Icy-o countertop cooler

[MoonDawg]

       Most of the longtime members here will recall the guest on this site 2 years ago who wanted to sell an Icy-o. I mentioned it to my friend Garry and he just had to have it.  It was delivered directly to my shop because his wife would have gone through the roof had she known he spent a thousand dollars on this junk  
       I myself, was not thrilled with it!  It arrived in a broken wooden crate, additionally damaged in transit. The inside was lined with wood which had got wet and swelled so the doors could not close.  

       After discussing the possibilities here on this forum, and Eric's help on envisioning what this cooler could or should look like.......this project had to move on!

       Fortunately Garry's carpenter / brother-in-law from Texas happened to be visiting him. Neither of these guys had done a restoration before so most of the work was done at my shop and I did little more on this project than give advice.

       So while Phil did the bodywork and woodwork,
 Garry (a mortgage broker) arranged the outside work.

        The glass used was cut from an early century piece and has the traditional waves in it.  The dividers were added as per a sales pamphlet from that era. The finish was to have a wood grain look and gold letters with a red border. The 2 curved rods on the front were originally spot welded on. They were replaced with brass rods with small studs welded onto the backs.

         Early embossed bottles and fake ice are used in the display.  The section in back on top is to store a wooden case and empty bottles.......in case you are like me and thought this section made the cooler look weird.
 
         Now as you may know, Garry has been in and out of the hospital for heart and cancer problems all this year but he always bounces back. Could an accomplishment like this Icy-o give him a stronger reason to live ?   You all know the feeling

[Bob K]

Wonderful story...  

Sending good vibes to Garry's health...  '>

Bob

[Seven181]

Sweet! I think it looks great. We all find those beat up machines and dream that they will turn out to be awesome someday. Some turn out great, others are still sitting in storage or our garages waiting to be worked on!!!


Brian

[Ltransam]

Garry & MoonDawg
            
 D  '>  '>  '>  M





I was 1 of the people trying to get it from the guy .My offer was $900 .But It would have taken me a year to save the money to have it restored .It's Perfect !!!

Garry Hope your doing well  '>  And it's really Great that you shared this Project with Us from the start 2 thum s up from me ...
                                                          Ltransam

[aspbear1]

Great job and great looking cooler.  This should help pick up his spirits and he will want to hang around to enjoy this great piece.  Thanks for sharing the photo

[coke_and_stuff]

Thats great, nice machine. Are the bottles really old?

Joey

[Kilroy]

Wow,
I remember the discussions and debates, but never thought it could come out looking  that incredible

Wowohwowoohwow

[Jim]

Glen.

I have to say the restoration everyone did on this cooler is outstanding ! ! !

I want you to please tell Garry we all very proud of the work that went into this restoration and that this would be the pinnacle of any collection!

Lastly and above all, give Garry our best for staying healthy ! ! !

      '>      '>      '>

[MoonDawg]

Thanks Jim, do you need any additional pictures for the library?    And yes Joey,  the bottles are all OLD  '>

      When loading this cooler for display we noticed something very unique about this 100 year old "refrigeration system".

       A regular ice cooler could easily be loaded with soda bottles, then showered with ice. This cooler was designed differently!

       The front window is for customers to grab a cold soda, the rear window is for the clerk to slide all cold product forward to re-fill with new Cokes.  BUT........ice cubes would block his path.
       So it seems the ice was only stocked in the center and when it melted it chilled all the bottles with cold water. Then when the water level got too high, the clerk would drain the water into a bucket and re-fill the ice section.
       This must be the first water-bath cooling system, I like it!  '>

[Pat Pixley]

Great story Glen, Boy that turned out just beautiful,
 This should make Garry proud  how beautiful it did turn
 out , It like a Work of art.

And Glen Give Garry our Best .

Pat '>