# How should I preserve a historic sign? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870 "2013-06-13T01:36:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870/1 "2013-06-13T01:36:38Z")
Today, in a fit of antiquing through Lebanon and Waynesville, Ohio, I picked up an old advertising sign for Kentucky Club tobacco. It’s a thermometer, the sort of thing you’d have seen hung outside the general store or what have you. It has a fair amount of rust on it, but really it just adds character. Anyway, I’d like to hang it outside on my balcony, but I don’t want it to rust any further. Any advice on what I could do to preserve it from here on out? (I’ll throw up a pic later, if folks are interested.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870/2 "2013-06-13T01:56:31Z")
Is it rusted through? Or just some scale on the surface? ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870/3 "2013-06-13T02:24:01Z")
Just on the surface–not rusted through. [Here](http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/s477/law-monkey/85CA418B-5AB3-4844-9241-020A73A9E548-522-000000C41A293555_zps814dc575.jpg)’s a picture–not the greatest due to poor lighting, but good enough. (Also, I have no idea why I used the word “historic” in the title–I meant “antique”.) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870/4 "2013-06-13T03:29:22Z")
I can’t tell what’s rust and what’s paint from the photo, but it looks like it’s in pretty good shape. You could put rustoleum on the back to stop rust there. It looks nice enough to consider restoring by scraping it down and repainting the whole thing. But if you can’t do that yourself it might not be worth the money. There may be some clear coating you can put on it that would stop the weathering. Epoxy might work. If the rust spots aren’t large you might be able to match up the color mixing some rustoleum and just cover them up. It’s better if you remove the rust first. Something like a sanding drum on a Dremel tool could do small spots easily. It’s a nice looking piece worth some effort in preserving. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870/5 "2013-06-13T05:05:09Z")
Don’t put it outside. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870/6 "2013-06-13T20:31:28Z")
For what it’s worth, I like the rust as it is–it’s got a nice weathered look to it. I just don’t want it to deteriorate further. Perhaps a clear matte polyurethane? But I’d be afraid that rust, being rust, would just shrug it right off, so to speak. If I have to keep it indoors, that’s ok–I just think it’d look nice (and tell me what the temperature is) outside. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870/7 "2013-06-13T21:32:00Z")
I don’t have any useful advice, but wanted to say that sign is pretty cool. I’m glad it found a nice home. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870/8 "2013-06-13T21:47:40Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Anyway, I’d like to hang it outside on my balcony, but I don’t want it to rust any further. Any advice on what I could do to preserve it from here on out? My first bit of advice would be to keep it indoors rather than exposing it to the elements. My second bit of advice is to keep it well away from sunlight should you choose to hang it up on a wall indoors. My third bit of advice is to avoid making any attempts at restoration unless you know what you’re doing. It’s possible that something like a polyurethane seal might be bad for the artifact in the long run. It’s a pretty cool sign. Find a nice spot indoors to preserve it. ---
**Author:** ![KermitTheFrig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/47e85d/32.png) [@KermitTheFrig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KermitTheFrig)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870/9 "2013-06-14T03:08:55Z")
Please, don’t do what Tripolar suggests. Using a soft cloth, wash it with a mild dish soap to remove any dirt, dust or light powdery rust. Dry thoroughly. You should probably consult an expert before going further, but I’m pretty sure that no harm would come protecting the surface from further rust by rubbing on a very light coat of mineral oil or paste wax. Neither of those should harm the paint and both are pretty easy to remove safely if desired. DON’T sand it, steel wool it, scrub it, paint it or polyurethane it. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-preserve-a-historic-sign/660870/10 "2013-06-14T04:26:31Z")
Canuba (sp?) wax - anyway, a natural tree wax - the stuff used on furniture before the plastics came along - re-coart every year (harsh climate) or two (mild climate). You can get a good, thick coat without having it run from high points. Re-coating any antique pretty much destroys its value - the original patina is fine on that piece