One day you will be able to tell within a matter of seconds whether a discarded item you find has any real value. In the meantime check out some of my projects. Here is a tore-up farm stool that I thought had some charm and was worth the effort of a restoration. Let's just say I found it abandoned in an old barn.
The fate of this stool was to be slowly destroyed by the elements before I found it. A lot of rust but no real deterioration to the metal, and only a few minor dents to be hammered out. But first, I let it soak under a light spray of WD40 for a couple of days to ease all screws and connections loose. After that the pieces were MUCH easier to disassemble.
Once all the pieces were taken apart I had to strip the old paint and rust off of everything. Kleen-Strip brand paint stripper works great, but so does some elbow-grease and sand paper. The idea is to create a smooth surface to which the new paint will stick. Be patient and do it right.
While cleaning the individual parts I discovered a manufacturer's logo behind one of the legs that read Cosco. I see a sign with the name Cosco - same font - off of the 170 fwy near San Fernando, so I know that the company is still around. I ask myself: if I am to do a professional job of restoring this old stool then should I contact the company to 1) identify the exact shade of yellow used, and also 2) to obtain some new no-slip vinyl pads for the folding steps?
It turns out that I had an abundance of Rustoleum Satin Amber spray paint left over from a previous project, and so I decided to use it. The steps have grooves in them so I haven't convinced myself of the need to track down new no-slip vinyl pads from Cosco. I have foregone the artsy restoration project in order to create something that is functional, and that will last a long time with ordinary use. Back at the ranch.
