Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The Finished and Restored Hubley Stake Truck

Wednesday, May 16, 2012


The Finished and Restored Hubley 
Cast Iron Stake Truck

     I finally finished the Hubley cast Iron Stake Truck that had arrived about 3 weeks ago. For those of you who haven't been following this restoration, or have have made this your first visit, you can go back to see the previous instalments.

    For those who don't want to venture back in time, I've added  2 images from previous instalments of this restoration.

The Truck as it Arrived at my House

It would be a nice collectible even like this. However I didn't pay  a lot for the item, so I thought I'd restore it. Restored items are not for all buyers, but there are people who don't mind, and in 100 years from now, who will know anyway, unless someone tests for lead in the paint (from the 1880's-1960's)

Notice the dame in the back right side of the truck. There is a piece of stake that is missing from the truck.

The Hubley Truck:

 1. After repairing the damaged or missing stake with Lepage's Epoxy Steel.

2. After having added 2 costs (layers) of automotive primer paint spray.









THe Inside View of the Repaired Area.

The Outside View of the Repaired Area.

I mentioned that I would press sand into the liquid epoxy to give it texture, but I forgot.
Also, the epoxy was viscous and "runny", so I had to sandwich it with thin rigid plastic on either side of the repair area.



A Side View of  the Truck


A Front View of the Truck

I kept the original tires and rims.

However, I had to cut off the axles because I gave the toy to someone I know for sandblasting, and I didn't want to damage them. An E-Bayer whom I purchased the axles from advised me how to hammer the cut ends of the axle in order to secure the rims and rubber tires on the axle.

I placed the car on a vise, with the rounded head of the axle shaft on a flat part of the vise. 
and gently hammered the flat end with a small hammer. It took about 10 minutes of gentle tapping to flatten the end by maybe  1/32" (2 mm).

I was very nervous that I might break the truck, but by being slow and careful, I was able to finish.

The Final Composite Image for Selling on E-Bay

So thanks for dropping by, and as always, have a nice morning, afternoon, or evening,wherever you may be.









4 comments:

Troy said...

Looks great - I like how the old tires and rims help it keep it's age.

toysearcher said...

Hi Troy,

Thanks for the compliment.
The tires and rims are the ones that actually came with this truck.
However, I just purchased some authentic rims and rubber tires for another old truck that I purchased.
Interestingly, there are a few E-Bay sellers who actually sell from time to time authentic vintage parts.

Stacey

Anonymous said...

Should you replace deteriorated white rubber wheels on a vintage Hubley toy

toysearcher said...

Hello Anonymous,

Replacing parts on an old toy is subjective or personal. If you plan to sell the toy in the near future, then it's best to leave on the old tires. If you plan to keep the toy, and prefer adding new replacement tires, the do that.

If you can take the old tires off without any damage, then remove them, but save them. Then add on the replacements.

In the future, if you decide to sell the toy, then simply put the old rubber tires back on the toy.

I hope this helps.

Stacey Bindman
writer of this blog