Purchased a Coca Cola Bench

...and I know what you are thinking...."another bench?"  I thought the same thing but this bench is different.  What do you think?

Need a closer look?

This isn't a new bench nor is it a reproduction of an old bench.  Instead this is a bench cast to look like an antique.  I doubt if an antique version of this bench ever existed.  It's a little froo froo for my taste but yet I am looking forward to painting it.  If anyone runs across a photo of one of these benches that is painted, please pass it along because there are just so many elements that need to be painted.

The bench itself is narrower than a traditional park bench but still sits two people quite cozy.  This is perfect for a smaller porch. 

First off we will need to disassemble.  Just like the last bench, the bolts will need to be cut off because they are very rusty.  The slats are actually 2X4's and there are only 3 of them.  So that will keep the cost down.

Next on the list is for R to grind out all of the excess flash and smooth out some of the grind marks where they quickly tried to smooth the seams.

There are some areas of porosity and even a larger spot where there is missing metal in the field of the cameo on the left side.  I proposed to fill in the small pin holes and the missing metal in the cameo with JB Weld or Certanium.  But we will wait until we are ready to paint and see if the holes really show up.

The metal bench parts are pot metal and not cast iron or cast aluminum.  Pot metal is mostly zinc but also has tin, lead, and even copper added.  It is common for pot metal to have pits from small holes to large holes.  This is caused from air getting trapped in the mold when the metal is cast.

It was hot today.  We picked up the bench at 10am and had hoped to finish top dressing the hosta bed around the garden shed.  But it was just too hot.  So we watered the pots and stayed in the shade doing nothing but drinking water.  Some days it is best to do nothing and nothing we did.

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