Show your conservation/restoration projects

[steve B]

Not all sports stuff, but I restore the occasional thing. I don't usually call what I do restoration, as most can be reversed with ordinary hand tools.

I collect bikes, usually ones ridden by pros or at a pretty high level. Some I have to make parts for, since they were team only and just aren't around to be bought.
1920's? Bike built for motorpacing - basically having a motorcycle run on the track ahead of you to draft behind.


Built for the US team pursuit team at the 1983 Pan-Am games. I had to make the front hub and handlebars. The wheels are 24 inch, like on a biggish kids bike, and not easy to find.



And a couple random things. That are "restored" A lawn chair that was probably 1950's, and a bench. Both scrounged from the curb. The bench was pretty much just the ends when I got it, all the wood was mostly rotted away. The chair was pretty rusty, completely derusted/repainted, and reassembled with stainless hardware. (Ok, not a textbook restoration, but better that what the trash truck would have done to it)

[sicollector1954]

Here are a couple of before and after pictures of my Ruth 1919-1922 professional model bat. Thanks.

[Exhibitman]

Before:



After:

[ooo-ribay]

Great work, Steve and Adam!

[perezfan]

Adam...

That's some truly impressive work. Usually these restored machines are too shiny and new looking, and stand out like a sore thumb. You managed to clean it up perfectly, while maintaining a great vintage look. LOVE the deep green color... great job!

[Exhibitman]

Thanks guys. Rust-O-Leum hammered metal finish. It was the closest to the matte finish of the original. I basically took it apart, polished the chrome, hammered out the damaged areas, then cleaned, sanded, painted and reassembled. And printed out a scan of my favorite header for the display. The planning and prep was about 1/3 of the total time I spent. It is incredibly important to organize a project like this and have a full game plan before touching it. I had baggies for every type of part and extensive photos of every part of the machine before I touched it.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Thanks guys. Rust-O-Leum hammered metal finish. It was the closest to the matte finish of the original. I basically took it apart, polished the chrome, hammered out the damaged areas, then cleaned, sanded, painted and reassembled. And printed out a scan of my favorite header for the display. The planning and prep was about 1/3 of the total time I spent.

I really like the hammered finish.

And even if it's not original, it's well in the range of what an arcade or amusement park maintenance worker would have done once it got a little shabby looking.

I haven't seen originals, but other stuff I've seen from the era has been done in stove enamel. It changes to a very Matte finish over time from oils drying out of it. The good news is that if it's in good shape, it comes back just by rubbing some oil on it with a paper towel. The result is more semi-gloss than anything, a look that's really hard to duplicate without resorting to the same sort of paint.