleen found.
I will be sending the links to this post to Kathleen,so feel free to post your comments or opinions,but please keep it civil.(shame I have to worry about that)and also understand that this is not about trying to deceive anybody,but about resurrecting an actual work of art. Thanks and I hope you enjoy it.mick


Looking for gas,oil related clocks,especially neon and spinners .clock repair available. Mick
Value Questions and Showcase forums

Please - NO offers to Buy or Sell in this forum category

Statements such as, "I'm thinking about selling this." are considered an offer to sell.
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killer piece.. cool


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if you had it to do over, would you have taken it apart?


RANDY
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Here is the report I received from Kathleen ....

 
Art Glass Chicago, Inc.
Serving the Greater Chicagoland Area
Fine Custom Glass   *   Design   *   Restoration
 
 
 
Michael Dschida
Antioch, IL
Re:  Collectible Spinner Face Explanation of Process
March 19, 2012
 
Dear Mick,
 
It was so nice to meet you Friday.  Thank you for trusting us with your collectible art.  After arriving at the Studio, my artist and I examined the piece from the exterior, and it was ultimately necessary to open the assembly.  As I’d suspected, much of the paint has adhered to side three (see photo 1).  After we’d fully examined all sides, made our discoveries and recorded the information, we were able to reassemble the pieces with little indication of our intrusion.
 
The damage is cumulative, and due to several processes.
1. Some of the paints were chemically incompatible with each other.  This produced harmful localized reactions that impacted their stability and durability.
2. The overall deterioration is greatly attributable to the original design, specifically the space between the two pieces of glass, and the repeated cycles of subtle moisture and gas entrapment that occurred over the years.  We believe the slight space, the presence of the paints, and the small amount of heat from the nearby mechanism all worked together to produce subtle condensation, only because it was trapped between the 2 layers of glass.  The areas that appear etched on side three (see picture 2) are actually a gaseous residue from that process.  You can see in the next picture, #3, where the residue was scratched off by a fingernail.
3. The original art glass was not etched as part of the production process, which is another reason the paints are flaking off.  Ours will be etched, so the paints will have better adhesion for a longer period of time.
 
-Page Two-​​Dschida, Spinner Process, March 19, 2012 (cont’d.)
 
Paint analysis
1. The colors showing on the face are red, yellow, ivory, mirroring, green, black, and a gold translucent tint.  The translucent gold plus the ivory paints yielded the yellow color, as well as the hazy gold effect in the four center areas.
2. Originally there was a black backpaint intended as a protective layer.  That paint seems to have been chemically incompatible with almost all the other paints, especially the yellow, the mirroring, and the black paint on the face.  It is almost completely gone, and attacked some areas of the others.
3. Today we must use non-lead-based paints.  We will mix the colors to match as closely as possible.  There will be slight color variations due to the use of the different chemistry.  The translucent color will be the most challenging; the differences in the rest could be considered analogous to different dye lots in paint hues or fabric runs.
 
Revised process to replicate your spinner face
Use one piece of ¼” thick glass, cut into a 17 5/16” circle, with edges seamed.  We recommend annealed (untempered) glass.  Professionally silver the entire back, except the small rectangles around the circumference and the four center circle areas.  Mask, etch and paint with an air brush, beginning with the darkest color, black; and progressing to the lightest, the ivory.  The final layer will be the translucent paint, which will be a custom color that we will create.  Unlike the original, the gold translucent color will be on the same side of the same piece of glass as the inner concentric stripes.  The proper effect will instead be achieved with the order of the paint layers.
 
Art form discussion
Please note that your piece was originally silkscreened (a time-honored process invented in ancient Egypt).  This is a wonderful approach if one has dozens or hundreds of a design to create.  However, it is exceedingly expensive and impractical for a single piece.  Our work will be handmade and a close reproduction, but it is a different art form and should be viewed as such.
 
Lettering
Related to the difference between these art forms, but from a chronological perspective, is the way the letters were shaped.  When this piece was made, nobody had the ability of replicating fonts perfectly, as with today’s methods.  They were instead traced by hand and transferred.  The second spinner face picture you sent us has perfect imported letters, which we feel contribute to its flat appearance.  The letters we create will have a hand-drawn quality to them that will better reflect the original letters and words.
 
Future potential
Once we create your art, if you (or, through you, an associate) wishes to order another in the same design, and in the same or even a different size format, the art will already be vectorized.  Therefore, the overall cost will be somewhat reduced.  This may be useful to
your business/collector model.  If you have a spinner in good working order, with a
-Page Three-​​Dschida, Spinner Process, March 19, 2012 (cont’d.)
 
completely unacceptable face, and would like to ready it for sale, you could select this design.  Each new piece we treat in the future (in spinner or other format) would have the same potential.  The owner of the original, for the purposes of permissions and reproductions, would be the gateway for future usage of the art.
 
Mick, we thank you for your business.  Please contact me with questions or discussion, and to grant your formal approval for the necessary changes – first in procedure, and the small alteration in price shown on the Revised Proposal, attached.  Please see notations in signature area of Revised Proposal.  As soon as we receive your final authorization, we will proceed with the orders for glass and other materials needed for your Spinner.
 
Again, thank you for putting your trust in us.  We are glad to be working with you on your project.
 
Sincerely,
 
Kathleen Schalk
 
Kathleen Schalk
Owner and design consultant
 
 
 This is gonna take 4 to 6 weeks.in the meantime,I'll be showing you what I am doing to prepare the body.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Website   www.artglasschicago.com     *    Email   info@artglasschicago.com  
Phone  847-404-8126  *  Fax  888-448-3882
P.O. Box 525, Mount Prospect, IL  60056


Looking for gas,oil related clocks,especially neon and spinners .clock repair available. Mick
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I have to agree Mick! That picture of the rstoration that was already done, just doesn't quite have the eye appeal of the original! Can't wait to see what this woman can do! Good luck!


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Originally Posted By: advertologist
if you had it to do over, would you have taken it apart?

I was worried that the face might be destroyed by taking it apart,but this was not the case.once it's completed,I intend to make a ring,and display the original face.It will look just as it did. Here is a video of the spinner in motion


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F3ROxRujpw&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Last edited by oldnfuelish; Tue Mar 20 2012 07:43 PM.

Looking for gas,oil related clocks,especially neon and spinners .clock repair available. Mick
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it looks like your in good hands with Kathleen..


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I agree with advertologist. Kathleen seems VERY professional. I would rest easy with your spinner in her hands!


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I agree too!!!!


Mike
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I originally purchased this piece at Iowa room to room last summer and, while doing some remodeling here at the house decided to sell the piece and I see it is now in good hands. Good luck and I also can't wait to see the outcome

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Good for you,for going to great lengths to revive an attractive display piece like that mick.
Here's a nice 6' X 3' embossed companion for it in Indiana..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-SEALED-P...6#ht_500wt_1379

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Mick...thats an awesome piece! Congrats!


Wanted: Husky Cans/Signs, Interesting Pump Plates and NC Road Signage


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Wow, that looks really neat. I too am anxious to see the outcome. Sound like Kathleen really knows her stuff. I guess I have seen a couple spinners before, but never saw one in action till I watched the video you posted. WOW!! That is really cool. I've always been into pumps but I may have to try to find one of these some day. Just out of curiosity, what do they bring normally? I know that`s a vague question, but I'm just wondering what the ball park value is.

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Mick,
I have a sign just like yours. It is in better shape, but still needs some restoration to the silver leaf. I found someone here in Portland that will teach me to do that part. Thanks for the info on taking the sign apart, I had no idea they sandwiched the glass. This will be very helpful when I disassemble mine. The you tube video is great! Now I'm really stoked about getting mine done. Good luck with your sign, I hope to see your finished piece.

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Thanks for all the good comments.just a note......when I took the face off the body,I didn't separate the two pieces,that was done in Kathleen's studio. I just laid the thing down on the face,took out the retaining screws,lifted the body and reinstalled the screws.worked out well!Kyle,a good original spinner(clock or otherwise) usually goes in the 5/800 range for something decent.not to say better deals can't happen.and they can run a lot more than that.but as with all of our stuff,you have to be careful what you buy!.
H.earl,I sent you a pm(little flag on upper part of your screen tha.t is blinking)cool to know that there are a few still around!
Probably the main reason I am doing this,is because the deterioration is happening so fast.just the moving around of this thing(Iowa to California,to Minnesota to peotone to antioch,il ...) has caused it to move.and I like it!! Once I get the original back,it's going to get hung in a place where it won't have to be moved for a long time,in the house!probably very close to the new one. When I get back from my weekend,I will show you what I did with the body.i have the easy job! Thanks,mick. Btw Kyle,here's an example of an over the top price on a spinner clock.
390190736247

Last edited by oldnfuelish; Thu Mar 22 2012 12:38 PM.

Looking for gas,oil related clocks,especially neon and spinners .clock repair available. Mick
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