A "newbie" question

[FloridaClay]

As a relative newbie I have a basic sort of question. Am I correct that the general consensus is that (apart from a bit of cleaning and wax) it is best to leave an original finish alone unless it is a complete basket case? (As opposed to refinishing.)

Clay

[OrthoSean]

I'd agree with that, yes. Refinishing is only a very last resort in my book.

Sean

[Brad]

I'll second that

[USlakeside]

Refinishing is hard to do well, easy to make mistakes doing, and usually looks like it was refinished. If you refinish, you should really, really know what you are doing. You can't go back...

[Jerry B.]

I think it's interesting that some collector groups, like music box collectors, generally prefer restored machines while other groups, like phonograph collectors usually prefer unrestored machines. I refinish as a last resort and that applies to my bicycle collecting as well. Jerry Blais