Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Peter_L]

We have just done a deal on buying a 100 year old Oak Dining Table.

It has been used for the purpose intended and looked after. It also comes with a 100 years of wear, a few dings and scratches.

Some of our friends have asked if we are going to have it refinished. 100% No !.

I know many vehicle owners like to keep their vehicles in pristine condition, sometimes renovating what was maybe a serviceable but battered unit, to a point when a minor scratch may cause much stress.

Opinions please as to why the difference. I am sure many of us have seen Antique shows where owners have been castigated for refinishing old furniture and yet there are motor auctions where rust buckets have been restored to pristine plus condition.

I can't accurately answer my own question, I have not thought about it long enough.

[mikeC]

Perhaps the fact that a car is used outside in all weathers has something to do with it?
I used to run an 80 year old car - only as an occasional hobby car - which had less than 20,000 miles on the clock, but the effort and anxiety in trying to preserve the original state just got too much for me.
Perhaps if your table was kept in a damp and woodworm-infested environment things might be rather different

[peter scott]

Concours events have a lot to answer for but I think there is a slow but steady increase in the appreciation of patina in old vehicles. Long may it continue and increase in extent.

Peter
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https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Penman]

Hi

[colwyn500]

Part of the answer to that question is that when inevitable restoration or serious repairs become necessary, most people find it gets to the point of, "in for a penny, in for a pound" and don't know where to draw a line.

In trying to retain old buildings, which are possibly even more vulnerable than cars, the term "conservation" is used more than restoration and I would welcome that gaining currency with classic cars.

The biggest compliment I have had on my renovation, now on several occasions, is when I am asked "Is it original?" and "You've looked after that well!" That is because I have retained all chromework and badging and all the interior despite having stripped the car to ground zero and rebuilding it.

It clearly still looks like an original car in most respects although it drives almost like straight out of the factory.

[Dipster]

Years ago, as a teenager, I used to earn a little extra dosh dabbling in second hand cars.

I learned early on that a clean car with honest visible wear and tear (nowadays charmingly referred to as patina) would sell more easily and for more profit than a similar vehicle that had obviously been "tidied up".

I guess it is a question of what you see is what you get. I imagine the same thinking applies to furniture too, not that I have anything similar to the table in question. So I would say leave well alone and enjoy it.

[winchman]

I love it when at a show some one turns up in a classic they still use and don't just polish.
For some people its all about the cleanest car but to me its about driving and using it.
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It will come in handy even if you never use it.

[colwyn500]

[badhuis]