Merry go round wood Motorcycle

[Walt G]

I bought this about 30+ years ago in an antique shop on the southern coast of England. Was with a buddy named Peter Moore whose business was a 6 times yearly 1,200 item auction catalog of motor books, literature, periodicals,  photographs etc. He loved American  automobiles and owned a 1929 Lincoln model L dual cowl phaeton and a 1931 Chrysler Imperial CG club sedan. Both cars in England since new.

We found this wood motor cycle that dated from the late 1940s very early 1950s and wrapped it in bubble wrap and I brought it home with me on the airplane as extra baggage ( cost extra $65) . I finally got to restore it the past 6-7 months. It is all wood with brass metal trim that is chrome plated., Steel rear fender. Nearly full size to a real motorcycle. I made the base it sits on and added wheels so I could move it around easier without picking it up - weighs about 100+ lbs. ( no I did not tell my cardiologist I was picking it up and carrying it on my own ( nor my son).  I sanded down through the assorted coats of paint to find what it was like when new color wise, straightened the bent metal and then put it back ( more then 50 wood screws hold the trim on). Still need to have seat cushions made . Paint I used was One Shot sign lettering enamel - brush it on with a good camel hair brush and it flows out with no brush marks , looks like porcelain enamel it so smooth!

[chistech]

That’s cool Walt. Excellent work.

[John Bloom]

That is fantastic, and I’ve never seen another one.  I think your physical labor during the restoration could loosely be described as rehabilitation, which I’m sure your cardiologist and son would want you to do.......  but let’s not tell them.

[Laughing Coyote]

Good job Walt.  Looks pretty cool.

[Walt G]

There was a similar one in the late Walter Miller's automobilia collection but that had some paint work on it that was done over the decades probably before he got it. As mentioned I repainted it to resemble what was there when first made which I matched when I sanded down through the coats of paint. Owners of fairground rides would use the winter time to restore to fresh looking condition their equipment so it would look "new" to customers when the season started up in the Spring. A friend who lives in Maidenhead, Berkshire in England worked for one of the companies that would "restore" the appearance of the rides for decades.

By the way the carousels/ merry go rounds in England rotate clockwise while those here in the USA rotate counter clockwise. The decorative trim is on the outside of the figure to attract the crowds and also reflect off the lights at night. inside is painted to match but minus the metal decorative trim.  More useless information ! But its fun!😃

This also lays in to a certain degree/angle, does not sit straight to give the feel/sense that the motorcycle is leaning in a bit to go around the curve as it rotates.

[John S.]

I've known Walt a long time, and he never ceases to amaze me on what interesting pieces he has in his collection. He is a top notch restorer. I have seen the motorcycle, It is much larger than it looks in the pictures. Beautiful work. John

[STEVE POLLARD]

Nice work Walt !

 

 

Steve