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I bought this cygnet horn with the intentions of repainting it, but now I'm unsure of how to go about restoring it. Much of the paint on the left side of the bell is in decent shape, but the right side is pretty rusty. The decals are in good shape and the inside is acceptable condition.

I pksted these pictures to Instagram, and somebody gave the opinion that it would be better to try and fill the missing paint, and savr the decals. I'm not confident that I can blend paint in only certain areas. Any advice?

Thanks
Martin

Well, with this horn you could honestly go either way, but vintage decals are nice. I guess it would depend on the condition of the phonograph you will put it on. (What kind, by the way?) Honestly, a careful restoration of the original paint would be as nice as a complete restoration to new paint but perhaps you'd like the original Edison decals.

Okay...I've repainted horns partway before. I did a replica 14" that had sloughed off most of its black paint on the narrow end: scuffed it up with some steel wool, grabbed a can of the closest black spray paint, and shot it at about twelve inches distance with short strokes. It turned out great, but you're dealing with a much more complex shape here with the paneled sides of a cygnet horn. Thankfully you're just dealing with black paint; it's an easy color to blend.

Go to the hardware store or the auto parts store and try to find:

1 can Black Lacquer, gloss finish,
Your favored grades of sandpaper and polishing papers for sheetmetal work,
A bottle of Naval Jelly,
Natural-bristle brushes to put Naval Jelly on with,
And a can of denatured alcohol for surface preparation.

Now:

Take and clean the rust with something like soap and water, nothing that will get to acting on the paint. You want to only remove the dirt, not the rust at this stage. Let it air-dry before a fan, to keep it from rusting again.

Next, scuff it with #000 steel wool, at least in the rusty spots. Here is the time for the Naval Jelly. Use that according to the directions on the bottle to kill the rust, strip down to good metal.

You may find pitting underneath. A shot of primer might help. You'll have to sand with fine 600-grit or 800-grit paper to blend it. You will probably end up scratching the paint you're blending with. Part of the process. Now when the primer's ready, shoot it with your lacquer.

A good coat of lacquer is tough. That stuff is very sticky and will attract all kinds of dust. I have better luck using spray clearcoats over lacquer than I do with brushed clearcoats. Get that on, and you can actually blend it with the spray can, feathering the spray lightly into the original paint.

Last, once that's all dry, restore your horn with the usual techniques: 2500 grit paper where needed, polishing with your automotive polish of choice, a good coat of wax, new pinstriping, and a fine Edison Phonograph to put underneath the horn with good cylinders playing through it.

Good luck--we're waiting for a restoration thread!!

Its only original once

And, what you see when it is on a machine is the inside of the horn. It looks pretty good from what I could tell.

I have found that black shoe polish works great to make it look more presentable and is completely reversible.

kirtley2012 wrote:Its only original once

And rust and missing paint ain't original. Just sayin'.

I'd repaint with an oak wood grain finish. Jerry B.

I know many if not most of you have a differing opinion, but I think I will repaint it. After cleaning, only 4 of the 10 panels are in acceptable condition, and the elbow is pretty corroded as well. A lot of the golden lining on the inside is missing (and yes it does have the gold striping on the inside unlike some other cygnets)

My opinion is that a cygnet horn isnt necessarily rare, and an original decals dont really make up for damage. This cygnet horn will be staying with me, and I think I will get more enjoyment out of putting work into it and having something more presentable. Should I sacrifice my enjoyment for the sake of preservation? I would say no, but it's not an easy choice for me either.

I attached a better picture of the damage on the bell for those curious.

Thanks
Martin

Jerry B. wrote:I'd repaint with an oak wood grain finish. Jerry B.

If you can do that it makes a nice phonograph. Tom

Mormon S wrote:Should I sacrifice my enjoyment for the sake of preservation?

This is the never ending debate, and we will never be at a consensus, but I get more enjoyment out of being a preservationist for historical objects than I would with them looking nicer. If they are in too rough shape I often sell them and hope (fingers crossed) that they wont be "destroyed". At the end of the day, each to their own and enjoy the hobby.