GLBM's Workshop Restorations & Projects Thread

[gerleatherberman]

I have recently been wanting to share some of my home workshop projects and didn't think they deserved a new thread each time. So this will be home to the restorations and projects that take place in my home workshop. I hope this is cool with y'all.
Maybe every once in a while I will post some work projects as well. That will be heavily dependent on if I can remember to take pictures. 
These images will give a general idea and order of what is being done. If you have any questions or advice, please post a reply and I'll reply as soon as possible. I do antiques restoration for a living, but it all began as a hobby when I was about 12yo. I am 32 now and have collected and restored antiques & collectibles for 20 years.

This first item, a Western Electric model 202 telephone(without the bell box) with the early E1 handset and early "clicker" rotary dial. The dial plate is an enamel replacement(the first ones were plain).
I had restored one of these for my Dad in 2011 and had wanted to do one for myself. I recently set out to accomplish it. The phone I started with was a basket case. Getting the gold paint off of the handset was a nightmare, but doable. It took a while to find an early rotary mechanism with the loud return "clicking" noise. A very satisfying sound. The later dials had a faint click or buzz noise on dial return.
With no further rambling, here are the pics.

[gerleatherberman]

More

[gerleatherberman]

More
Edit: the leather was a smurfer, because it was four time thicker than the original. It was all I had to use that day and I make do with what I have sometimes.

[gerleatherberman]

 Final outcome

[RF52]

Good job, will be following

Sent fra min FRD-L09 via Tapatalk

[Don Pablo]

 

[twiliter]

Really nice GLBM, I enjoy these kinds of projects too.   

I used to use my SwissChamp a lot for small resto/repairs for the fun of it, and have added my Spirit or whatever MT I have at the time, as kind of a challenge to see if I can keep from digging in my toolbox too much. 

[Aloha]

I enjoy watching restoration projects.  I'll be following 

[Poncho65]

Very nice job on that old rotary Restoration thread are cool  Will try and keep up best I can

[gerleatherberman]

Good job, will be following

Sent fra min FRD-L09 via Tapatalk

Thank you and awesome, RF52!

You add all kinds of things to threads, Pabs.

Really nice GLBM, I enjoy these kinds of projects too.   

I used to use my SwissChamp a lot for small resto/repairs for the fun of it, and have added my Spirit or whatever MT I have at the time, as kind of a challenge to see if I can keep from digging in my toolbox too much. 

Thank you, twiliter!
That sounds like a good idea to test out my MTs, but since I have to use dedicated tools at work, I am almost self-trained to go for a proper tool. I may try locking my toolchests at some point and see if I can manage with a multitool. I doubt I can manage with just an MT and/or SAK, but I could sure try.

I enjoy watching restoration projects.  I'll be following 

Thank you much, Aloha!

Very nice job on that old rotary Restoration thread are cool  Will try and keep up best I can

Thank you very much, Poncho! I know you are spread thin with the insane amount of threads you partake in(and sub forums to mod), so we won't be offended if you miss looking in this thread from time to time.

[Douglas]

WOW G-Man.
Look'n Good,      I'm certain this will become another of my favorite hang-outs.  Keep the projects coming.

[Sparky415]

 

    

[Wspeed]

Nice one GLBM 

[gerleatherberman]

WOW G-Man.
Look'n Good,      I'm certain this will become another of my favorite hang-outs.  Keep the projects coming.

Awesome, Douglas!  Thank you.

 

    

Thank you and

Nice one GLBM 

Thank you, W! 

[gerleatherberman]

Here is an oldie from "back in the day" I did(this was around the time I did a WE202 phone for my Dad)
A Remington 5 portable typewriter. The paint was beyond repair. And, back then, it was practically worthless. So, wanting something unique, I painted it Mustang(99-04) red.
I apologize for the low resolution. The pics were taken with a flip phone at the time.

[gerleatherberman]

Another one from around the same time. A Motorola AM radio. I don't have the before photos, but I can list what I did.
It was painted beige by someone(not me) and that resulted in having to strip it. After polishing and cleaning, I painted the front speaker grill white to keep the retro contrast. I overhauled the simple electronics. Potentiometer cleaning with DeOxit F5. Filter and mica capacitor replacemets, as well as changing any weak vacuum tubes. Never did sound very good (the speaker was of poor quality). Gave it to my girlfriend at the time (who was an ex later on) and never saw it again.

[gerleatherberman]

This floor-standing Westinghouse fan was something my Grandmother was going to throw away. My Mother told me about it and I drove over to retrieve it. It had been stored behind a shed and wasn't covered. I spent hours wire brushing the rusty metal to a point it could be primed with rusty red primer. Lightly sanded it to make the metal pitting look consistent throughout the louvered circular frame. The motor needed the capacitor changed, but did run...surprisingly. I changed the three-stage turn switch and soldered in a new lead-wire. I painted the fiberglass blades, blade mount, and motor casing with dark textured primer/paint. It makes a nice contrast.
I was on the wall about the color and juggled painting it blue vs. red for a while. I ultimately decided on fire-engine red enamel. No regrets and the fan makes a perfect shop fan during the hot Alabama summers in my shop.
Edit: at some point, I would like to find some decals to relabel(and paint it a different color for the decals to show) the emblem, but am waiting to find a good deal on decals (or a good deal on a mobilaire badge itself).

[Poncho65]

Some very cool work indeed GLBM

Can't believe that typewriters have came so far

[gerleatherberman]

Thank you, Poncho!

I used to collect typewriters. That gets out of hand fast. 
I still have a few around the house and the red one is one of them.

[Syncop8r]

Cool thread. 
I didn't realise rotary phones could do letters - we didn't get that until push-buttons came on the scene.
Do red typewriters go faster? 

[Poncho65]

Cool thread. 
I didn't realise rotary phones could do letters - we didn't get that until push-buttons came on the scene.
Do red typewriters go faster?

Of course they do You know anything red is faster

[AlephZero]

Cool thread. 
I didn't realise rotary phones could do letters - we didn't get that until push-buttons came on the scene.
Do red typewriters go faster?

Of course they do You know anything red is faster

Or at least there's MOAR DAKKA! 

[gerleatherberman]

Cool thread. 
I didn't realise rotary phones could do letters - we didn't get that until push-buttons came on the scene.
Do red typewriters go faster? 

Thank you, Syncop8r!
Originally it was a simple way to relay a phone number.  I believe it was the late 20s or 30s that the alphabet was added to the dials. Sure made phone#s easy to remember. 222-2652 became 222-cola.
It wasn't until much later on(1980s or so) that phone networks could extrapolate a word by the timed 1,2,3 pushes of the dial button system.

My words-per-minute increase when using the red typewriter. Truth.

[Syncop8r]

I thought all numbers in the US started with 555- (according to TV)...     

I remember hating numbers that had 0s or other low numbers in them. 

[gerleatherberman]

My number is 555-5555. So, there must be some truth to that.

I don't even think I can remeber, but a few select phone numbers now. Lucky to remember my cell #(which is definitely 555-5555 ). When I was a kid, I knew at least 25 people's numbers.

[Aloha]

Those projects are really nice.  Restoration is something I really appreciate.  Doesn't have to be all original just so long as it goes back into service or appreciated. 

[gerleatherberman]

Thank you, Aloha!
My philosophy is similar. Everytime I finish a project, I feel as if I preserved some history. 

[Douglas]