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After just about a year I've finally finished restoring my old Drive-in Theater Mfg Co. Driveway light. When my friend got it he said it had been sitting outside under a bush for about 40-60 years, all the uprights were rusted, and broken off in the base, the lamp socket was shot and the plastic around the bulb was gone. I took it to work and we used the EDM hole popper to burn out the broken screws from the uprights and I machined new uprights out of some stainless steel. Had it powder coated and learned that these castings had quite a few voids in them and that JB Weld actually is a pretty good body filler for parts to be powder coated. Detroit Diecast was kind of enough to get me a light socket that fit and tonight I just cut and sanded the tube around the bulb. Still needs a permanent cord and a stand made for it but the lamp its self is done and I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Before restoration
(https://img00.deviantart.net/31f1/i/2018/196/9/3/untitled_by_scalebowler-dchc7zb.jpg)

(https://img00.deviantart.net/f7ab/i/2018/196/e/6/untitled_by_scalebowler-dchc88n.jpg)


New light socket installed

(https://orig00.deviantart.net/54dc/f/2018/196/d/9/20156159_10212008876951763_8924705287117468006_n_by_scalebowler-dchc8w2.jpg)


Old broken screws burned out with EDM hole popper at work

(https://orig00.deviantart.net/1249/f/2018/196/b/6/20139746_10212008865111467_8992883458404041811_n_by_scalebowler-dchc91f.jpg)


New Uprights made out of some 303 Stainless

(https://orig00.deviantart.net/b427/f/2018/196/5/2/20139628_10212008879191819_2993383356483439030_n_by_scalebowler-dchc9a7.jpg)

(https://orig00.deviantart.net/5f24/f/2018/196/4/4/20046741_10212008872551653_7940114730773375376_n_by_scalebowler-dchcal6.jpg)


After powder coating and new plastic tube installed

(https://img00.deviantart.net/c618/i/2018/196/2/3/untitled_by_scalebowler-dchcbjg.jpg)

(https://img00.deviantart.net/f7a9/i/2018/196/0/7/untitled_by_scalebowler-dchc8fy.jpg)

(https://img00.deviantart.net/2d45/i/2018/196/3/5/img_4471___copy_by_scalebowler-dchcbpg.jpg)

Awesome! Great job... and glad you're still around!  :happydrinkers:

Thanks! I'm still around but just been busy and haven't had much time for projects like this. This light took me over a year to complete kind of doing it in my free time.

That’s a fantastic job!

Looks brand new...great job!!!

Nicely Done ! ! !
Glad to see you back!  Sounds like you may be working a little too hard and missing out on some "me time"...

Thanks guys! Was a fun project. The base is pretty much done now just waiting till I have a chance to paint it. Kind of the main thing stopping me from doing more projects is trying to save up my money and put towards getting a house so not as much to spend on projects right now.

Very well done Sir!!
Creighton

Very cool. What a great piece to have. nice resto job!

Can you elaborate on the "EDM hole popper "?

Pretty much it's a machine that you put a small brass electrode in and then line the table up under the hole you want to make and it uses electricity to burn a hole in a piece of metal instead of drilling it. Pretty neat machine

Very nice light and great use

That’s a very cool light