Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana Sign Restoration

I just got this sign back from the Van Kannel brothers. All I can say is FANTASTIC. The most beautiful work I've seen. I highly recommend these guys
Ray

any before shoots

Do you have there number? Looks real good. Did they redo the porcelian or fill & paint it? Eather way looks great

Here are the Kannel Brother's numbers.
Don (843) 716-0323
Martin (843) 756-6185

Ray, really looks great. Like the previous post question, how was it restored? Porcelain? Body filler?

Does it have clear sprayed on it??

Show us the before pic..

Van Kannel sign restoration did the black
Texaco No Smoking sign I had on ebay last week with no bids on. They did an outstanding job.
I still have the sign and am suprised no one
stepped up for this beautiful piece.

Very nice looking job.
Looks like porcelain, is that their specialty, or do they also work on tin signs? Any web site for these gentlemen?

I have NOT had any signs restored, BUT Porcelain has to be FIRED IN AN OVEN to melt the powder. Approx. 1200-1400 deg.
db

Unfortunately I forgot to take before pictures. Sorry. My wife says...trust me it didn't look very good. Many many dents and chips and very dull. Not sure what their process is but I'm sure going to have more done
ray

Very nice...they advertise in PCM or CTO! don't they? How long was the turn around for the finished product?? Was the price reasonable in your opinion? Do they re-porcelainize? Is it similar to the re-facing that is done on old fashioned bathtubs? Anybody else out there have any experience in having this done?? Thanks for the pics...

...Bustermonty, could be the reason your rare Texaco No Smoking sign didn't move is that people are far more likely to buy unrestored items...that way, they know what the 'real' sign looks like...

...in a weird way, kinda like a guy wanting to see his girlfriend without all of the makeup, before he proposes...

...now, before everyone gets on my case for not being a rah-rah cheerleader, I'm just stating my opinion, and my view of the market...seems like a couple of rare globes that had been extensively restored were snubbed by the High Rollers at a well-publicized auction not too long ago - not because they weren't rare or desirable globes, but because they were extensively restored...I do remember one of the globes was a Jumbo Gas with the elephant...

...while the considerable $$ that goes into a given pump restoration can generally be recouped by the seller if the buyer is satisfied with (1) the gasoline brand/paint scheme and (2) the quality of the job, I just don't see the same trend with restored signs or globes...seems like the prices realized for a restored sign/globe aren't much more than the unrestored sign/globe would have brought...and nowhere near what a clean, unrestored sign/globe would bring...

...I did speak with the Van Kannel brothers (nice guys, by the way) at Columbus in 2004, and took photos of a Clean, Clear, Golden Texaco pump sign they had done, as well as a shot of the 'before' photo they had taped to the back of the sign...I am pretty sure they fill, repaint and clear-coat; definitely a 'non-porcelain' process...I will post the photos tomorrow sometime...

...basically, a lot of collectors just won't touch a heavily-restored sign...but, as the number of high-grade unrestored signs continues to dwindle, perhaps the market for such pieces will improve...only time will tell...but we owe it to the 'newbies' - the future of our beloved hobby - to give them as many facts as possible and let them make as informed an decision as possible...

While I agree that prices are soft on restored globes, I can't say the same for restored porcelain signs. There were several restored signs in the Gary Runyon auction this spring that did extremely well.

I'd rather see an original rough sign than a restored one. It's like a repop. Original - there is no substitute !!!!! Just my opinion.

I've never had a sign redone, I'm afraid it would look odd next to all my dull unrestored signs.
Like every thing else if they are excepted by a number of collectors then the price will be there.
I just would hate to see it get to the point where people restore a sign that isn't that bad, just to make it shine.

Just an opinion,
Brian

It's interesting to read the various opinions about restoration. My feeling is, if a sign still displays well with "some" gloss and "some" chips then hang it up and enjoy it. If it is a mess like this Conoco was then restore it. Many years ago, when I was just a young kid, oh yeah, and I met Richard Amistadi over the telephone and we made our first deal together he asked me why I was buying signs with damage to them. I told him then that it was because I could afford a damaged sign and could enjoy it until something better, at a good price came along. About a year ago Richard told me he NOW understood why I did what I did at the time. Restoration is a good thing.
Ray Seider

here is one done by dawn

...certainly a technically tight job of 'brushmanship' (or maybe 'brushwomanship'?)...I can't tell from the photos, does any of the original sign surface/color still show, or has it been entirely covered by the new paint?