Mike, with the help of Timm and Ben (Timm's son) completed refinishing efforts on the light assemblies. About 1/2 of the light assemblies have now been stripped of their hideous old paint, sanded, and clear coated. The 70 year old cast aluminum frames have a two piece hinged design that needed major restoration efforts to get them looking decent in preparation for their eventual rewiring and installation in the future. Progress comes in small steps, and each step moves the restoration effort forward.
Some looks at the inner frames as they are being sanded.
Mike working on cleaning up and polishing the frames.
Ben is adding the brushed metal look to the frames, by meticulously polishing them in only one direction.
Close up of the polishing that created the "brushed steel" look being done
Lined up and ready for clear coating, using the shipping crate from the acrylic railings. The brushed look shows well in the picture, but being a cast aluminum there are a number of imperfections seen in these 70 year old housings. The end result will be a look reminiscent of their original stylish look, and hopefully matching to the other "Silver View" restoration efforts.
View of the harp speaker grill cover for comparison
Ben spraying the clear cost finish