Ives1122 posted:stevin posted:Do you think waxing them will take awaY value?
I’ll try the cold water and damp cloth
Two things an old timer taught me.
1. Always start with "least aggressive methods" and slowly/cautiously go from there.
2. If it looks like someone has been messing with it, it will almost certainly hurt value to some point.
Also, nothing worse than a nice piece with dried wax caked into all the books and crannies.
So you want to clean it up a bit, but retain that age, originality, and slight patina. If you wanted new paint..., well, that's why there's reproductions.
Wax is the best way to protect paint. I have never heard that waxing a piece of tinplate would hurt the value. It takes patience and you need to remove the excess wax so there is no dried wax left in the nooks and crannies or on the trim. This is standard maintenance.
George
