Antique Restoration Tips

Most of us have many things stored in our attic that may have meant something special to us at some point in our lives. It is quite plausible that while doing some household cleaning you may come across an antique toy. These toys may be varied in condition from dusty, damaged, or even missing parts. Finding them after all these years will bring back the joy of childhood to you, and you will have found something that will be a token of your childhood.

Now, antique restoration is no easy task. If you decide to take it upon yourself to restore your antique toy to its original pristine state, you will have to bear in mind certain things. The tips mentioned below will be helpful to you in case you have a toy car to restore.

·         Value: There is a huge market for restored toy cars these days. If your car is in good condition and is restored properly there will be many suitors who will be willing to pay top dollar for your toy. Many auction houses that function online have increased the market for such restored toys. You might even land a gold mine!!
·         Advantage of metal toys: If the market trend has given any credence, toys cars made of metal have a bigger market and wider number of suitors compared to plastic or other material type toys. This is because the metal based toys are easier to restore as they will have minimum damage thorough the passage of time. 
·         Online Search: The emergence of the Internet has been huge to the toy restoration business. It has helped the buyers and sellers to find a common platform where they can discuss everything related to restoration. In addition, spare parts have now become available thanks to online spare parts stores.
·         Reason for restoration: Now different people have different ideas in mind while they do their toy restoration. Some do it to pass time, while for others it is a hobby. However, there are also people who are interested in restoration so they can pass on memories to the next generation, especially their grandkids. This not only helps to bring the two generations together,  but at the same time both will have a common item over which they can bond.

Hoosierboy Restorations has the tools, skills, and the resources to restore antiques and antique toys back to their original condition or better. Call 317-640-3325 today!

Where did Industrial Arts go in our public education system?

I worked in education for 15 years before starting my own antique and toy restoration business. I saw first hand the dismantling of the industrial arts program in schools. Most millennials I try to hire in my shop do not have the basic understanding of how to use simple tools. We need to bring back industrial arts to our schools.

Viktor Schreckengost - industrial designer

Viktor Schreckengost (“Schreckengost” translates roughly to “frightening guest” in German) began his career as an industrial designer. Born in 1906 in Sebring, Ohio, Schreckengost went on to attend what was then known as the Cleveland School of Arts, which became the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1948. Schreckengost's talents were many: At 26, he was an established artist/designer and working as a ceramics instructor at the Cleveland School of Arts. In 1933, he became director of the school’s (and the nation’s first) industrial design department. By 1934, Schreckengost's work was part of the permanent collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art. In the mid-1930s, he launched a pottery design studio in Sebring, where he produced sculptural works for galleries and art shows, and did freelance designs for local companies. During World War II, he worked at the Naval Air Corps Training Station in Rhode Island, developing, among other things, artificial limbs and voice-recognition and map-making equipment. Over the decades, his creations have graced several Cleveland May Shows, as well as countless area landmarks, theater sets, family dinner tables, and even backyards.

Schreckengost also designed bicycles and toys for the Murray Ohio Company. He created several "motorcycle" looks, including a tricycle. The first of his bicycles was the 1939 Murray Mercury, which was exhibited at that year’s New York World's Fair. Based on Schreckengost's education as a sculptor, it was natural for him to apply that training in his bicycle designs. His bicycles had functional purpose and they captured the fantasies of children. Schreckengost went on to develop a line of toy pedal cars for children—taking the shape of planes, fire trucks, or race cars.

Outside of the bicycle industry, Schreckengost designed wheeled steel machines for various companies such as Murray Ohio, White Motor, and Sears, Roebuck & Company. He developed the first cab-over-engine truck as well as double-decker buses, riding lawn mowers, streetlights, and printing presses. Not surprisingly, given his talents in sculpting and ceramics, Schreckengost also designed a line of dinnerware. Limoges China, in his hometown of Sebring, Ohio, employed him to design fine pieces for everyday use.

In his later years, Schreckengost added painting and print making to his resume—creating large and colorful works (often with a musical theme) and sophisticated designs for cards that were produced by American Greetings. A magnificent talent, Schreckengost passed away in 2007 at the age of 101.

Project of the Month - 1929 Turner Lincoln Pressed Steel Sedan

MN-151 LINCOLN FIVE PASSENGER SEDAN, NO. 566. This toy auto is a 1:7 scale, pressed steel replica of a 1925 - 1925 Lincoln L Model five passenger sedan. Various color schemes can be found. One car is primarily a turquoise blue with a black roof and black body trim lines. Another car is primarily green with a black roof and black trim. A third car is primarily red with a "fawn" roof and tan side trim. These cars all have black rubber tires on red steel rims. The radiator shells are finished with antique gold paint as are the inside reflecting surfaces of the headlights. A fourth Lincoln is all red but for the antique gold trim on the radiator and lights. The fourth car was issued with all steel wheels first painted red the finished with silver-grey paint over the "tire" portion, a common Turner practice.
The Lincolns issued with black rub
ber tires have "Turner Toys...Dayton O. USA" in relief on the rubber sidewalls. These rubber tires have a 4-1/2" outside diameter. The tire was made with tread that looks similar to a string of chain links. This Lincoln may have been offered as late as 1931. Rare to find, it is very desirable. 26-1/2" long. 8-1/2" wide. 10-1/2" tall. 12 pounds.

Excellent Customer Service

Whenever I receive excellent customer service, I like to share it with other businesses. I have been with T-Mobile since 2003. Their phone service quality was good, but I never liked calling the help desk, or going to the T-Mobile store for help. I would always have to wait a long time, or get bounced around to many different customer service people. Last year I was contact by Steven Tyler Payne, and informed that he would be my business account executive. He told me that I should contact him with any type of service or technical questions I might have. Since then, Steven has found ways to save my company hundreds of dollars on our cell phones. He even reached out to my wife, and found a way to save her $100 a month on her T-Mobile plan, without sacrificing service.

I simply call, or email Steven my questions, and he jumps on it immediately, getting back to me in a couple of hours with the answers.

If you have T-Mobile, or are interested in maybe changing carriers, call Steven today!

Steven Payne

Direct Business Account Specialist

T-Mobile

30686-44938-TMO_Magenta

Chattanooga, TN 37421

(423) 598-4324 steven.payne22@t-mobile.com

M. A. Cherry, inventor of the tricycle

   
M. A. Cherry was a African American Inventor who created several devices for the transportation industry, including the velocipede, the tricycle and the street car fender.

The velocipede consisted of a metal seat frame upon which were attached two or three wheels which allowed someone sitting on the seat to propel themselves forward at considerable speeds by moving their feet along the ground in a fast walking or running motion. Cherry’s model of the velocipede greatly improved upon other similar devices, and over time evolved into the tricycle and the bicycle.

In May 1888 Cherry received a patent for creating the tricycle, a three wheeled vehicle that is used today mostly by pre-schoolers although it is used for many other purposes in different countries. In Asia and Africa tricycles are used for commercial transportation and deliveries, while in the USA and Canada they are also used extensively for shopping and exercise.
After receiving the patent for the tricycle, Cherry set out to solve a problem with streetcars.

At the time, whenever the front of a streetcar accidentally collided with another object, the streetcar was severely damaged, often having to be totally replaced, so he invented the street car fender – a piece of metal that was attached to the front of the street car and acted as a shock absorber which diminished the impact of an accident and added safety for passengers and employees.

Cherry received a patent for the street car fender on January 1, 1895 and the device has been modified through the years and is now used on almost every transportation device.

Hoosierboy Restorations donates its services to restore the clock on Beech Grove City Hall

Hoosierboy Restorations donates its services to restore the clock on 

Beech Grove City Hall

The clock on Beech Grove City Hall was pretty simple-looking. Built by Neon Clock Company in 1949, the clock had some minor restoration done to it, but otherwise the years had taken its toll.

“It was in pretty sad shape,” said Tim Showalter, Beech Grove resident and owner of Hoosierboy Restoration. “It worked but it was really dirty and corroded. The outside had been painted at least six times. Whenever they painted the building I think they just slapped a coat of paint on it. There was even paint on the lens of the clock, covering up some of the numbers.”

When Allen Whitaker, of Whiteland, stopped in Showalter’s shop a month ago, the topic of neon clocks came up. Whitaker mentioned how he’d love to see the Beech Grove clock get restored.

“So I contacted the mayor and offered to restore the clock free of charge if he would be interested,” Showalter said. “The next day the clock showed up in my office.”

Neon Clock Company went out of business in the 50s, so there aren’t a lot of parts available. Whitaker, who has more than 200 neon clocks in his Whiteland business, helped obtain those parts. They stripped the coats of paint, keeping the metal finish visible on the exterior. They also constructed a marquee, stating “Beech Grove” to sit on top of the clock as was custom in the early 50s.

Neon Express, near Keystone Ave., donated the neon. The neon is the clock’s original colors: pink and green.

“I’m excited to get the response from people, see what they have to say about it,” Showalter said. “It’s not a real iconic looking clock. Hopefully it will be a little more visible with restoration. It had a lot of potential. It should really brighten up that front entrance.”

The restored clock was hung by the Beech Grove Department of Public Works on May 11.

Nylint Pressed Steel Trucks History and UHaul Restore

Pressed steel toys by the Ny­lint (later Nylint) Tool and Manufacturing Company of Rockford, Illinois are considered by many as among the best American toys ever manufactured. Their line included literally hundreds of models of construction equipment, trucks, and cars. Especially during the 1950’s and 60’s, Nylint toys were often faithful replicas of real pieces of machinery and automobiles made by leading US manufacturers. In fact, many people are of the opinion that Nylint’s toy Ford Econolines and their F­Series Ford trucks were actually better styled than their real-­life counterparts!

Nylint Uhaul truck we brought back from the dead for a customer. He had it since he was a boy, and painted it several times over the years. Everything is original, even windshield.

Thanks to tnttoytrucks.com for the Black and White phots.

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Beech Grove City Hall Clock restore

We are completely restoring this Cleveland Clock for the City of Beech Grove, Indiana. The clock has hung on the front of City Hall since 1927. It will have a fresh look, including replacing the neon light that once existed in the clock. The Electric Neon Clock Co. was never known as "Cleveland Clocks" while the company was in business.  That is a current fabrication, probably due to the long, and rather generic, company name. This is similar to why some people in the industry refer to Neon Products clocks as "Lima" clocks.
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