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Point Richmond - Banner restoration - south wigwag  
 
Point Richmond Wigwags 2018 Restoration
Banner restoration - South wigwag
Part Two
January, 2019

 click to enlarge
 A page from the Magnetic Signal Company (1940) catalogue showing
the upper quadrant wigwag banner. Also shown, lamp detail and replacement parts.


Part Two... Completed on 1/1/19
Black self-etching primer was used first. I went ahead and sealed the areas between the light housing and banner disc using painter's caulk. This was not normally done, but I figured it would help seal out water and hopefully keep the banner from getting rust streaks in the near future.

Lens hoods have been primed with two coats of primer. First, the self-etching primer, then a filler primer. Ready for white semi-gloss paint.
Hanging out to dry.
Banner with a coat of filler primer over the first coat. Banner pipe has been painted white.
The restored lamp unit after installation.
Banner is ready for black paint.
Black semi-gloss paint has been applied for the 2 1/2" "+" and 1" border circle.
The counterweight after removing multiple layers of aluminum paint. The original red color has been revealed. Originally the weight and banner were painted red. The standard changed around the late '30s or early '40s to what's currently used - black and white banners.
Banner is ready for masking. Counterweight has been repainted.
Masking tape going on...
I sketched out the 1" circle. Then made the cut with and X-Acto knife. Pretty simple (but time consuming).
Masking work finished. Ready for white paint.
I applied about 4 light coats of paint to prevent running.
Removing the tape.
Tape removed. There were a few areas where paint bled through (almost always happens). Those were fixed with a detail brush.
The south wigwag banner is basically finished. There are still a few ripples in the sheet metal (as I expected), but overall I'm really happy with how it turned out, considering how beat up it was to start with. The north banner should be easier to work with. It was manufactured at a later date and was made with a thicker gauge of sheet metal. It's also in much batter shape than this originally was. More photos of this later.


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1/6/19