How should I repaint Columbia model q horn?

[Mormon S]

I haven't bought this yet, but I'm waiting for a reply from the seller. If the deal goes through, what would be the best way to repaint the horn? I know the horn is black with a golden strip. My idea is to paint a golden strip around first, then put a strip of tape around it and spray paint it black. Has anyone done this before?

[Jerry B.]

If it were mine I would paint the horn. I make a decision based on a question about appearance. Is the appearance of the case, horn, etc. a detraction to you?. If the answer is "yes" you need to proceed with some sort of restoration. This applies to both the horn and the mechanism.

Jerry Blais

[Curt A]

That Q needs some serious cleaning/de-rusting to bring it up to a good standard. Personally, I don't consider rust and corrosion to be desirable or look at them as a type of "patina". To me they represent years of neglect... I bought a Q in similar condition years ago and disassembled it piece by piece, cleaning off the rust and polishing the shafts, etc. It cleaned up great and now runs perfectly... I have never regretted the restoration. The horn should be de-rusted and cleaned to bare metal before re-painting it to get a good result...

To remove the rust on the Q, research "reverse electrolysis", which is a simple and easy method to remove the crud without removing the underlying metal. Or a brass wire brush mounted on a bench grinder will do a good job also, just make sure you hold the parts extremely well - maybe even using vise grips and gloves to avoid them flying out of your hands and hold them down at the bottom of the wheel, not the top.

Good luck, Qs are great little machines...

[Mormon S]

That Q needs some serious cleaning/de-rusting to bring it up to a good standard. Personally, I don't consider rust and corrosion to be desirable or look at them as a type of "patina". To me they represent years of neglect... I bought a Q in similar condition years ago and disassembled it piece by piece, cleaning off the rust and polishing the shafts, etc. It cleaned up great and now runs perfectly... I have never regretted the restoration. The horn should be de-rusted and cleaned to bare metal before re-painting it to get a good result...

To remove the rust on the Q, research "reverse electrolysis", which is a simple and easy method to remove the crud without removing the underlying metal. Or a brass wire brush mounted on a bench grinder will do a good job also, just make sure you hold the parts extremely well - maybe even using vise grips and gloves to avoid them flying out of your hands and hold them down at the bottom of the wheel, not the top.

Good luck, Qs are great little machines...

I have never done a restoration quite this serious, and I am excited! My favorite thing is a lovely before and after picture. I am getting it for very cheap too. It is at $100 right now, but I might be able to get it for 75, I will keep updated. I'm not that big of a fan of the exposed motor for performance, but they are visually stunning. Do you know of this one origionaly had a wooden base and/or lid?
Martin

[Canuk Phonographs]

I would spray paint first and then add the gold stripe

1. Remove the rust with a "rust remover" product.
2. Sand with #320 sandpaper
3. Sand again with #600 sandpaper.
4. Sprat paint a few coats of gloss black paint. I use Tremclad gloss black. A few coats are better then one coat.
(You can always cut the gloss if too glossy for your liking, but it is harder to make it more glossy.)
5. Put the horn on a turntable (33 ⅓ rpm) and paint your stripe while the horn is rotating
I use a permanent marker gold "Sharpe. The gold colour is almost exact to an old antique gold.

There will be NO edge on the gold as there would be if you painted gold first and then removed a strip of tape after the black spray paint.

Good luck

Blain

[Curt A]

For black paint on a horn, my favorite is black lacquer... It resembles the original paint, dries quickly and is less subject to runs. For best results use several light coats until completely covered.

[VanEpsFan1914]

Agreed on the black lacquer. Get the basic cheap black lacquer and remember that you can clearcoat with amber shellac from a spray can for the true period clear-coat.


Curt is right as usual but did you get the machine?!?

[Curt A]

The amber shellac clear coat over the repainted horn makes the gold striping look like a period paint job... it tones the gold to a more orange appearance.

[Mormon S]

Curt is right as usual but did you get the machine?!?

Thanks to everyone for the replies. It is on sale on an app called OfferUp, and the seller is not responding. My biggest pet peeve is when sellers dont respond, but I will keep patient and see of it will work out. I will keep updated, but it is always possible that it is for whatever reason gone. I am really hoping it works out because I have never worked on a machine like this, and would love to challenge myself.

Martin

[Mormon S]

Update: the seller has read all of my messages and hasn't replied to a single one the app is offer-up. At this point I will offer the origional asking price and see if he will accept it. With a seller like this, I question whether or not he will ship this without damaging it. What a pain, but I will keep trying to get it.