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I went to the Brimfield (Mass., USA) antiques fair today and picked up (among other things) a decent Edison Model D Home in running condition, but needing some adjustment and cosmetic work. It came with a black, 11 panel Edison Home morning glory horn and a complete crane.

My question is about the paint finish on the horn. The paint is a very matte black, with matte gold striping around the outer rim and outer ribs. Should the paint be matte like this? I haven't seen an 11 panel Home horn in person before, so I'm wondering about the possibility that it was repainted. FYI, both the Home and patent date decals are present and do not look like they have been painted around.

Thanks in advance,
Kevin

Since we just saw in this thread http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =2&t=16968what wonders a good cleaning can do, have you tried if the matte finish is maybe just dirt from decades of storage? If the matte stays I would say it was repainted at some point.

Andreas

I had a 14" witch hat horn that was all dull gey and with a little elbow grease it was all black and shiny again.
it's truly amazing what a good cleaning can do.

It's hard to see, the outer shape of the decal to say whether to was masked well and over-sprayed. The part of the decal that has been scraped away seems to show a darker and maybe glossier finish?
What about the interior of the horn, dulled too? How about deeper into its funnel, dull or gloss?
I'm assuming that it has been over-sprayed and that the masking material used to cover the decal damaged it when removed. If it is clean and done well, you may just leave it be. If you want, no harm at this point to see if a new decal will cover the old one.

James.

Roaring20s wrote:It's hard to see, the outer shape of the decal to say whether to was masked well and over-sprayed. The part of the decal that has been scraped away seems to show a darker and maybe glossier finish?
What about the interior of the horn, dulled too? How about deeper into its funnel, dull or gloss?
I'm assuming that it has been over-sprayed and that the masking material used to cover the decal damaged it when removed. If it is clean and done well, you may just leave it be. If you want, no harm at this point to see if a new decal will cover the old one.

James.

I did try spot cleaning with Goop and Fantastik but neither seemed to have any real effect. The horn could use a good cleaning, but I don't think that's going to affect the matte finish.

The matte finish is inside and outside the entire horn. I don't think I'd really touch it or redo the decals. It's also a bit too large for me so I'll probably wind up trading or selling it.

I am betting it is just dirty and oxidized paint that will come right back to life. Find a small inconspicuous spot and try a little auto cleaner wax. I have had great results from Meguiar's Cleaner Wax--cleans and shines without damage to decals, etc.

And congrats on finding a sound #11. Much harder to come by than #10s.

Clay

Whatever the case may be, I would leave that horn as-is. It looks good and has the patina of age, as it should.

As others have said it is probably just dirt and age that has dulled the finish. I will give away one of my secrets, Meguiars Scratch X 2.0 car polish. It will bring back the finish on the horn and the black finish on the machine also. I use it on most of my machines and horns and it does an amazing job. Just takes a little time and elbow grease. Here are a few examples.

Rich Gordon