Audio Archives - Donald's Innovations & Repairs

Moroccan Lamp

Donald Dawson — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 16:14:58 +0000

This treasured Moroccan lamp needed repair and an overall clean-up. It had many dents, a crushed finial, missing hooks and missing glass ornaments.

Materials

Brass
Stained glass
Copper foil

Processes

Soft-soldering
Removing creases/ straightening
Cleaning

The finial

A crushed cone-shaped finial was at the bottom of the lamp. The pictures here show the extent of the damage.

To create a new finial, I flattened the original, drew a paper pattern, and transferred the pattern to 28-gauge brass.

I rolled the finial into a cone, soldered the ends together, and attached the cone to the bottom of the lamp.

In order to remove the creases in the lamp, I had to make a forming tool.

Crushed finial

Repaired finial

Flattened finial for drawing

Recreating the finial pattern

GLass ornaments

I rebuilt the glass ornaments from stained glass and copper foil.

To complete the dangling blue diamond shape, I cut the glass to fit the space and adhered copper foil, which was soldered to make the copper foil rigid. In order to hang the glass diamond properly, I added a tiny brass bead to the tip of the diamond shape on the copper foil.

Below you can see those glass ornaments and the finished lamp.

Glass ornaments replaced and hung

Forming tool to remove creases and bends in the metal

hooks

I made copper hooks and soft-soldered them in place from which to hang the dangling, coloured glass ornaments. You can see this process in this brief video.

A bit of background on moroccan lamps

These hanging lamps are intricately designed lighting fixtures that create a warm, inviting atmosphere, reflecting Morocco's rich artistic heritage. Often made from brass with colourful stained-glass panels or pierced metalwork, they cast mesmerizing geometric patterns, shadows, and light effects on walls and ceilings. Crafted using traditional techniques passed down through generations, these lamps add exotic elegance to any space.

Unique colours and shadows of Moroccan lamps

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Six Framed Stained-Glass Windows

Donald Dawson — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 19:26:38 +0000

The beauty of these stained-glass windows speaks for itself. When they came to the studio, they were six separate pieces of glass without frames. They now hang from three windows in our client’s home.

Materials

Angle iron
Eyebolt fasteners
Grey-black paint
Machine screws
S-Hooks

Processes

Grinding
Silver-soldering
Polishing
Cleaning
Painting

A beautiful result

These beauties were originally a pub's windows. My client stored them in a barn with a dream to frame them and hang two vertically, one on top of the other, for each of the three big windows in his home.

From a pub to a home

This is how they arrived in the studio, without frames, and needing a good cleaning.

measuring, Cutting & Numbering

I cut and bent angle iron to size to fabricate the six frames that would hold the stained-glass. Then, I stamped a number into each frame with my numbered metal stamps to create the order in which the windows would hang.

Before welding the angle iron to make the frame, I had to grind away the mill scale. After grinding, I drilled and tapped the holes.

Fabrication of angle iron frame

EYEbolt fasteners lined-up to be less visible

I cut the eyebolt fasteners and silver-soldered them in place. You’ll notice the pictures that show how they were first mounted, with the S-shape visible. When I checked in with my client, he asked that I affix them so that the S-shape would face vertically - like the spine of a book on a shelf - and be less visible. You can see the effect in the pictures of the hung stained-glass in the home windows.

Then, I painted each frame a black-grey.

Frames ready for drilling, tapping & paint prep

Frames ready for screw eyes & glass holder screws

Frame hanging sequence

Eyebolts installed but not cut & silver-soldered

cleaning each stained-glass window - with disinfecting wipes!

Finally, before installing the glass into the frames, I had to clean each stained-glass window, which had become dirty from being stacked in a barn for storage. The original pictures show their different levels of dirt and grime when they first arrived.

I had a massive container of disinfecting wipes from home. It was the only size we could find for personal use during the cold season - too big for home storage. I don’t know what inspired me to try them for cleaning stained-glass, but I did, and they worked like a charm.

Installation of glass in frame with hanging eyes installed

Frame facing room interior

Fitting glass into frame

installed Frames - a stunning outcome

Weeks later, when my client installed the framed stained-glass windows, he sent me pictures. I greatly appreciate clients sending me photos of the finished product in their homes.

I’m sure you’ll agree that it was a breathtaking outcome! I couldn’t have been more delighted.

Stained glass frames installed by client

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1960s Russian Tin Toy Car

Donald Dawson — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 16:37:19 +0000

This Russian 1960s tin toy car, physically attached to a controller hand grip, waited over 50 years for a repair and held memories of a tender relationship between a sister and her brother.

Materials

Tin steel
Epoxy

Processes

Machining
Glueing

the repaired toy car in action

Before we begin our story, we wanted you to see how the toy works.

a tender relationship

Even though our client was seven years younger, she and her brother were incredibly close. Despite living so far away, he was her best friend and a wonderful uncle to her daughter. Sadly, he died suddenly, and the car became a vital symbol of their relationship. Though she remembered the car, she didn’t remember seeing it work.

Since the passing of our client’s brother and after bringing the toy car back to Toronto, it was hard to find someone in Canada to restore the mechanical toy car. Though there were people in the U.S., she was determined to find someone in this country. Four years later, she found our repair shop.

broken control cable and hand grip

A rotating sprung-steel coil cable, similar to an old-style lawn mower throttle-control cable, powered this toy car. A music wire steered the car through the coil.

The control cable was bent and broken, and the hand grip, which housed gear drives, was also broken.

machining and rebuilding a GEAR

The gear was so badly worn that it disengaged from the other gears and had to be replaced. I had to fabricate a new one. You can’t buy a part for something this old.

I rebuilt the drive gear, steering and spring drive cable and the car worked perfectly. The piano wire steering cable received a steel wire coil that doubled as the driving cable.

coil spring

The crank on the handle rotated one rear driving wheel. No, there was no transmission axle to drive two wheels. That would have been too complicated for a 65-year-old tin plate car!

I ordered a coil spring from the U.K., but an unexpected postal strike delayed the repair.

When the coil eventually arrived, it turned out to be too thin. Since I had no choice but to find a way, I attempted to repair the original. Luckily, it did the trick.

Finally, the car was repaired and I sent my client her newly-functioning toy car. You can see it working at the beginning of this story.

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Santa’s Workshop Music Box

Donald Dawson — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 19:00:44 +0000

Santa's toy workshop music box survived a flood and held immense sentimental value for a client whose parents were the original owners.

Materials

Plastic

Processes

Cleaning
Lubricating

music and movement

It is always wonderful to see the finished product. We feature it before the story because it is so delightful to see it in action. The music and movement came together beautifully.

CLICK ON THE VIDEO, UNMUTE THE SOUND AND ENJOY!

A complete overhaul

This music box played music and also controlled the movements of the various elves and toys. It needed a complete overhaul to restore the music and movement.

several steps

There were several parts to this restoration. The gears needed to mesh correctly, the music box needed cleaning and light lubrication, and the spring needed loosening.

As always, cleaning was the first step, using a three-in-one brand of white lithium grease that immediately loosened up the workings.

The metal comb in music boxes

The music comes from the roll and pins, and the comb brushes against these pins and creates the sound.

The spring and governor, another work for speed regulator, are located in the black plastic box next to the music roll.

Luckily, the metal comb in this unit was in pristine shape. If the metal combs bend because of wear and tear, they need straightening, and that's a tedious process that takes a lot of patience.

a tight spring

Traditional music boxes, like this one, have a spring that you wind up with a key. As the spring unwinds, it turns the cylinder.

In this case, the flat spring was so tightly wound that it had nowhere to go. Fortunately, it was neither broken nor fatigued.

By using the governor (speed regulator) and some dry compressed air to unwind the toy several times, it came loose.

AND FINALLY, SUCCESS!!!

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Sergio Bustamante Moose Sculpture Repair

Donald Dawson — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 20:52:41 +0000

This giant brass moose sculpture, an original Sergio Bustamante, came in broken after a move. It took some consideration to figure out how to repair it.

Materials

Brass

Processes

Cleaning
Soft soldering

Moves often damage precious items

Many clients have had to foot the bill themselves after a move. When you see sentimental pieces and beautiful works of art like this one, it is understandable that they would want it repaired.

We see many items that get damaged during a move. Movers often are unwilling to pay the repair costs when an item is not an easy fix.

In this case, the sculpture was light but awkward, so who knows how many movers could have dealt with an item like this?

soft soldering solution

This moose was roughly 24" x 30" x 40" and needed soft solder repairs.

It was cleaned and prepared for a soft solder to repair the antler and a section near the jawline.

restored patina & A strong repair

The concern in repairing valuable items is ensuring that the repair is strong and that the patina is restored or maintained as much as possible. And that often means complimenting the patina of the original artist.

The soldering repair worked well, and the moose was ready to be hung proudly on a wall in a new space.

about the sculptor

Here's some information about the artist from his website.

"Sergio Bustamante is a prominent Mexican sculptor known for his ability to create expressive and unique works of art. His sculptures fuse elements of nature and Mexican culture, using various materials such as paper mache, bronze and ceramics. His works convey a feeling of vitality and movement. Bustamante has gained international recognition and is considered an influential figure in contemporary Mexican art."

stages of repair

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Mechanical Toy Repairs

Donald Dawson — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 17:53:06 +0000

We love being a toy hospital. How thrilling it was to repair and restore this family of moveable and vocal mechanical dolls for a fantastic, enthusiastic client.

Materials

Music boxes
Wires and solder

Processes

Replacement of music boxes

toys that move and make sounds

These dolls were so cute that you can understand their sentimental value. The client wanted the toys spruced up, and if they could move again, that would be a bonus. Happily, they all went home in full motion and sound. Check out the videos below.

Some of these toys, with wind-up music boxes, had broken or worn-out springs.

These mechanical dolls needed new music boxes installed. The music boxes were not the same, and neither was the stuffing in the dolls. These new music boxes had to be well-wrapped in cardboard or plastic because the dolls’ stuffing would have interfered with the mechanical workings.

Jack-in-the-box snowman

Click to play

This jack-in-the-box snowman needed the electrical wiring secured to prevent breakage.

The corroded batteries and their holder required replacing.

The mechanism in the box needed some filing to fix its badly damaged gear teeth.

cackling witch

The witch and her umbrella dress required a repair of its metal spine, glue for the failed plastic parts, and soldering of her electronic parts. This toy witch was a perfect witchy character in sound and looks. You can hear her cackle in the short videos below.

Click to play

musical clowns

These two clowns needed their music boxes repaired.

Now, with a turn of their red noses, they were ready to delight their owners and new audiences.

music boxes and Buying locally

Some wind-up music boxes are not repairable, but there was a local supplier to help with this project.

Buying locally is terrific because it supports fellow Vancouver entrepreneurs, and because buying online is not the same thing as being able to go to a local store.

In a local store, you can see and touch the product and talk to people who know it well.

When it's not on a screen, you know what you are buying. Of course, sometimes you have no choice but to order off the Internet, hoping that the parts come on time. Since COVID, that's been a universal issue.

There's nothing like real live contact.

A big thank you to magic box hobbies!

Magic Box Hobbies in Vancouver is a perfect example of a local supplier who is generous and supportive - and who sends us the best clients.

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Saving Rusted Objects

Donald Dawson — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 18:19:57 +0000

Do you sometimes look at a rusted item and think it’s too far gone and you’ll need to throw it out? Luckily, that’s not always true.

rust still has life within it

Rust is sometimes, but not always, the end of an object.

There are more rusted metal objects to modify, restore and repair than you can imagine.

When an item is still salvageable, newly fabricated parts for those rusted areas work well.

Can you imagine the cost of replacing these items? The waste of money?

And the trash it would have created?

No. That’s not how we care for our valuables, and it’s an unnecessary expense for you and the ecosystem.

We need our history and heritage preserved.

centrepiece and legs reproduced

Can you imagine that this centrepiece could be replicated?

Just below it, look closely at the table legs on the left. They were replaced by new legs, following the same pattern as the original.

This is a patio table that my client wanted restored so his elderly father could use it in the summer. It was a perfect size and had a beautiful faux marble top. It would have been a shame to throw it out. I fabricated a new centrepiece and new legs.

Isn't it great to see that this heritage piece went home for many more years of use?

1943 Canadian Army Footlocker

A grandfather's rusty WW2 footlocker came in for rust removal and new, regulation army-green paint. The intention was to pass it down to a new generation and those to come. It stored bolts at the family hardware store and will now store keepsakes and toys.

New hinge parts

New hinge parts saved this Japanese stackable cabinet.

vintage signs

Vintage collectors like signs, oil cans, licenses, toys, farm equipment, and more. Many of these items are metal, and metal can rust.

In this case, our client needed a stand to support the Shell Gasoline curbside sign, but as you can see below, the rust was pervasive.

Cutting away some of the rust and fabricating the necessary parts to replace the damaged areas worked perfectly.

andiron

Here’s an andiron for an old, deep fireplace. The family loved it and wanted to see if it was restorable.

The andiron was rusty, and its two feet had broken off. However, neither of those factors prevented me from cutting the legs slightly and welding the piece back to a serviceable and workable quality.

look around

Don’t give up on your pieces.

Rust is not the end of life for metal objects.

Let’s get rid of our throwaway mentality.

What do you have in YOUR home that you would want to see salvaged?

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Family Heirlooms Are Full of Emotions and Stories

Donald Dawson — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 18:17:47 +0000

Family heirlooms and other treasures are more than mere objects. They’re not old dead things. They capture memories, stories and the emotions of a lifetime. That’s what makes them precious. And fixing things fits right in with my motto: "Let's get rid of our throwaway society."

I have had many clients bring in any number of childhood treasures reminiscent of a time they wanted to keep alive.

In many cases, they wanted to pass them on to the next generation of family members because they knew the tenderness of memories.

A father and son project

As a teenager in the early 1980s, I made this stained-glass window with my father. It was a perfectly imperfect father-and-son project.

You see, my father and I purposely chose to make the slight imperfections. Dad and I didn’t need to make it pristine. We were learning together, creating a beautiful piece and enjoying the process.

Later, different family members enjoyed this heirloom as it travelled from Vancouver to Telkwa, B.C. and, unexpectedly, to my delight, back to me.

When it came back, I considered giving it a gentle restoration to care for the wood frame. I wouldn’t touch the glasswork because nothing had changed, not even the original intentional sag in the lead work.

Precious statues

People have sent me their treasures from Vancouver Island, the Kootenays and the Okanagan. They ship them over for repair and restoration, and they get them back intact with careful packing.

A statue of the Goddess Diana came to me in many broken pieces. This heirloom had been in my client's family for a long time, passed down from grandmother to mother. Now, the mother wanted to pass it on to her daughter.

This beauty was not meant for the garbage.

I have restored many statues over the years.

saving a perfect-sized patio table

Clients bring in many things that have been in their family for a long time.

This patio table was a perfect fit for my client’s elderly father, who enjoyed sitting outside in the summer. I fabricated new legs so that the father could still enjoy it. It was still a beautiful piece with a lovely faux marble top. Not something to throw away.

MOVERS BREAK things, unfortunately

Many precious items break during moves.

The owners of this marble-topped table brought it to me in 16 pieces. I wasn't sure if I could put it back together but they were willing to have me try. It was valuable to them, and a real beauty.

People have sent me their treasures from Vancouver Island, the Kootenays and the Okanagan. They ship them over for repair and restoration, and they get them back intact with careful packing.

Do you have an object or heirloom that you treasure?

Do you need advice on repairing or restoring something?

Send me a picture, and let's discuss it. Then, I can give you a sense of what I can do.

other precious and repaired items

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Teaching Teachers to Teach Metalworking

Donald Dawson — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 19:35:18 +0000

Something exciting is happening in the West Kootenays. A married couple who are elementary school teachers are bringing metalworking to their school district. They hired me to teach them basic skills so they could, in turn, teach their students.

Skills Taught

Designing
Layout and marking
Cutting with shears
Cold chiselling
Filing
Bending
Hole-making
Soft-soldering
Finishing

Materials

22-gauge sheet metal
Flux
Solder

bringing metalworking to elementary schools

These teachers, who already had woodworking, drafting, and craft-making skills, were keen to bring metalworking to their school district. They asked for a 7-hour course, and after discussing their needs, I designed a 2-day intensive sheet metalworking course to teach them basic skills.

After 22 years of teaching UBC students and faculty in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, teaching is one of my favourite things.

a meaningful project is key

Together, we decided that fabricating animal silhouettes and sculptures would work well as projects for both their students and themselves.

It is always essential that the objects my students make are meaningful to them, no matter their skill level or age. These teachers chose to create tealight holders. I asked them to select, design and draw what they wanted to make. One chose the shape of a sunburst, and the other a bird.

basic safety and sheet metalworking skills

My course for these teachers included the following skills: safety, designing, layout and marking, cutting with a shear, cold chiselling, filing, bending, hole-making, soft-soldering, and finishing.

We decided that mild steel sheet metal should be 24-gauge steel to make hand-cutting easy.

Filing

Filing was a big part of this skill training and is an art in metalworking. When I did my machinist apprenticeship, I had to do six months of filing. The final test was filing .020" slots in a microwave research project. These slots had to be accurate within stringent design parameters.

By the end of the two days, these teachers were up to teaching basic metalworking to their students. Plasma-cutting was an extra skill I taught one of the teachers, even though it wasn't part of the curriculum for her students. Both teachers achieved a great deal due to the complexity of the projects they completed in 7 hours.

tools for their classrooms

In addition to teaching them, I curated resources so that when it came time to buy the tools for teaching, they would have a clear list of what to buy and where to buy them.

layout, marking & shearing

FILING

soft-soldering

plasma cutting

Are you curious about metalworking?

Most one-on-one classes are one day and no more than 3.5 hours. I work with people of all ages, and if you or your family are interested in learning metalworking, call me.

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Model Aluminum NASCAR Hauler

Donald Dawson — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 23:00:07 +0000

This model came from a semi-trailer kit. I converted the semi-trailer into a NASCAR hauler, adding a refrigeration unit and an interchangeable manual and electrical working ramp.

Materials

Aluminum sheet
Channels
Round tube
Brass chain
Miniature nuts and bolts
Electronic parts
Miniature reduction gear drive
Cyanoacrylate glue

Processes

Fabrication
Bending
Cutting
Drilling
Filing
Soldering electronic parts
Welding

A visit to the local lamborghini dealership

This project required in-person field research. There was a Lamborghini dealership nearby, and I'd been trying to see a NASCAR hauler up close but could never see them at the hours I passed by.

But one Saturday morning, on an early walk with my wife, we spotted a driver and hauler delivering a new car to the Lamborghini dealership.

The driver was friendly and keen about the project. He showed me around the hauler and let me take pictures. It turned out that he had to move an antique car from the top level to the bottom, so there was plenty of time to watch how the mechanisms worked, to study the structure and to ask questions.

This close-up study helped me accurately replicate the ramp.

Reefer unit and electronic ramp

To fabricate the reefer (refrigeration) unit, I drew it from a pattern and then cut it out from sheet aluminum. Then, I hammer-molded the round edges, welded the seams and screwed the reefer unit to the trailer. I also added pavement bumpers to the rear door, (which was also the ramp) and reflectors.

To create the electronic components and the drive for the ramp, I used an AA-size battery pack, a switch, a miniature gear reducer unit and extra gears.

By the end of the project, the ramp on this model could be raised and lowered by hand or by a battery-powered mechanical drive - just like the actual haulers.

After many weeks, the model's owner came to take it away. I had sent him pictures, and he'd come by weekly to see the progress. Completing this project was bittersweet, as it was not my model, and I enjoyed my client's weekly visit.

Thanks as always to @hobbiesmagicbox and Lee's Electronics.

Stages of the fabrication

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