Been playing around with my first stove (Optimus 00) and I already have regrets and feeling somewhat glum. To cut a long story short, I’ve polished it. I could probably shave in front of it. And now I don’t like it. Don’t get me wrong it definitely needed a clean as it was covered in all sorts of gunk, but now I’ve robbed it of its past. I’ve taken some of its soul. I guess some will like it, each to there own of course, but I’m full of regret. For some bizarre reason even though I had doubts as I was merryly making it shine, I just couldn’t stop myself. No self control. Story of my life. Now I want to leave it out in the rain and treat it with contempt just to bring back some of that life experience. First and last time I make one shiny. Lesson learned. Hopefully. Dork
Don't worry. The patina will be back and this time it'll be all yours. A year from now you'll never know you polished it and the tank graphics will still be visible.
Try not to feel bad @Dork it’s retrievable as Ray has said. I’m guessing that’s the Optimus in your avatar, and though it’s not easy to make out from the small pic, it doesn’t look like a deep patina. It’ll re-tarnish in a reasonably short time and I’d then recommend a light waxing that doesn’t remove the tarnish but rather gives it a dull glow - I agree with you, preferable to a mirror finish. John
@Dork As a fully paid up member of the anti polishing league, I welcome a new member. As has already been said that nice nut brown will come back with time.
+1 to the above. And the patina will be from use and not just long years in the grime, so it will look “right” when it forms. It will have even more class than before. You did fine. Ivan
Many thanks all. Reassuring to learn she (are stoves girls?) will get her good looks back in due course. Unlike me, who’s other more significant regrets have left me with a pretty reasonable patina of my own. Dork
I think half and half stoves look worst of all. If I have had to clean an area for soldering or silbrazing, then I generally clean the whole thing. Same applies to 'blobby' soldering repairs after removal of excessive solder. It doesn't take long for a patina to build up through usage. Just lend your stove to your local Scout group when they go off for summer camp! Baz (GoScout)
I look at patina on a case-by-case basis. If the patina reflects honest use and care of the stove, it stays. If it mostly reflects wet storage or other neglect (like a Juwel 21 I got recently that had a luster best described as "dirt clod") then I polish it. Any time there's pitting or similar going on, I polish. If engraving is illegible, I usually just polish enough to make it readable. Honest use is a reflection of the stove's history, but so is care. (The previous should be filed under "O", for "opinion"). ....Arch
You'll all know when I tell my girlfriend "Oh yes, brought home an old flame and we really had a good time getting to know each other again. We really lit a fire, she had my kettle whistling in no time...." Won't get a chance to explain that I'm referencing a stove. This place will suddenly get much quieter, without my blabbing anymore. You may even hear about her reaction in the news. In all seriousness, use your stove. It'll have a patina again soon.
Well, since we are into the anthropomorphism of stoves, an analogy may help relieve the regret. As you go through life, acquiring your personal patina, there are times when you wash the grime off your body, and out of your mind. If this was not done, the life patina would build up to such proportions as to impair your living of life. These are the rhythms and necessities of life. You gave your beloved Optimus 00 a bath, which helped to restore the original condition of its conception. For this I feel sure that she is grateful. Not to worry, she will build up another patina as she continues to live her little stove life, which you played a role in the improvement thereof.
Years back, we had a young chap here that had more money than brains, IMO, who ran around buying some rather rare stoves, and polished the **** out of them! https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/good-result-of-blast.10939/#post-104748 His idea of polishing was wire wheel and sand blasting, I suspect more than a few of us thought he was a right tosser, and wasn't representative of the lot here. In time, he got bored, as rich kids do, and went off to piss in someone else's cuppa', thankfully. I just did a resto and repair on a Primus Nr. 54 and cast iron frame, polishing the stove would queer the whole thing, it aged nicely since 1930, wiped it down with WD-40 to clean off the varnish and other crud, now you can read the markings clearly, but still have the patina only time can produce. Murph
I concur. Patina is what occurs over years of careful use. Grunge can happen in a day or two in the wrong hands. Patina won't hurt a stove. Grunge can eat holes in a stove, and kill it. Don't worry. That mellow fruitfulness will return.
@Dork The only answer is more 00's, and you can have a shiney one or two and a few shabby ones. What's not to like. Always wondered what Magnus was up to now. It was a virtually unused 00 I acquired that started my fall from grace, very clean and shiney and remains so. The others, well they just get a quick wipe to get the food remains off.
