Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

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JAR
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Re: Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

Post by JAR »

I found this picture online. Beautiful horn.
of the 2 or 3 pictures I've located, you tube, etc.
There seem to be 3 or 4 different wood trim pieces on the bottom.?
pathephone2.jpg
pathephone2.jpg (84.76 KiB) Viewed 2396 times

Jerry

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Re: Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

Post by Curt A »

"And make it smell like Satan's morning breath, too!
Nothing wrong with good old WD-40 for mechanical work--busting loose stuck bolts and cleaning grease. But on finishes? It's like a manly Lemon Pledge. Nasty stuff..."


Unless you have tried it, don't knock it... As far as the smell, it dissipates after a few minutes and unless you are a wimp, it's not that bad and NO it is not Lemon Pledge. I really don't get the negative reactions to this, as I have been using it for 40 years on finishes and shellac records with ZERO negatives. Instead of just shooting the idea down, try it on something that looks faded or chalky and see for yourself... It would be next to impossible to replicate the finish on that Pathé horn or to touch it up, but spraying it with WD-40 will brighten the faded color almost back to original without using any paint... The best thing is to try it before putting it down, since there are really no other choices other than leaving it exactly the way it is...

I used it on a Victor R horn that had decent black paint, but was less than pristine looking. Rather than repainting it, I used WD-40 and it was instantly improved. It apparently feeds the paint, which has lost oils over the past century and really needs some restoration...

I don't own stock in the company, but I believe in the product, which for some unknown reason seems to be the target of many negative comments mainly by people who haven't tried it...

It works great on my BMW to take tar off the finish and doesn't hurt painted finishes in any way... Also, if you don't like the effect after trying it, it is completely reversible by wiping it off with mineral spirits...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
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alang
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Re: Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

Post by alang »

I agree with Curt, even though I have only used it on black horns so far. On those you can use a black Sharpie to hide some of the paint loss and blend it in with WD-40. And like Curt said, it's completely reversible. Not sure if a pen in that color is available though...?

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Re: Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

Post by phonogfp »

I too agree with Curt; WD-40 has many, many uses. Unfortunately, as a lubricant it's sub-par, but I've used it on horns with excellent results. It's especially helpful with an otherwise good-looking flower horn that has a bit of rust where the panels fasten together. WD-40 will darken the rust - which is great for black horns - and prevent it from recurring.

Back in 1986, the village where we lived had a flood. We had 5 feet of water in our basement. I pulled a 1930s Lionel transformer ("Z") from underwater. It was a muddy mess. I removed the cover, hosed out the mud, then sprayed it down liberally with WD-40. That transformer has worked fine ever since! (Of course, "W"ater "D"isplacement is what the stuff was developed to do.)

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Re: Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

Post by TinfoilPhono »

It's also fantastic for removing surface rust from steel. A little WD-40 and some 0000 steel wool and miracles happen.

Like George, I don't recommend it as a lubricant for motors, but it sure does work on squeaky door hinges and stiff, gummed up locks. And yes, paint.

JAR
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Re: Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

Post by JAR »

So, after the WD40 discussion, did Pathé' make different color horns, and different trim work on the bottom of the cabinets,
for the Pathéphone No.2 models?

JAR

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Curt A
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Re: Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

Post by Curt A »

I knew there were other people on the forum who have used WD-40 with good results, not just me...

The other item that is a necessity for restorations is Birchwood Casey Super Blue gun bluing. Super Blue works better than their standard cold bluing. If you have rusty parts, clean them with a wire brush then age them back with gun bluing. Afterwards, coat them with a lubricant to stop the process and you're good... It also works for areas on horns where shiny metal is showing through the paint... darkening them makes them less obvious. I always take all screws that are rusty and polish them to get rid of the pitting, then age them back with gun bluing. It's an extremely useful item that no one should be without. It works on bare metal and has no effect on painted surfaces... WalMart, gun shops and hardwares carry this normally, but if you can't find it...

https://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Casey- ... C0Y5BFKA1Q

PS: The suggestion to wax over rusted areas, is not a good option. Paste wax turns white and unsightly when dry and can't be easily removed... Paste wax can only be polished off of smooth, clean, painted surfaces.
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
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Re: Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

Post by Phonofreak »

I have done the same thing many years ago. WD40 brings out the luster of metal horns, bed plates and other painted parts. As other members have posted, it is a great cleaner, not a lubricant. In a pinch, I have used it to free up motors. Then I would use the proper lubricant. Curt is spot on with his suggestion.
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Re: Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Not to derail the thread but this is really neat!

Confession time--my objections to WD-40 stem from 1) clock repair, and 2) typewriter repair. It tends to slicken up typewriters and make them pretty nasty but I think my main objection was actually a case of mistaken identity when I mistook the beneficial properties of WD, Starting Ether, PB B'Laster, and carburetor cleaner and managed to severely bungle a repair with one squirt of carb cleaner.

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Re: Advice for painting this Pathé' horn?

Post by gramophone-georg »

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:Not to derail the thread but this is really neat!

Confession time--my objections to WD-40 stem from 1) clock repair, and 2) typewriter repair. It tends to slicken up typewriters and make them pretty nasty but I think my main objection was actually a case of mistaken identity when I mistook the beneficial properties of WD, Starting Ether, PB B'Laster, and carburetor cleaner and managed to severely bungle a repair with one squirt of carb cleaner.
Ah, the truth comes out! :lol:

If you want to talk about "Satan's breath", though, I'm 150% certain you were thinking of PB Blaster. YUCK-ola. :monkey:
"He who dies with the most shellac wins"- some nutty record geek

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