polish or patina?

Hello everybody,

the title says it all really.

Do you prefer your retro componentry to retain the patina of a life well lived, with all the wear, scratches and knocks that entails, or to have been given a good seeing to with a polishing mop so that they gleam like new?.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Matt

Re:

Functionality first, in sympathy with the build next, patina if necessary: the quest for old-as-new is unsustainable, unrideable, and probably unhealthy.

Originality is also wonderful, and patina goes hand-in-hand with that.

Polish, Pantograph & Drillium for me need something unique & a one off purely being artistic.

I only respray when it is really neccesary. I'd like it better to keep the original patina on an older frame. Only when it became too dull by polishing then I spray two layers of clear coat. Then the patina will save for a long time.

Re:

Thanks guys,

I'm interested in people's thoughts on this as I have an alloy chainset from the late fifties that should polish up nicely, but once done all the marks and scratches (and what's left of the original anodizing!) it has accumulated over 60 years of use are gone for good. I can't quite bring myself to do it as it's not going to make it work any better, just look newer.

Nob - do you like doing the work on components yourself, or do you prefer to buy them ready to use?.


Matt

Re: Re:

onegoodbike":11d0395b said:

Thanks guys,

I'm interested in people's thoughts on this as I have an alloy chainset from the late fifties that should polish up nicely, but once done all the marks and scratches (and what's left of the original anodizing!) it has accumulated over 60 years of use are gone for good. I can't quite bring myself to do it as it's not going to make it work any better, just look newer.

Nob - do you like doing the work on components yourself, or do you prefer to buy them ready to use?.


Matt

Click to expand...

Both but until I retire next year I work in collaboration with an associate & also did so with the late Jon Williams RIP...

Re:

I don't consider visible score-marks on duralaminium to be 'patina'. They create a weak point in the metal. Especially those drive-side cranks that have been scarred on the inside by chronic inattention to front derailleur limit screw adjustment. I felt that on balance it was better to smooth that out, even though it ended up reducing the width of the crank by 1-2mm.

I think you are misusing the word 'patina'. Anything I could call 'damage' is not 'patina' to me. To me, 'patina' and 'polish' are more or less the same thing, except one takes fifty years and the other takes fifty hours.

If time, or the manufacturer, hasn't done it already, I habitually round the corners off anything, for aesthetic reasons, practical reasons, and personal safety reasons.