Looking for Ben Smith for a cooler liner

[BeaYoung]

Hi! I am looking to see if anyone knows how to contact Ben Smith from MO. I saw his name listed in this posting from 2009 but more searching didn't get me any farther. Can anyone help? Does Ben still make liners and lids? Or do you know of another source for these parts?  I guess I need a cap catcher too! Thanks!

B.



 Re: Lid for S&S 700..
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2009, 11:24:49 pm » Quote  

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Rod at Funtronics sells a gasket that is made for Quikold (S&S became Quikold) So it may be the same gasket... check his website... does your cooler have any of the gasket remaining on it... did it rap around a metal locking strip?... My Orange Crush is a lettered/embossed S&S... and it uses the same gasket so you may be in luck...
Also a guy in Springfield, MO by the name of Ben Smith could have lids made for you... he restores Westinghouse coolers and makes lids and cap catchers and tub liners.... Joey may have his number.
 

[johnieG]

Can't help you personally, but I did a quick Google search in Springfield, MO & found a few Ben Smiths to choose from..give it a try. 

[coke_and_stuff]

Ben Smith Sadly passed away last year.

Joey

[Eric]

Yes.. sad... he was awesome... he had a cool technique on painting embossed letters... he used a rubber roller
and was smooth with it... They came out super sharp every time.
 Was a super nice man... glad I had met him...

Post a picture of the cooler and measurements of what the lids might be.... I have a set, had pin holes and dents
had a body guy fix/fill and put them in primer. If you'd be interested...

[scalebowler]

Yes.. sad... he was awesome... he had a cool technique on painting embossed letters... he used a rubber roller
and was smooth with it... They came out super sharp every time.
 Was a super nice man... glad I had met him...

Hey Eric do you know what kind of rubber roller he used for that? I was actually thinking of trying that on my 7up cooler.

[Eric]

It was a ink roller you can get at a art store... he used ONE SHOT brand paint
He customized it a little by putting rubber wheels on either end so once it rolled
over the edge it wouldn't drop down onto the cooler... he then would clean edges
with a Q-tip and mineral spirits to sharpen the edges...  looked awesome.

[BeaYoung]

Thanks to all who replied. I am sorry about Ben's passing.

I am a newbie to this hobby. I love vintage soda items- coolers, machines, signs. I am finally at the point in life where I am able to indulge myself a little with these things.

Anyhow, I had planned to pick up a thing or two, restore some for my own enjoyment, perhaps sell a thing or two as I replace it with things I like better.

So,  I bought a nice Coke Glascok cooler. Before I have a chance to do anything with it, I found a nice Orange Crush S & S cooler (see previous posting) but missing the stand/legs. I really like the OC a lot. So, the hunt begins for an S&S stand for OC cooler. Last night bought a S&S Mission Orange cooler- in nice shape but missing one half of the lid.

This is how is begins isn't it???

Now I'm thinking that I probably shouldn't take apart a fairly hard-to-find Mission Orange cooler for the legs.... Arg...  I see the collection growing!!! Funny how it happens isn't it? I'll pick up the Mission Orange cooler soon. Will have to figure out what to do each of these.

But, back to the Glascock cooler- I'll keep searching for someone that makes liners and cap catchers- Does anyone know if someone picked up Ben's work of making those parts? Was he making them or having them made?

B