I wanted to share with everyone the results of a project that I started early this fall. I found this 1930's Wyandotte Toy Truck body at a one-room school site this past spring and was originally going to throw it in the trash thinking that it was too far gone to be restored. I decided... "what do I have to lose by at least trying to save it"?
I started by buying myself a larger Lortone Tumbler last summer, I then proceeded to carefully take the metal body apart for tumbling. I tumbled each section for 48hrs in a combination of 3/4" aquarium gravel, beach sand and liquid dish soap. After the loose rust had been tumbled off I was able to do some major straightening of the body and make it more presentable for display. After showing the results of tumbling to friends, I asked for their opinions and decided not to repaint the body as I'd originally planned to do. Instead I choose to seal the metal with a clear acrylic paint. I was very surprised at how well the remaining metal had stood up under all the rust after being tumbled. In all honestly it became a labor of love after a few weeks. This toy was made in an era where quality workmanship meant something, which today is hard to find!
Next, I had to decide whether I was going to put wheels back on the truck or make a stand to display it on? I found a picture online of how the truck looked when it was new (see last pictures ) and noticed that it originally had wooden wheels which looked very similar to wheels that I knew I could get from Lee Valley Tools in Toronto. So, I bought the wheels and proceeded to 'patina' them to look old with a dark wood stain and conservators wax which I already had in my workshop. I was able to reuse the original axles and attached the truck box with a length of copper wire to the frame.
This was an interesting piece to restore and I've never attempted a restoration of this extent before... if anything this was a great learning experience!
Thanks for looking,
Dave
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