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EEVblog => Other Blogs => Topic started by: bsfeechannel on June 01, 2018, 08:07:57 am

Title: The Painter I Ain't: Metal Toolbox Restoration - BSFEEChannel #17
Post by: bsfeechannel on June 01, 2018, 08:07:57 am
There have been requests from viewers of Mr. Carlson's Lab that he show how to repair corroded chassis and other cosmetic restorations that he does in his videos. I normally don't perform cosmetic interventions (except for cleaning) and painting is certainly not my forte. But this time I decided to try my hand at "restoring" an old metal tool box that was deteriorating in a damp corner of my "shop".

The result, as expected, was not exactly pretty. But least the box had its function restored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnaJhQ6EFtQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnaJhQ6EFtQ)
Title: Re: The Painter I Ain't: Metal Toolbox Restoration - BSFEEChannel #17
Post by: Electro Detective on June 01, 2018, 09:53:43 am

Looks great  :-+

I usually wash and wipe away most of the rust with soapy water and let it dry

Then spray some clear rust inhibitor product on it so it stops rusting and looks rustic come  'old school'   8)


i.e. yes, I'm either lazy ( :=\)  or too busy for proper resto work    ;D
Title: Re: The Painter I Ain't: Metal Toolbox Restoration - BSFEEChannel #17
Post by: bsfeechannel on June 01, 2018, 08:04:24 pm
Looks great  :-+

Thanks!

Quote
i.e. yes, I'm either lazy ( :=\)  or too busy for proper resto work    ;D

You're not at all lazy. This is called preservation. It consists of stopping further deterioration and it is a perfectly valid approach.  :-+

Restoration tries to bring an item to a condition when it was new. That can sometimes be expensive and time-consuming. Although the video is just 3:40 it took me days to strip the old paint off, then sand, grind, wire brush, apply rust converter, primer, polyester putty and several coats of paint.

This video is just an experiment. My takeaway is that repair and preservation are for practical purposes just good enough.  ;)

 
Title: Re: The Painter I Ain't: Metal Toolbox Restoration - BSFEEChannel #17
Post by: Electro Detective on June 01, 2018, 10:56:45 pm
Agreed, my 'not too lazy'   (revised attitude  ;D)   approach is preserve it as best I can so it continues to function as it should,

and so the next owner has the option with a fighting chance to restore it perfectly,
plus you might get a better cash return on it too in the future if selling  8) 
especially if it's not a crusty sharp ended creaky rust bucket  :scared:

Vintage bench vise resto Youtubes are a good looksee too btw, I picked up a few extra tips from those excellent tubers
I purchased a couple of heavyweight oldies recently (the old school type that won't break if you lean on them a bit  >:D ) 
and kept it simple, got rid of the rust and generations of spider and victim carcasses  :o  applied rust inhibitor and lubed all the parts
They work like they did 60 years ago, have that vintage 'looked after' vibe,
and if the next owner wants to go the distance and do a full resto, they won't have any drama doing so  :phew:


FWIW  I reckon Mr. Carlson would have to upload dozens of videos to cover some of his resto work techniques and materials/tools/chemicals/paint etc
for getting vintage electronics looking (and performing!) Day One like he does  :clap:

Title: Re: The Painter I Ain't: Metal Toolbox Restoration - BSFEEChannel #17
Post by: Radio Tech on June 02, 2018, 02:16:42 pm
I like it. I think it looks great. The defects and brush marks gives it character.