smcnally
ArboristSite Member
I thought I should probably start my own thread rather than clog up the antique saw thread with my photos.
So, long story short...my dad started repairing small engine equipment when he retired about 15 years ago. He has really bad COPD and, asbestos damage to his lungs now, so he hasn't been able to work on anything for a few years. A few weeks ago I did some work around the house for him and he said "I've got this old Lombard chainsaw in the shop. I had it running, and it looks pretty beat up, but it would look nice as is hanging in your barn." I went out and grabbed it and the first thing I thought was "There's no way I'm hanging this in my barn...I'm going to restore it." I've never owned a large chainsaw (or one this old), but I was a heavy equipment mechanic for years, and I've done body work as wel, so I dove in...and now I'm having a lot of fun cleaning this thing up.
Here's how it looked when I got it:
The first thing I did was contact Joe Salva from Sugar Creek Supply and asked if he had a decal set for my model. He didn't, but everything but the tank decal from another set matched. He asked me to send him photos and measurements of the tank decal so he could make one for me. I started sending him what he requested, but then I found it easier to just draw it out to scale, the best I could, since I have a graphics arts background as well. This is what I came up with, and Joe was able to work with that and polish it up.
With that behind me, I disassembled the saw, sprayed it down with "aircraft cleaner" (awesome product by the way), scrubbed it down, rinsed it off, and stuck it all in the dishwasher through a high heat cycle.
Then I moved on to the carb...cleaned all the grime off of it, soaked the air filter & aired it out, and polished everything I could.
I primed and painted everything this past Friday and test fit the major parts.
Today I scrubbed down one of the plates, and retreated it with "Aluminum Black" to get the black background looking new again.
All that's left now is to wait for the decals to arrive, apply them, clear coat everything, and refinish the bar. I'd like to refinish the other data plate, too, but that's going to be the hardest part of the project. I'm going to need to sand it down, then find an image that shows the original text, and transfer it to the original plate. I'll post more pictures as I get things done.
So, long story short...my dad started repairing small engine equipment when he retired about 15 years ago. He has really bad COPD and, asbestos damage to his lungs now, so he hasn't been able to work on anything for a few years. A few weeks ago I did some work around the house for him and he said "I've got this old Lombard chainsaw in the shop. I had it running, and it looks pretty beat up, but it would look nice as is hanging in your barn." I went out and grabbed it and the first thing I thought was "There's no way I'm hanging this in my barn...I'm going to restore it." I've never owned a large chainsaw (or one this old), but I was a heavy equipment mechanic for years, and I've done body work as wel, so I dove in...and now I'm having a lot of fun cleaning this thing up.
Here's how it looked when I got it:
The first thing I did was contact Joe Salva from Sugar Creek Supply and asked if he had a decal set for my model. He didn't, but everything but the tank decal from another set matched. He asked me to send him photos and measurements of the tank decal so he could make one for me. I started sending him what he requested, but then I found it easier to just draw it out to scale, the best I could, since I have a graphics arts background as well. This is what I came up with, and Joe was able to work with that and polish it up.
With that behind me, I disassembled the saw, sprayed it down with "aircraft cleaner" (awesome product by the way), scrubbed it down, rinsed it off, and stuck it all in the dishwasher through a high heat cycle.
Then I moved on to the carb...cleaned all the grime off of it, soaked the air filter & aired it out, and polished everything I could.
I primed and painted everything this past Friday and test fit the major parts.
Today I scrubbed down one of the plates, and retreated it with "Aluminum Black" to get the black background looking new again.
All that's left now is to wait for the decals to arrive, apply them, clear coat everything, and refinish the bar. I'd like to refinish the other data plate, too, but that's going to be the hardest part of the project. I'm going to need to sand it down, then find an image that shows the original text, and transfer it to the original plate. I'll post more pictures as I get things done.
