Originally Posted by
BHOFM
It has a couple chips on the fork and the paint is a bit dull. It has never been
waxed or any thing like that.
I told her no in no uncertain terms. She is wanting me to do the work.
From what you're saying, this Paramount is pretty much quite intact under the grime and grunge of age.
Do a complete polish and detail job on it - it should come out nearly perfect. Then bring it back to her and ask if she wants to repaint it. I'll bet you she'll be more than pleased with the polishing results and decline the repaint.
Originally Posted by
bigbossman
...but having the bike professionally painted will not devalue the bike one penny.
Complete and utter
NONSENSE. There are too many "professionals" out there who will botch up the masking job around the Nervex lugs, and lay the pinstriping directly onto the shoreline three times thicker than original to make up for their lousy work.
The only restored Paramount I've seen with proper pinstriping work is Pastor Bob's (now Jimmy's) '66 P13, which was pinstriped by a pinstriping professional, and not a bicycle painter.
However, with all due respect to Jimmy and Bob, the "professional" who put the Copptertone
paint job - not the pinstriping - on the '66 did such a mess on the headlugs that there are alternating areas of red primer, silver basecoat, and Coppertone top coat all around the shorelines. There's enough lifted paint around there to make it look as if there was a disaster during the silver soldering of the frame. There's even one spot where the pinstriping intersects red primer. I'm sorry I had to say this about the '66, but it's the best and most relevant example I can give to prove my point - and I think Bob and Jimmy will understand the importance of this example.
Will a repaint do anything? Yes - a repaint that isn't absolutely 100% accurate to an original paint job will
devalue the frame by miles to anyone who truly appreciates originality. On the other hand, jokers who slobber gold One Shot enamel on their repainted (and bent!) Hetchins without a care to the art of doing so will absolutely LOVE a repaint:
-Kurt