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Vault Door Restoration Needed

Hand Lettering topics: Sign Making, Design, Fabrication, Letterheads, Sign Books.

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Dan Seese
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:29 pm
Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Vault Door Restoration Needed

Post by Dan Seese »

I was contacted by some folks in Spencer, Nebraska who are looking for someone who could restore some old vault doors in a 1906 bank building. It needs to be completed before the middle of November and done on location since it's a working bank.

I'm not sure if I can fit this into my schedule but thought I'd post the photos they sent me in case anyone is available to do this. One photo shows the 2 doors needing repainting & restoring, one has the paint removed to show the pinstiping underneath and one shows a door which doesn't need restoration but which has what is likely underneath the other doors. The original color on the doors was an aluminum bronze.

Wish I had some better photos but this is what they sent me.
View of the doors needing to be restored.
View of the doors needing to be restored.
spencer-vault doors.jpg (132.02 KiB) Viewed 3975 times
Close up revealing decoration underneath paint
Close up revealing decoration underneath paint
spencer - vault close up.jpg (154.63 KiB) Viewed 3976 times
Another vault door in the building showing existing door graphics
Another vault door in the building showing existing door graphics
spencer-basement vault door.jpg (182.36 KiB) Viewed 3975 times

I haven't asked if it's ok to post their contact info here. If they give permission I'll do so. Otherwise, you can indicate your interest here & I'll put you in touch.
Dan
"The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne."
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340 - 1400)

http://DanSeeseStudios.com
http://www.DanSeeseStudios.com/blog/
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BruceJackson
Posts: 251
Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2004 7:28 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Re: Vault Door Restoration Needed

Post by BruceJackson »

Unusual project...Whoever does it will have some investigative work to do stripping back the top layer to reveal the original design. You'd expect it to have a centrally located name/logo as seen on the other door.

Makes me wonder what approach should be taken with regard to the level of conservation/restoration....Of course it depends on what the client wants, but if it was decided that it had significant heritage value, the typical approach would be to carefully strip back to the original design, apply a removable isolating coat so as to separate the original work from restoration work, then re-paint to match the original.

That way you follow the principle of conserving as far as possible original material, and ensure all restoration work is identifiable and reversible without damage to the underlying original
John Arnott
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:50 am
Location: San Diego County
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Re: Vault Door Restoration Needed

Post by John Arnott »

I've done these before. It was about 100 miles from my shop. I have actually restored over 35 antique safes so far. The 2 doors that I restored were in much worse shape than these 2.
My first concern would be the spray painting in a working environment. There are companys now days that seal off the area and set up exaust fans so the employees can't smell it.
I had a locksmith buddy that took it all apart for me, then I did all the body work and paint while the chrome (nickle) was being done, Then we put it back together. Took about a week total. The pinstriping and lettering is the easy part. If anyone has any questions about this job, the can contact me and I would be glad to advise them on any concerns.
Since 1978
Dan Seese
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:29 pm
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Contact:

Re: Vault Door Restoration Needed

Post by Dan Seese »

This is helpful information, Bruce & John - whether I end up doing it or someone else.

This is almost 500 miles from my place. I've done vault doors both on location as well as removing them and restoring them in my shop. Doing it on location brings a multitude of problems, and unfortunately, this is a working bank and the doors need to be restored in-situ.

Thanks, John, for offering to consult with whomever does the work. You'll be an invaluable resource!
Dan
"The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne."
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340 - 1400)

http://DanSeeseStudios.com
http://www.DanSeeseStudios.com/blog/
http://www.facebook.com/DanSeeseStudios
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