Vintage Graflex—Restoring the Correct Finish

[Spyhunter2k]

So I bought a vintage 4-cell off Ebay a couple months back and am ready to convert it to a TFA Rey saber. This seller has sold several vintage Graflexes on Ebay in recent months, and as many have noted in other threads some of these flash units have been rather (too) heavily buffed to remove age/corrosion, to the point that some edges are rounded and minor details are lost. I think I got a pretty good deal, so I'm ok with that. You can also see in the pics below that the clamp had some corrosion/pitting that looks to have been sanded and then painted with silver paint to reduce its appearance.

But now I'd like to get the finish back to what a vintage Graflex should look like. To my eye, it appears the saber body has been sanded with about 320 grit paper, way too heavy. I've seen someone mention in another thread that sanding the body to a 1200 finish best replicates the original satin finish.

If someone could help me with the following questions, I would really appreciate it.

1. What grit sandpaper or steel wool will get this back to its proper sheen?
2. What is the black assembly inside called? Mine has a front lip that is chipped away, and I may want to replace this. That said, I don't see how to remove it without removing the clamp and bunny ears, destroying the original rivet...Suggestions?
3. The glass eye metal surround is intact, but the clear bubble is gone. Is there a modern replacement for just the clear bubble? I've thought of just cutting down the clear dome of a vending machine toy container and siliconing it in...

Here are some pics of how it sits now. Notice from the 1st that I've already cut off the necessary amount to convert it from a 4-cell to a 3. I'll cut new locking grooves once I'm done refinishing the body.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Sym-Cha]

Nice 4 Cell . . . as I've said many times over . . . don't try to make your lightsabers look prestine . . . that also includes the satin shine . . . leave it as is and add the necessary greeblies to transform this 4 Cell into a proper lightsaber prop . . . as for the front piece that needs a little restoring without having to remove the bunny ears ... add a little black magic sculpt ... yes I've seen it available in black here :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/M00608-MORE...114790?hash=item2ece07d2a6:g:KcgAAOSw~bFWPfeC



Chaim

 

[Probe Droid]

That's a little rough, but not that bad. Superfine steel wool might help smooth that out a bit, but easy does it. The glass lens from a door peep hole or a lens from one of those disposable cardboard film cameras have been used with success by members here. You might need to hunt the camera down on ebay, I can't imagine anyone still makes them.

Good luck with your build.

 

[phunkymunky]

For the glass eye, you can use a clear glass cabachon.
I used one, can't remember the size. I can measure it if your interested.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00QV...SY340_QL65&keywords=clear+glass+cabachon+10mm

 

[Spyhunter2k]

Nice 4 Cell . . . as I've said many times over . . . don't try to make your lightsabers look prestine . . . that also includes the satin shine . . . leave it as is and add the necessary greeblies to transform this 4 Cell into a proper lightsaber prop . . . as for the front piece that needs a little restoring without having to remove the bunny ears ... add a little black magic sculpt ... yes I've seen it available in black here :

http://www.ebay.com/itm/M00608-MORE...114790?hash=item2ece07d2a6:g:KcgAAOSw~bFWPfeC



Chaim

Thanks Chaim! I ordered some of that epoxy putty, and will build up the front area. I think I can get it very close to where it used to be, and it smooths with water.

I don't mind the saber having a weathered look with scratches here and there—that's actually what I want—but the whole body of this thing has a heavily-brushed finish. It doesn't look like natural wear from handling, but more like too-heavy sandpaper was used all over. That's why I have to restore it a bit before ageing it again with some randomly-placed scratches.

That's a little rough, but not that bad. Superfine steel wool might help smooth that out a bit, but easy does it. The glass lens from a door peep hole or a lens from one of those disposable cardboard film cameras have been used with success by members here. You might need to hunt the camera down on ebay, I can't imagine anyone still makes them.

Good luck with your build.

For the glass eye, you can use a clear glass cabachon.
I used one, can't remember the size. I can measure it if your interested.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00QV...SY340_QL65&keywords=clear+glass+cabachon+10mm

Thanks to both of you for your help. I've ordered a 12mm cabachon for now, as it looks like the opening in the rear of the glass eye is about 12.5mm. If I may ask another questions of you gents, is the original glass eye one solid half of glass like the cabachon, or a lens? If a lens, then I'll use the cabachon temporarily until I can get a small lens that will fit.

Thanks again guys!

 

[Serenity]

There's at least a couple of different versions of the glass eye... Here's two that I have from different Graflexes, along with a 12mm cabochon. One is like a mini convex lens and the other is the more standard version found in most of the Graflexes:

Cabochon - Convex lens eye - Standard eye

 

[Spyhunter2k]

There's at least a couple of different versions of the glass eye... Here's two that I have from different Graflexes, along with a 12mm cabochon. One is like a mini convex lens and the other is the more standard version found in most of the Graflexes:

http://i.imgur.com/AJOMA1G.jpg
Cabochon - Convex lens eye - Standard eye

Wow, that's extremely helpful. The cabachon looks almost like a cross between the shallow eye and the larger one, and 12mm is what I ordered, so it looks like I'll be good to go!

 

[clancampbell]

Yeah, don't go for pristine, and whatever you do, don't over sand/polish the Graflex....you'll start to see the brass come through, then there's nothing you can do except have it re-chromed, then start again....(i know this from experience and ended up making a Vader ROTJ with it!)

Rich

 

[SethS]

How can we stop this monster ebay seller from shredding all his graflexes?

 

[matty matt]

I agree. Less is more with these. I wouldn't mess with the finish too much. It won't take much to make it worse. I bet it looks much better with a little bit of weathering.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

In order to remove the brushed metal appearance, from apparent sanding by the seller, you may want to try a polishing compound found at most hardware stores. This will hide a lot of the smaller scratches and restore the GRAFLEX finish somewhat. I've used the Weiman Brand polishes with great results in the past. At the very least, it should make the finish appear more uniform.

 

[tomm1999]

I got 2 from the same seller and won this one the first time it was listed but it didn't meet reserve. I'm making mine a ROTJ Vader. I have a eye that is missing the glass, I'll throw one of my vintage eyes in silicone today while I'm making some other molds. I can't promise it will come out great but I'll give you one of the clear resin ones I make. It would be cool to make replicas from glass but I have no clue on how to do that.

 

[refugee]

I bought one of those overly sanded graflexes. Again, my own opinion but I didn't like mine as much after I realized it had been tampered with and I promptly sold it. The problem is I'm sure he knows what he's doing. He is removing the corrosion so buyers on eBay such as myself believe they are getting a near mint piece from the blurry eBay pics. It leads to bid wars. Most of his graflexes sell for 600+ regularly as a result. Why would he stop? He's totally cashing in. I think he's sold close to twenty in the last few months. It's a shame really. I've seen him sell a few folmer New York ones that were heavily sanded too. The incredibly rare folmer New York ones! Argh!

 

[phunkymunky]

Thank you for the idea of the convex lens as well. It's good to have different options.

There's at least a couple of different versions of the glass eye... Here's two that I have from different Graflexes, along with a 12mm cabochon. One is like a mini convex lens and the other is the more standard version found in most of the Graflexes:

http://i.imgur.com/AJOMA1G.jpg
Cabochon - Convex lens eye - Standard eye

 

[Spyhunter2k]

I bought one of those overly sanded graflexes. Again, my own opinion but I didn't like mine as much after I realized it had been tampered with and I promptly sold it. The problem is I'm sure he knows what he's doing. He is removing the corrosion so buyers on eBay such as myself believe they are getting a near mint piece from the blurry eBay pics. It leads to bid wars. Most of his graflexes sell for 600+ regularly as a result. Why would he stop? He's totally cashing in. I think he's sold close to twenty in the last few months. It's a shame really. I've seen him sell a few folmer New York ones that were heavily sanded too. The incredibly rare folmer New York ones! Argh!

The more I look at this, the more it seems as if it was sanded, then possibly re-chromed, and then heavily sanded again to dull the new chrome finish. The reason I say this is that in areas where it looks like the sander or buffer couldn't reach, it looks like new chrome.

To be honest, I'm pretty sure I can fix the finish. I'll use the cabachon for the glass portion of the eye and it will look fine to me. I'll get a repro red button from Roman soon. I knew about the missing glass portion and missing red button going in.

The only real damage I can't correct is the worn edges on the slide switch and beer tab, and I can live with that. I think I paid around $260 for this, and the seller could have gotten more had they parted it out. Heck, even the clamps are going for almost $200 recently. So I harbor no ill will to the seller. Still pleased with the purchase.

I'm actually fortunate that mine was a 4-cell. I can practice restoring the finish on the 2-inch portion I cut off to make sure I won't cut through to the brass. But if my suspicion is correct that it's been re-chromed, I should have enough material to work with without worrying about going into the brass. Also, I amended my first post to reflect that it was 1200 grit that had been mentioned in one prior thread as the ideal grit to stop at and preserve a satin sheen. Above that and it gets too shiny. Still would love confirmation of this.

This may become the "Darth Ugly" of Graflexes yet!

 

[laszlo]

Hey - I might have a spare slide switch and beer tab you could have. Hit me up!

 

[refugee]

You can harvest the slide switch from a two cell graflex. Sometimes they pop up on eBay from time to time or you can get a replica slide switch. The beer tab isn't needed if you make an ESB saber.

 

[Serenity]

I just think it's dishonest and rather scummy that the seller doesn't disclose the refinishing in the listing, especially for the prices that the 3 cells go for now. Personally, I'd be pretty mad if I paid that much for one without knowing it had been refinished. Once you know about it, it's a little easier to check for though, especially by looking at the slide switch and clamp lines because usually the seller rounds and smooths the hell out of them. I'm pretty sure they're a member here as well.

Anyway, for reference, the convex lens came from a Folmer Graflex with the patent number. If you use one of those cabochons, you might need to use a dab of glue to hold it in place, otherwise it might rattle around a little.

 

[Bogleo]

If anyone has an extra beer tab floating around in a parts bin, PM me please! (Also a red button lol)

 

[Spyhunter2k]

Hey - I might have a spare slide switch and beer tab you could have. Hit me up!

Awesome, just PM'd you.

You can harvest the slide switch from a two cell graflex. Sometimes they pop up on eBay from time to time or you can get a replica slide switch. The beer tab isn't needed if you make an ESB saber.

Yeah I'm trying to make a TFA saber, so need the tab intact. It's actually not the tab itself that took damage from the buffing machine, it's the rivet.