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Well.... Here's where it's at so far.
As some of you know.. I'm wanting to buy Quikold coolers....
Well this one popped up last summer... cut in half... but solid for what was left
I found a doner with ICE COLD embossed took to a friend who owns a body shop
a little (well a lotta) welding and bingo ...here we are....
Before and afters...

And now...
That's my buddy Rick Thomas... shrinking up some spots on it! You can not tell
there's a seam.... a skim of filler on a few pits and low spots and primer...
This is gonna be killer!
Anyone know anything about this company/brand.. nothing I can find
but these little signs on ebay all the time... I feel they're repro from over seas....
they're ALL old stock with old paper on them AND all the same three.... there's a couple I think that are real... the few with the soldier I think are 50s and are the real deal but the others hhhmmmmm.....
anyway getting the bottle opener chromed, have all the letters traced, scanned, redrawn
and ready to take to get vinyl mask of the letters so I can have them painted on instead
of hand painted... Also, thanks to Bob, I have the little Quikold decal re-created .
Anyway... that's about it... Also have my 7up junior all pulled apart and it will be next.

Wow...NICE JOB Eric!
Didn't Nickol Kola succumb to the power of Coca Cola attorneys? I seem to recall reading/hearing that somewhere.

Way to go! That really looks great! Its great to see that you were able to save such a rare cooler.

Eric .  WOW VERY VERY Nice.
                                        I have Buddys in a Machine shop And I confuse them at times with the stuff  I bring them to do . But If I had friends in a Body Shop They would be busy untill Well Forever  :wow:.

                                                                          Leonard

WOW! What an absolutly Fantastic save of a great old ( and truly "rare" ) Nichol Kola Cooler.
 :wow:  can't wait to see it all together again!

That looks awesome Eric!! That is going to be a very cool machine when you get it all back together. Aren't friends great?

Nice job Eric!  I can't wait to see the finished product.  I run across Nichol Kola bottles on occasion, but that's all I know of them.  Your project reassures me that with the right talent, some of the rare basket cases I've seen could be saved.  Thanks!

Eric,

You kept telling me of the project! Now I see the results! Looks great! I love what your body guy has done to it so far! Keep us posted. Let me know how the 7up jr goes.

Brian

      Great save Eric!  How did you get it apart.....drill out the spot welds?

Eric,

It looks awesome!
An above and beyond restoration ! ! !

As Glen asked, how did the cooler come apart...?

Wow
ng
It's gonna be a looker Eric, keep the pics coming

Boy, can't wait for more pics!

Thanks guys... It's all due to my buddies... Nick Cain, 19, a son of one of my close friends
has restored a 69 Chevelle and is working on a 53 Chevy pickup did the cutting and welding.
Rick Thomas, seen in images, doing some touch ups is doing the rest... I am designing a second DVD hunting cover for him...trading time and talents.... He's a heck of a hunter and good friend.... I will definately keep the pictures coming of this and the 7up as I go... just haven't posted anything in so long.
About taking it apart... Quikolds are like Studebakers, they're all bolted together... no welds
3 base bolts to each side bottom for the base and 3 bolts and nuts to each seem, the 7up has 2 support arms that hold up the liner and all the insulation... the Nichol Kola had 1 which was missing.... The Nichol Kola I would say is older... different hinge set up for the lid and molding
for around the edge. Both are missing cap catchers that will have to be made as nothing is made like the originals.. but I have pictures to by.

 :jawdrop: Eric that is way to cool , can't wait to see it done .
               I have a big book on soda  I'll have to check into
               it. 
                   really some great work there  Your friend Nick
                   Cain does some great work.

                         Pat :smile:

                   

Is that Dr.Frankenstein?  :biggrin: Nice save. Wonder why it was cut in half to begin with? :Oo:

Also, why do all those Nichol Cola signs have the paper? I bought 5 of them about 10 years ago from a dealer. All stuck together with the paper. The paper comes off eas enough but the glue remains on the signs, never figured how to get it off.

use a steamer. it will melt the adhesive & not harm the paint on the sign.

I am thinking I read a while back that a warehouse "find" of these was made in Baltimore.  Was Nichol Kola out of Balt?

The signs are marked "Balto" (Baltimore).

I think it was cut in half and used as a counter cooler (saving floor space).
Whoever cut it did do a nice job... they bent it all underneath so it woudn't be
sharp on the bottom... I ask the guy I bought it from if his grandparents did it...
he said he didn't know as they were passed but he said it was cut like that as
far back as he could remember. When his grandmother died he took and used it
to put beer/soda in at family get togethers.... but was tired of it always being in
the way and tripping on it. He lived near Jefferson City Missouri.

As far as the signs....I have a hard time believing those signs are old.... I mean
they may be 20+ years old but not 50-60 years old.... ALL these signs found at
once....same 3 or 4, no other versions, no other sizes, no cardboards, no dates,
the art style and process doesn't look right either. there's 2 others on eBay right
now... one guy says he's had it in his collection for year want $1XX something for
it and another seller differnt part of the country with the same sign wants $9.99
....both have the rust/paper marks in the same place....

And again...all these signs...not one mint and all are in the same condition not worse not better.... no used ones pop up?
I have seen one sign that's 5' X 4' huge nice sign for $400 would look sweet!!! behind this cooler when finished.. it is the same design as one of the little small ones but embossed different and different sign company...
Anway.... this is just my 2 cents.... repro signs have been around since the 70s....
these are neet little signs and I'd buy a couple to put with this cooler if I could find a mint
one... they just say repro to me.... but heck.. most of the time you can get them at around $9.00 on ebay so no big deal heck I'd repro them if I thought they'd really sell... Would
love to make a 3' bottle die cut version, dated of course... AND I'm sure there are real ones out there.. I think some of the ones with the butler/band leader look'n guy are the real deal... So I'm not wanting to tick anyone off... I've been looking for a nice sign... just
gotta be careful now as there are a lot of repros popping up in tin and porcelin of
soda, gas and oil that's not dated that have been “aged”.... some of the gas and oil
are bring $100s  just to find out they are fake... so be careful!

Chest looks great Eric, As far as the signs I say real Ive seen a few of them and have owned a fair share of them including a few that were just destroyed.

Joey

Destroyed?... What happened?... Where you been?.....As far as the signs I'm talking
about those little 8X11 signs, soft embossed, no dates, none mint... look alot like the ones
Desperate Signs put out in the 70s except these don't look like they are line screened
like old ones they almost look like all the colors where layed at once.... But I'm no
expert.... Would love to find them around 2'X3' and some cardboards!
Missed the only cardboard I know of with the bathing beauty on it around Christmas...
NOS $145! Aghhhh!!!! ....
There's one for buy it now but it's water stained and $250?....  don't want it that bad....
I need a crate and 24 bottles for the cooler when it's done.

This is an original Nichol Kola sign I bought out of the shipping box it came in.  I just framed it. It is 20" x 28" and has the drum major type guy on it .  Marked:  A-M Sign Company Lynchburg, VA  6-41.  I framed it.

NOS I have it in my antique booth for $125.00

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/coke_and_stuff/Ebay060.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/coke_and_stuff/Ebay061.jpg)

Joey

So Joey is the second  sign NOS and is  up for sale?

 8)
The original Nichol Kola sign that has the "drum major type guy" on it is named Long Nick.

     Welcome to the group Chedki.

     Is it the sign or the drummer named "Long Nick" ?    :biggrin:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1941-Nichol-Kola-Advertising-Tin-Sign-N-R_W0QQitemZ220200292004QQihZ012QQcategoryZ35698QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Great looking progress on the Nichol Cola Cooler Eric... Just chiming in now as was out of town for 10 days.

Looks great , cant' wait to see more...

Call me when you get a chance about the stuff we where talking about a few weeks ago...

Thanks

I got this PM'd to me:

i see alot of posts on smc wondering about " nichol cola". i was a nicholson company employee from 2003- 2006 .lead mechanic-maint. manager. nichol cola came about as a responce to the volstead act aka. prohibition. there were tons of people making beer bottles then prohibition came along .the nicholson company capitalized on the glut of glass on the market to get the bottles cheap.they originally sold for a nickel .nice tie in since the owners last name was nicholson. the company finally went bankrupt in the spring of 2007.due to some bad business decisions.it was bought by the firm clement pappas of nj. check out h.r. nicholson.6320 oakleaf ave. baltimore,md 21215.it really pisses off bob nicholson to see those nichol cola signs in cracker barrel....so i hear .also check out albris.com harry robert nicholson wrote a book about the h.r. nicholson company titled "the house of quality" they sell for upwards of 100.00 dollars.!!! trust me its a real snooze fest.but does have alot of company history. if i'd have known the price of those books i'd have snagged a case before i flew the coop... tony ellis

I suggested he post his info. I received the following:

if you want to post my responce or if anyone has any questions about the company i'll try to answer them. the time is was there we only produced cans in the #2.5 and the #10 sizes (think big soup cans and the big mega-sams club cans)bag in the box (think box wine)and aseptic packaging (think swansons chicken broth) style . i don't think anyone was left from the cola days. we had a murder-suicide by cop in the production area. it really signaled the downturn of the company. the last nicholson ,bob nicholson is alive and well on his multi-million dollar horse farm in northern baltimore county.. thanks again for the trip down memory lane , tony ellis

Thanks for posting that Dan Hope Tony PMs me as I can't find anything on the company...
I just got my Nichol Kola bottle from eBay and it has a date of 57 on the bottom.. So
I have no idea when the soda part of the company went out.... But if they were around that long you'd think you'd find a 6 pack or 2... Been on a couple of antique bottle sites and
can't get anyone to respond on bottle or anything....weird... I would think they spent a lot of money to get these coolers embossed.... so you'd think you see more stuff... There has got to be
someone out there with a stack of 6 pack cartons wanting to unload them or a bottle crate.
gotta have a bottle crate for this cooler.
Having cap catchers made along with the support arm for the cooler it lid and all sides are in primer, I have all the letters, 5 cent and three lines drawn and really for masking the embossing even have the Quikold decal rebuilt. just need to have it printed and I need to have the bottle opener chromed.
Going to pick up a machine from CL tomorrow if it works out I'll be posting.
 Would love to find out anythig on this brand so Tony if you're reading this please drop me a line... And if you have a RT Nichol Kola machine just sitting in the way I want dibs  :smile:

Well ...here's the lid and base..... and the sides... the front and back are painted and he's
gonna be painting the front embossed part white first, then I'm gonna put the masking decals on
(if the roll ever comes in) paint it all red then peal the masking off and then I'll have white letters....

Hope these show up...

Well... they show up but not as nice as Joey sets them up...
Well...the cap catchers(first group attempt) were done... but dang they made them out of
18 or 16 gage steel!!! heavier than the cooler stock itself!
doubt you could shoot a 22 through them!!!!! :wow:
I had to tell them ...no... they had to be exact like the original Brian sent me..... they looked good
but too heavy... so they should have these next batch done soon...
My buddy Rick made little caster holders for the corner to bolt in just gotta find the 2" casters that screw down. And still need to chrome the opener and paint the liner...she's coming along...
And she'a a long way from what she was....
 Nothing else really going on here... haven't found anything... there was a Oak/Acorn gumball on a stand for $75 at a yardsale...but passed.... I have 5 of those already and 3 are in parts waiting to be backyard spray bombed with Hammertone... just need to have a break from the rain!

Looks great so far Eric!
I'm sure you can't wait to have it all done...it will be a show-stopper!
How did you come up with the 'Nichol Cola red' paint? I always thought it was more maroonish than red.

Thanks!... Rick and the guys are doing a great job... I still can't believe it was cut in half.
NO scars anywere... As far as the red.... when I took it apart we matched the paint on the inner side... really close to my Selmix Pepsi dispenser lid red...

Looking Good Eric!.. .Can't wait to see how the lettering comes out!

Yes indeed very nice Eric, Its amazing what can be saved with todays technology. Hey Ozark Antique Mall + Ross Quin = Quickold 7up Jr.

Joey

Well here we are as of today...  before this was blasted and welded I traced the orignal
lettering, scanned it, cleaned and straightened it, bought a roll fo vinyl masking, and had it
cut out. Rick painted the outer embossing the off/antique white and we placed the vinyl
masking on the letters, he'll be painting them the red after that dries (or almost dries)
we peal the masking off and I'll have nice clean lettering.... too many curves to paint by hand.

That is really gonna be awesome Eric!  :jawdrop:
Was the photo taken inside a gutted airplane?  :tounge:

Ha!.. no their up against his paint booth.... CAN NOT WAIT to get this done!!!

Eric .

            One word    WOW !!!      Great Job ..

I agree with Leonard. I can't believe that started as that cut up bullet holed cooler you showed off just a few months ago. What an amazing job!  :jawdrop:

Looking really awesome !  8)
That gives me the motivation to get my Nichol Kola Quikold Standard fixed up.

Eric,

Looks awesome! You are the Quikold man!


Brian

Very impressive, Eric!!!  :biggrin:

Bob

Eric ~

Stop making me want a Quikold machine!!   :glare:

That is going to be one killer machine!

Greg

That's great!!  Makes me want to start on my Quikold  Orange Crush!!!

OK... I just got the sides and letters done... I am beyond happy with this
cooler.... my buddys have gone above and beyond... I cannot wait to
put this thing together...
I'm sending the images to Joey and gonna put him on the spot and ask him to please
post the pictures... since he post them in a way I can't.. I can't seem to get the
detail he does....
The letters are AWESOME!!! and they are PAINTED on... The Masking decals is the
way to go... SO Joey when you get a chance please post the images I send you!
Thanks!!! :happydrinkers:

Can't wait to see it Eric!
Talked to Joey the other day and his laptop got stolen, so not sure how much access he has right now. I'll post them for you if you need me to.

Me too Eric,

Send em out and we'll get em up for you...
The key take them in hi res,which results in a large photo, then change the resolution down to about 72... the size stays large and the Kb size shrinks down to a postable image size.
Can't wait to see it.

Here ya go Eric, Im back up and running, Just picked up 6 more machines today with some other odds and ends, When I get everything unloaded i'll get some pics of my junk in another post. One of the machines is a Double Cola Quickold!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/coke_and_stuff/nicholkolaquickold2.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/coke_and_stuff/nicholkolaquickold1.jpg)

Joey

Hmmm Smaller than normal, did you resize these before sending them my way?


Joey

Nice pictures and machine!!

Joey, you must be in a machine paradise!!!  I would love to find a Quikold anything!  I do remember that Arkansas was an antique radio paradise as well when I was up there and actively buying a good while ago.  Jealous!

Nice Quikold Eric! It is looking good! Joey, show us a picture of your new find! A double cola Quikold, SWEET! By the way, your sign is on the way.

Brian

Coming along nicely, Eric ! ! !

Wow - looks great..  Hard to believe it is the same machine...

Sweet !! Keep us posted !!

Eric,

INCREDIBLE WORK!!! :jawdrop: :jawdrop: :jawdrop:

Can't wait to see the finished product!

Tim

Thats awesome Eric... Can't wait to see it finished...   :happydrinkers:

That's awesome looking, Eric.  8)

Almost done... just need to put in the tub and chrome the opener....
the lettering came out perfect... those are painted... masking is the way to go...

Looks great can't wait  to see it completed  :smile:

Outstanding work!  :drinking: You need to do a side by side before/after post when it is complete!  Hard to believe that it is the same machine!

As I found it

Eric,
Looks great!
I gotta try that masking sometime.. can you take some closeups of that and email to me? I'll try to post them larger for you on the site for all to see!

Excellent work!

Ebay sells those bullet hole decals for that finishing touch....

Seriously, it is drop dead sweet !

Very nice, Job well done!!

Thanks... It's all due to friends....
Nick and Rick for all their hard work... welding, grinding, priming and painting
to Brian for loaning me his original cap catcher so it would be exact like the original
to the Fab shop making the catcher... All I did was buy it and make the lettering masking..
I really gotta brag on Rick... I would put this up to any restoration out there...
It was funny to see the guys at the shop work on this...definantly the first soda machine/cooler
ever worked on in that shop....
thanks guys! :happydrinkers:

Wow Eric that really looks good! That is a keeper

My hats off to you on this restoration as this is definitely bringing something back from the scrap pile ! ! !
I hope this makes it into one of the calendars; if not this year, perhaps a few nice photos in the following year...