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A Cast Iron Directional, Restored

Started by spitball, March 02, 2018, 07:46:21 AM

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spitball

As seen by some on Facebook, I decided to restore my 1920s(?) cast iron directional sign from New Providence Township (present-day Berkeley Heights) NJ.  I used a couple of applications of Soy Gel, a lot of scraping, and some sanding before finally painting.  Skipping all the interim photos, here's the original then FFWD to painting and done.  I'm delighted with the result.
1920s NJ Directional Sign by chesk, on Flickr

resto_08_lettering by chesk, on Flickr

resto_10_lettering by chesk, on Flickr

resto_11_pretouchup by chesk, on Flickr


jeffandnicole

That looks wonderful!  What did you use to sand and scrape?

spitball

Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 02, 2018, 08:29:15 AM
That looks wonderful!  What did you use to sand and scrape?

Thanks.  I started with a wire brush before the Soy Gel.  I used a small paint scraper and an awl for the scraping.  For sanding, I had access to a vibrating (as opposed to rotating) electric sander.  I did not sand every last bit of paint residue off, but I made it smooth while being careful not to over sand for fear of blunting the edges of the embossing.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: spitball on March 02, 2018, 08:37:01 AM
Quote from: jeffandnicole on March 02, 2018, 08:29:15 AM
That looks wonderful!  What did you use to sand and scrape?

Thanks.  I started with a wire brush before the Soy Gel.  I used a small paint scraper and an awl for the scraping.  For sanding, I had access to a vibrating (as opposed to rotating) electric sander.  I did not sand every last bit of paint residue off, but I made it smooth while being careful not to over sand for fear of blunting the edges of the embossing.

Definitely sounds like you had quite a project, but the results are fantastic!

adventurernumber1

I cannot describe in words how cool that is.  :-o  :clap:

Thank you very much for your hard work restoring that, and for sharing it with us.  :nod:  :thumbsup:

That looks like a beautiful sign, and I am glad it is still here with us in a rehabilitated form. You have really made it shine.  :clap:
Now alternating between different highway shields for my avatar - my previous highway shield avatar for the last few years was US 76.

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127322363@N08/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-vJ3qa8R-cc44Cv6ohio1g

spitball

Thank you both for the kind responses.  This sign was too far gone, IMO to leave as-is, though I do like to preserve the patina of (reasonably) weathered signs and signals.  This was mostly loose chips of lead paint and a very muddied look that was hard to read indoors.



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