To refurb or not to refurb, this is the question

[Key2871]

I looked around and couldn't find anything to indicate this was done or not. If it's been covered, I couldn't find it.
But here's my question; How many collectors here refurbished their sets either for sale purposes or just because they think the old classic phone's just look better cleaned up and as they did in the day, and how do you feel about cleaning up the old phones, or even other objects or collecting?

[RB]

I always clean first!
don't want somebody else's dirt.
Things imho always look better clean/shiny, but don't always have that option...
Do the best you can, with what you have to work with, and it will look ok.
Oh, and all my stuff is usable, no museum pieces in my collection. if that matters...

[andy1702]

It's that age old conundrum about conservation v restoration. As most museums know, that's a very difficult one to answer. Conservation sounds good in theory, but it doesn't always work in practice. Some items degrade with time and exposure to the atmosphere. So even if you lock it safely away in a museum cabinet, eventually you will find there is not much left of whatever precious item it was. I have a collection of old single cylinder barn engines and some people say they should be got running but then left as found. The problem with that is I keep them in a garage that can be damp at times, so unless I paint them rust sets in quite quickly. This means my engines have to be restored (and every few years re-restored) just to protect them.

With telephones I often end up with seriously broken examples, so restoration is tyhe only route I can take. I don't use modern reproduction parts though. I'll spend days restoring a broken plastic case ratrher than buy a new repro one because I try to keep as much originality as possible. You won't find any modern electronic microphones in my phones. Just ancient carbon transmitters. They've been taken apart and the carbon granules cleaned and dried out though.

My aim is to bring everything back up to showroom condition.

[tubaman]

My phones generally get as little as possible done to make them look presentable.
I don't dismantle things things more than I need to and will always keep original parts where at all possible.
I really don't mind old things looking old as long as they are not too distressed looking.
Like RB there are no museum pieces in my collection, just lots of phones that I enjoy owning.

[FABphones]

Re cleaning, always. Anti-bac is essential. Some really grotty stuff has been attached to some of my finds. Kids have asked 'why is there toffee attached to that phone?' Reply: 'that's not toffee'. 

Refurb - yes if necessary. With as original as poss replacements. I like to find pieces that need attention as I like to see what can be done to bring them back to (as near as poss) their former glory. That is the part of this hobby that I enjoy the most.

No museum pieces in my collection either. But I do have several phones that wouldn't be around today if I hadn't rescued and worked on them.

This is probably the rescue I am most proud of. A beautiful phone.

[Doug Rose]

Nice idea Ken! I always try to get my phones to look the way they did when they came out of the factory. I have seen collections with an inch of dust on them. Makes my wonder why you would collect  something and not makes them the best they can be.

I recently was told by a person he did not have the time to clean the phones up. Say what!    To me, it's a labor of love. I do enjoy bring them back to life.

I do try to keep everything as it should be. I would never put an AE Dial on WE set. There is also the difference of what I do to my phones that I keep and phones I sell. Unless you are putting it on a shelf, if you are buying it; you want it to work.

It's a hobby, it's supposed to be fun!....Doug

[Key2871]

Thanks Doug, it's like we talked about. Everyone is going to have their own way of doing things.
As for me cleaning if first, then I look at the condition of the piece, will it clean up meaning refurbished nice? Or will it be a lot of work to get mediocre results.
And I'm on the side of the phone looking like it did when it came out of the box.
Back when I had a collection, everything looked nice and clean and shiny. I just think it looks better that way versus just having old stuff on a shelf.
I came across a imperial 202 set at a yard sale, with an AE dial on it, I took it home put a nice #5 in it and sold the AE dial for twice what I paid for the whole phone! So if it's been altered, I change it back to what it was intended, then I take the odd part and pass it along to someone who can use it.
I will take a phone or what ever, right down to the ground and clean everything, then put it all back together again and enjoy it looking like a new phone.once I bought an old coke machine, dirty but it came out of the local bowling alley so I knew what it looked like. Paid $20 for it, cleaned it up and polished and waxed it up. Put it in my man cave, before man caves were in, got lots of compliments on it, people were amazed it looked so beautiful.

My grandfather would collect everything, he grew up in the depression, so he saved everything. And just put it up as it was. So if I was going to do that I would classify myself as a hoarder not a collector.

Ken

[HarrySmith]

We have had this discussion numerous times before and probably will again in the future.
It's your stuff, do what makes you happy! There is no right or wrong, just personal preference.

[Key2871]

Agreed Harry, but this was more a point to not bash another on their thread to put their own opinion on, such as happened to Doug this morning.

Everyone has their own way of doing things, so don't change anothers thread to make your opinion known, just take it for what it is if it's your own, enjoy it. If not leave it as it is.

[robert_m]

Its my opinion, if your not altering it, just cleaning thats great, but some collectors want it untouched condition.  Painting, altering cords, etc is a no no to a collector that what 100% original set.  But as stated just cleaning it up to make look nice generally will bring more money if selling, I have altered many sets over years, but try to keep as original as possible, and where i know i altered something i clearly state it.

Robert ATCA 4798

[KaiserFrazer67]

Nice idea Ken! I always try to get my phones to look the way they did when they came out of the factory. I have seen collections with an inch of dust on them. Makes my wonder why you would collect  something and not makes them the best they can be.

I recently was told by a person he did not have the time to clean the phones up. Say what!    To me, it's a labor of love. I do enjoy bring them back to life.

I do try to keep everything as it should be. I would never put an AE Dial on WE set. There is also the difference of what I do to my phones that I keep and phones I sell. Unless you are putting it on a shelf, if you are buying it; you want it to work.

It's a hobby, it's supposed to be fun!....Doug

I share Doug's opinion on this; and if I had to hazard a guess, I'd think the majority of us would.  What's the point of collecting phones that you intend to use and show off if you don't want to get them cleaned up, polished, and restored to the original finish?  No one wants to look at a piece of dusty, dirty, worn-out, scratched-up junk--let alone try to actually use (as in put your mouth up to) such an unkempt piece.  If it's possible to bring it back to the original appearance, it's best to do so.  If it's a nicely-preserved original piece with the original finish/paint still intact and in good condition, that's when it's appropriate to leave it alone.

That's one of the reasons I went out of my way to try to find a code-correct Garnet Red AE80, and succeeded.  The other one I found that was not code correct, had some better plastic parts from the exact same time frame which were identical to the phone I wanted to keep, so I did not consider it immoral to switch the bad plastic parts for the good ones.  (This is the difference between a "correct stock" phone--like a "correct stock" classic car--and a 100% original piece.  As long as the parts are correct for that item, sometimes you have to make the necessary replacements to properly preserve the item, which is what I did.)

When it comes time to sell the red AE80 which is not code correct, I will point it out as such in the listing, so I am not trying to hide anything.  I'm sure Doug and most of us on the forum would also do the same.

Like Doug says:  "It's a hobby; it's supposed to be fun."  It's best that some of us "agree to disagree agreeably."