Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Magnolene Oil Cart Lubester

In the end of June I bought this beautiful Oil Cart Lubester located in Chandler, Arizona. Unfortunately the Cart will be put in a container only in January and until February it will not arrive to me in Italy... When we love so much these stuff it is very hard wait so long for watch and touch concretely instead of watch across pictures.

My intention is to restore this Bennett 3506 (I have found the model type thanks to the Jack Sim books). This Lubester was made in the 20's and my question is concerning the correct color of those years and concerning decals. It seems to not have rivets that hold signs so I suppose they used decals. In the 20's and 30's they do not used clear coats but how they fixed decals?
Can you help me to solve my enigma? Among you there are very expert people that can give me good advices for restore my cart lubester.
The three compartments were painted differently? And the Magnolene logos were all different? Can I find the correct shield signs?
Thanks a lot in advance.

Enrico

It looks like the logo said Tiolene witch would put it with the Pure Oil Co. All 3 compartments would have a different oil in it. Cool lubster there Enrico nice find

I think decals look more like Mobiloil

The third decal definitely says MOBILOIL ! Very cool lubester. The fill lid says Magnolene.

[This message has been edited by K W FRITH (edited 12-23-2008).]

It appears to me that this was part of a special order by Magnolene from Bennett, therefore Bennett embossed their name on the lids. Years later it was sold as used equipment and someone who sold Mobil purchased it. They probably painted it and put Mobil decals on it, not worrying about the lids.
I would forget about the decals and paint it to match these Tokheim Oil dispensers.

These pictures were in the first Gas Pump ID book, but they were not in color. They were pulled from the second book in order to make room for more gas pumps.


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Jack Sim
Author, Gas Pump Identi...ollectibles.com

Thank you so much to all and especially to you Jack Sim with your information with pictures. Unfortunatey my english is almost poor and I hope to have understand. Could I paint it in the same color scheme of your pictures with the logo shown? Do you mean that this is the correct configuration?

Enrico

I have found this picture on the net, this lubester seems to have the same script of the blue one posted by Jack. Unfortunately I have only found one picture and I don't know if it has the flower decal like the blue one. Is there someone that know the right scheme color and decals for Magnolene? The red cart is very nice but it don't seems realistic, it appear too bright like a cart show.
Thanks

Henry

petroman,
To answer your questions I would suggets you get a paint store to duplicate the purple paint that is shown on the two pics I supplied. Then have a artist duplicate the Magnolene script and the flower.

Or....Do what the person did in your post where the unit is red. It certainly looks great and who is to tell you you painted it wrong? Notice, the person who restored it went a few steps further replacing the pipes with brass pipes, brass plating or chrome plating the knobs on the measurment sticks and really cleaning up the wooden knobs. Some might say this is an over restoration, no me, without all this detail it would just look like any other restoration.

Jack Sim

Finally the oil cart bought last summer is arrived to me. I'm happy because it is very nice.
Long time ago you'll remember that I asked information about the paint scheme but I still have many doubt. I am fought because I think that with three logo shields should be more nice instead of a one color and the script Magnolene. Can someone give me good advices and which kind of logo could I use?
If I will paint it in one color like the cart example of Jack Sim has someone a picture of Magnolene logo on the side of the cart?

Enrico

Henry (Enrico)
Since I have been answering most of your posts I felt I should answer this last one of yours.

I think you are overly conserned about how to restore your unit. I gave you a picture of how it looked when it left the factory, your last picture showed the original dark blue paint showing through the red someone probably hand painted when the unit was sold to a Mobil dealer.

Then you posted a picture of a unit that some people would say was over restored. I don't think so, it was his unit, he could do anything with it he wanted. When it comes to a show piece, it is great. Think of it this way, you could paint it blue, period, it would look good, friends would come over and say it look nice. Restore, brass plate, paint it like the one you posted and friends would come over and marvel as the detail you took to make it look as good as the one in the picture above.

This is your unit, you don't have two choices, you have 1000s, restore it to what you want, no one is going to tell you it isn't correct.

Jack Sim

Thank you very much Jack, I will probably follow your good advice. Do you have a good image of the flower logo Magnolene? Or do exist someone that have these decals?

Enrico Audisio

"it was his unit, he could do anything with it he wanted. When it comes to a show piece, it is great. Think of it this way, you could paint it blue, period, it would look good, friends would come over and say it look nice. Restore, brass plate, paint it like the one you posted and friends would come over and marvel as the detail you took to make it look as good as the one in the picture above."

...here's my 2 cents: just as the owner could do anything he wanted, we're allowed to have whatever opinion we want about that restoration...and I agree with Enrico...if he's got a picture of the piece as it left the factory - and it's got oil company colors, logos, etc...well, how often do we get that much authentic information to guide us as to how the piece originally looked?...take advantage of that rare opportunity, do it right...the same non-collector people who would marvel at brass plating of parts that weren't ever brass plated would probably look at an Ande Rooney sign and marvel at it as well (don't believe me?...look on eBay sometime and count the many careless people listing fakes and adamantly proclaiming them 'old')...99% of people don't know the difference, they just see an old pump and say 'neato', and the next second they're wondering who's going to get voted off Survivor this week, whether Lite beer 'tastes great' or is 'less filling', or trying to decide between Chili's or Applebee's for dinner...I'd rather aspire to impress the 1% who could look at the catalog photo and at the correctly restored lubester and say, 'man - you went to a lot of trouble to make that thing look exactly like it did back in the day', and who can tell the difference between a restoration and a hot-rod...

...yeah - he can do whatever he wants...he could melt it down into slag and make sculpture out of it, but I don't think anyone here would think that was right, either...but if you follow the logic of 'it's his and he can do whatever he wants' the conclusion is you can't find fault in that either...

...Enrico - my vote is for a restoration as close as humanly possible to the catalog image...buy a color copy from Jack, have it framed and hang it on the wall next to the restored lubester...the average person will still be impressed and move on, but the experienced collector will actually appreciate it...

Enrico
Check with Jim from T-ways for decals http://www.t-waysgraphics.com/ or with some of the other guys from this site. If they don't have it they could make it for you.

I vote for making it look like it just came out of the factory !

The main thing is to have fun with your restoration and please
post pictures of your progress.

Gulfiend, I appreciated very much your post and even if for me its not easy understand all you wrote due to slang I believe that I understood very well the general meaning. For me buy this cart was a big effort not only economical but logistic because in the US rarely peoples sell abroad and only for plan the shipment is complicate because the object must be packaged, etc... Then find a company that pick it up, then the container, customs, taxes fees, etc... Only a strong passion permit to do all that. Like gulfiend say lot of people buy on ebay without know what they buy and don't care of history. For me is very important to respect its history and do research for do it must closer to the original. I don't understand who restore a pump or others objects shiny like show cars. In the reality it never happened and clear coat do not existed. Then the show aspect is not real but very artificial. I don't care if others will not find shiny my cart because I think at his originality and history. To chrome or brass what it wasn't is fake and not real. Sure, me too I like that all is well painted and clean with all nuts and bolds correct but I don't want create an unreal show cart. I would like know paint codes and correct logos because of my interest to originality. Too many pumps and other stuff have been ruined losing their true nature. In each project I put my sentimental side, when I received this cart I thought at the men that used it in the old good days, at their history and I touched it with respect.

I will can't start to restore it now because before I must terminate others projects, however I start to search all information that will help me to do a good job.

Scott, thanks to you too for your opinion.

Enrico

...Enrico, it sounds like you understood my comments exactly!...after I wrote my comments this morning, I photographed a Magnolene sign; the magnolia flower in the center of the sign might be the same as the one shown on the left side of the cart...I will post it here on Oldgas in the next few days so you can use it to make a new decal when you are able to restore the cart...good luck, and please post photographs of the finished cart when it is completed...