Winter 'Rust'eration Project Complete!

[ANTIQUARIAN]

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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[Kray Gelder]

Very nice! Looks really good.

 

[Mudflap]

Nice job!!

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Very nice! Looks really good.

Thanks very much Papa!
Dave

Nice job!!

Thank you Sir!

 

[Kurios1]

WOW! This is the perfect project for us northern folks who get frozen out of hunting for several months. Your plan and labor certainly brought that super cool old toy truck back to a fine display item. Thanks for taking the time to share your ideas with the rest of us T-netters. Many who are just starting to go stir crazy without being able to swing a coil! LOL! I have several hundred pounds of iron items that could use some restoration. I have been procrastinating on setting up an electrolysis tank. Now is the time to get off my duff. Thanks for the post mate!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Beautiful restoration, thank you for sharing!

 

[searching 4]

very nice job , I'm sure glad you saved it instead of trashing it. they don't even come close to making toys like that anymore

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

WOW! This is the perfect project for us northern folks who get frozen out of hunting for several months. Your plan and labor certainly brought that super cool old toy truck back to a fine display item. Thanks for taking the time to share your ideas with the rest of us T-netters. Many who are just starting to go stir crazy without being able to swing a coil! LOL! I have several hundred pounds of iron items that could use some restoration. I have been procrastinating on setting up an electrolysis tank. Now is the time to get off my duff. Thanks for the post mate!

Thank you for your post and for your words of support Kevin.
Restoring this piece was definitely a labor of love that took me a number of weeks.

I've never attempted electrolysis, but the results I've seen have been amazing especially on larger relics.
I too have been procrastinating on tumbling 6 old axe heads and at least 10 complete horseshoes.

Best of luck to you,
Dave

Beautiful restoration, thank you for sharing!

Thank you Professor!

very nice job , I'm sure glad you saved it instead of trashing it. they don't even come close to making toys like that anymore

As I mentioned in my post, I was completely amazes at how well the metal had stood up after being buried in the ground all those years.
They definitely used cleaner metals with less additives, this is why the blacksmith-made iron we find stands up so well after hundreds of years!
Dave