Why Repaint ???

[Floyd Sense]

Come on guys, most of this is a load of crap !!  Frankly, I'm always amazed
at how folks who supposedly treasure this old equipment so much can mistreat
it so badly that anyone even needs to think about repainting it.  Just
because some antique bookcase on the
"Antiques Road Show" had it's worth pegged at $15K instead of $100K because
someone had stripped the original finish, doesn't mean that your boatanchor
is worth a damn because of it's "historic stratches".   Judging from what I
see offered at hamfests these days, apparently the value of these treasures
is also enhanced by preserving the layers of dirt covering them?

This stuff didn't arrive at this condition as a result of some long gone ham
sitting there far past his bedtime chasing that elusive DX back in the 50's.
It got that way because people who don't give a damn have hauled it around
in their trunks, rubbing up against other gear for years while they try to
pass it off on the unsuspecting as something of great value.  Should I
apologize for the nice HT-37 that's now sitting on my operating desk with a
fresh coat of paint?  Perhaps I should have left it as it was when the
fellow in Timonium passed it on to me this spring.  Covered with all those
fine layers of character building barn dirt and all that genuine
Hallicrafters rust.  I can still hear his words: "Doesn't look bad for a 40
year old radio.  Just bring it up s-l-o-w-l-y and it will work just fine."
I guess he didn't know any more about taking care of the innards than he did
the outside.  It seems the finals were shot because the bias supply no
longer worked.

The point of this tirade?  The number of working units of this old gear is
rapidly diminishing.  For the most part, it was well engineered, well built,
and if taken care of properly, works just fine today and will continue to do
so for a long time to come.  Cherishing scratches, rust, etc. does nothing
to encourage the preservation of this stuff into the future.  Dirt,
scratches, dents, etc. might look great on an 18th century chair, but should
not be a valued attribute of a piece of boatanchor gear.

Eventually, I'll probably be ready for another transmitter to replace this
HT-37.  And when I sell this one, I fully expect to hear: "Wow! look at that
paint - just like new."   I don't believe I've ever heard anyone in the
flesh say: "Wow! Just look at all those scratches and dents.  I've just got
to have that one!"




----- Original Message -----
From: Keith Heitzmann <kk5fe at GS.VERIO.NET>
To: <BOATANCHORS at LISTSERV.TEMPE.GOV>
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 1999 5:47 PM
Subject: Re: Why Repaint ???


> At 03:29 PM 6/16/99 -0500, Emile Imberman wrote:
>
> <SNIP>
> >       I have a Ranger that has some scratches. I didn't put them there,
> but I
> >don't worry about it because it is 'ORIGINAL'. No one has resprayed it,
> etc.  It
> >works well and to me it has a lot of character.
> <SNIP>
>
> I have to say that statement sums it all up!  I have repainted cabinets
> before, but only because they were in need of rust removal.
>
> The rest have character.  I almost repainted my NC-173 because it has a
lot
> of scratches. Then the more I looked at it, the more I could almost see
the
> people before me staring at the dials trying to tune in that distant
> station.  I know it sounds weird,  but I can look at them and tell that
> they have been used for what they were meant for.  Each one has a little
> history behind it.  Some of which I will never know.
>
> 73,
>
> Keith,   KK5FE
>
>
>
>                  --- AMI# 837 ---
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