sncf231e posted:George S posted:I have an alternate view of rust. I detest it, and it is my mortal enemy. Remember, it’s not just a coating. It is a parasite that is slowly eating your toy. It will destroy it ever so slowly and look for other hosts to attach itself to. It should be our sworn duty as keepers of these ancient toys to destroy the enemy.
George
I have many toys already for more than 40 years which had some rust when I bought them; they still do have the same amount of rust, so if you keep your toys in a good environment they will not be destroyed at all (well, not in my life-time). And removing rust, or still worse, repainting, should be done only for items which should otherwise be thrown in the bin.
But of course you should do what you like and I do what I like with my toys. Discussions on ancient toys with historical value which should be kept are spoiled on me.
Regards
Fred
Maybe I am exaggerating a little. I have some cone top beer cans though, that the rust has eaten holes through. If you gently clean and wax the rust, you can potentially retard its expansion. Certainly, keeping in a good environment will help.
However, once there is rust on a toy, and this platform has a lot, it is really a candidate for restoration. It is no longer in original condition. I don't even understand that argument. It didn't have rust when it was new. Now, we can debate when something should be left alone. When is new paint better than rust? I likely have several litho pieces with a little rust on them. Trying to remove the rust will destroy the litho. So, you need to weigh the benefits. For painted tin with a lot of rust, I advocate stripping the paint, using EvapoRust to completely get rid of the rust and then restoring the paint. On this item, it looks like you just need to do the fence, not the platform. The platform should clean up with soap and water.
George
