I have come across several model engines recently that need some repairs, but how far do you go with a restoration. My thinking is that I need to leave as much as possible as original but at the same time carry out the repairs, some of which, like removing messy solder will leave a lasting mark.
I have ready about blue oxidized boilers so i'd guess best to leave as is?
I have enjoyed watching Retro Steam guy on You tube and he seem to highly polish all his boilers and repaint everything. while I enjoy watching I'm not sure this is alway the way to go. At the moment I haven't started on any of my models.
Really, it depends entirely on what you have and what you want. Some go the nuclear restoration route and try to make an engine look brand new, while others are minimalist and simple restore good operation, leaving the original patina as intact as possible as it is a record of the engine's history. There are many who work in the zone that falls between those two opposite approaches.
If you have a truly rare engine, heavy restoration can definitely destroy much of its originality, and thus its value. However, done properly, a good restoration can enhance value and desirability. It can be a fine line that is not always very obvious where you pass from light into shadow.
If your engines are pretty much run of the mill, vin ordinaire, then simply do what you want to make them the way you want them to be.
Everybody has different tastes, but at the end of the day, they are your engines, so only you can know what you want of them!
Good morning from Brooklyn...
My main aim is getting the engines running as they should.
Then, getting them as clean as possible while trying to minimize the
removal of any original paint or patina. That is all.
I figure the next owner, if they desire, could strip it and refinish it
so it looks as good (or nearly as good) as new. But if the color is
at all off...... Not a big deal on an easily obtainable engine but on
a real rarity it is a big deal.
I like the look of age to some degree. It adds to the charisma of history.
Who bought it when new? Who has owned it? Where has it traveled? All
those questions disappear with a full restoration. For some steamers, a
full resto, especially on a rare engine, is a sin.
IMHO,
Wayne
I have done a number of restorations and I fully agree with the responses already made. I would however add that given condition of the piece as received sometimes a full bare metal job is almost unavoidable and often new parts have to be made. Preserving and restoring patina is rather more difficult than polishing and repainting to 'as new'
Dave
Thanks for the input. I think I'll get them running nicely and do some gentle work and leave it at that, no heavy polishing on the better models.
Thanks again
I agree with the guys that have posted already. I have only "restored" two engines where I stripped & repainted them but only because they where in such horrid shape when I got them (I figured I couldn't make it worse).
One came out pretty good but from what I learned on that one, the next
one paint came out better. So other than those two, my rule is try to do no harm and try to get the engines complete and operational. I am OCD on getting my engines complete with original parts or with near perfect reproduction parts.
Its a fine line and everyone's line is different. In the end, the item you are working on is yours and the decision is yours.
Roughest engine I ever bought.
And a video of it fixed up and running
https://youtu.be/EtRu5vczNdc [ Guests cannot view attachments ]
A keeper for sure!
Wayne
Good thread and good replies. I have not completely restored any of my engines. I try to clean preserve whatever I can and touch up the rest. "Do no harm" is the operative way forward for me.
Jim K-E
I pretty much agree with everything above, it depends...