Weekend Discoveries...  

So my buddy was in a local shop this weekend and asked AGAIN about this Nelson clock in pieces on the work bench. Guy fianlly says "sure, $50". Buddy buys it and brings it over. It is disassembled, none of the spikes are attached and they have been PAINTED. The colored sections on the hands have been painted as well. It's a key wound version. Has all the keys, screws, everything, but its a mess. Someone painted the spikes while on the clock so there is paint on the body as well. So we are trying to figure out what he should do. We end up taking brush cleaner and try to get some of the overpainting off the body of the clock. It comes off and leaves the original finish intact. We remove any residual cleaner off, "just in case". Body looks like new. Then I try it on the painted portion of the hands. The latex comes off and reveals the original color underneath. Then I try the spikes, the latex comes off and reveal that the clock was a multi-color to begin with, but the cleaner begins to cut the original finish on the spikes. We decide to do it anyway and it's frickin? PRISTINE walnut under the paint. SO, he got a key wound spike clock that WORKS GREAT for $50.

He also brought over the Saarinen Tulip side table that looks like it had been dipped in cream-colored paint, label and all. We begin to work on it with the brush cleaner and, same thing, the latex comes off leaving everything in tact, even comes out of the label somewhat. He's somewhat disappointed in that it has a white top and the vintage Ivory-ish colored base. That one he got for FREE when he bought 4 arm-shells from a woman for $150 IIRC.

WOW! Felt like an archeologist for a minute...