A magician wanted his broken giant lamp post repaired. The restoration specialist was led to the site of his big compound and asked whether he could do it and how much would it cost. US$6,500 was quoted and to me, having shown the extent of the damage by strong winds, it seemed pointless and too costly. The stem was broken in several places and the metal strips holding the glass shades were in pieces, and the glass shades were shattered.
Just to get it in the right perspective (for those who did not watch it), the size of the lamp post is at least the size of those we see along the way to Putrajaya or KLIA. It has a cluster of 5 lamps, each held by thin metal strips holding the glass cover, and the bottom of the stem is bolted onto a concrete base. The lamp posts used to be in front of a casino in Las Vegas.
It took three workers in a pickup truck with a small trailer to gather every piece back to their workshop. The work involved piecing together the pieces like a jigsaw puzzle and welding them. The golden paint colour had to be matched as close to the original as possible.
It was finally done and the next task was to transport it back to the magician's compound. This time, it required a bigger truck and more careful handling. The re-installation involved the hire of a big crane so that the metal stand could be bolted on to the concrete base. Having seen the work involved in the restoration and re-installation, the cost seems reasonable.
The owner was obviously pleased with the amazing restoration work and said he could not tell the difference. The restorer said the broken parts were welded so well that the restored lamp post is stronger than the original ones! The owner then said that if another storm were to come his way, probably the rest, except the restored one, would be destroyed!
So the episode ended with one happy customer and a satisfied restorer.
Viewers were also shown another restoration from beginning to end. Here, the restorer's son was given the responsibility of quoting the charge for restoring an old air pump used in service stations in the 1930s. Then the price for petrol was only 16 cents to a gallon! The restorer secretly let known he would have quoted US$1,200 but his son quoted only US$800! He said he is leaving it to him so that he will learn from any mistake in his quotation. He dismantled the pump, cleaned and serviced it to working order, and sprayed it fire engine red to its original colour. The owner could not believe it when shown his air pump, thinking it was a brand new one!
It is heartening to know there are collectors as well as excellent restorers still keen in their chosen profession, wherever they are in the world.
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