Wayne Model 615 Gas Pump: Texaco Gas Station Paint Scheme – VGP6415

The Difference Between ArtFactory.com And Auction House Restorations

When showing off your new gas pump to a friend, family member, or client, the first thing they are going to ask you is if its an original. Answering yes to that question is impressive enough. The second question anyone is going to ask you is if the pump is working or not. Being able to answer yes to that question is the key unlocking "The WOW Factor". In fact, the importance between working, and non-working almost cannot be overstated. There are no instruction manuals for repairing these, so a mechanical restoration begins with first disassembling the entire pump, part by part. Photo's must be meticulously taken, and kept at each step of the process, so that a record is available of where each part goes when it comes time to put everything back together. Once the pump is apart, every working mechanical part must be cleaned, polishes, resurfaced, delisted, and refurbished to its original manufacture condition. Often times, a part will be beyond repair, and in these cases, the part, which is often times harder to find than the whole pump, must be found separately, and it can at times take months or even years for a needed part to come up for sale. As a last resort, if a part cannot be repaired or replaced, we occasionally have to lean on our master metal smiths to actually manufacture the part new. Simply put, most auction houses simply do not have the resources to bring one of these pumps back to working condition, which is one of the reasons that a "working condition" restoration is especially relevant.

Furthermore, our gas pump paint restorations are the best in the business, because of our attention to details, and the fact that we fully disassemble the pump, and paint even the parts that cannot be seen when the pump is in assembled condition. Repainting a classic gas pump is much like repainting a classic car, in that it can only be done properly if it is fully taken apart, and every part is painted fully, and individually. Since most auction houses do not have the resources to assemble, and disassemble pumps, most of their repaints are just touch ups of the original paint, and done only to parts of the pump that are always visible to the naked eye. This also requires that the pump remain with its original station paint scheme, and cannot be customized otherwise. To top it all off, our museum quality restorations, all of which are done under the supervision of award winning artist H.J. Nick, and receive his brass tag signature certification, always include all original, period correct, milk glass globe lights, and genuine vintage porcelain belly plate signs. These signs and globes are essential to the authenticity of the pump, and are collectible on their own. In fact, some milk glass globes are so rare, that they can at times eclipse the value of the pump itself. Because these signs and globes are so rare, auction houses almost always use reproduction globes and signage. However, at ArtFactory.com, we already have one of the largest selections of original collectible Petroliana signs and globes found anywhere in the world, and will often already have the necessary signage on hand before starting a restoration project.