Marked “Highlander”

The surface was cleaned with first acetone to remove the oil based grime paying close attention to the stenciled decoration. The heavy black material on the oak arm was removed with the acetone exposing more stenciling reading; “ John Deere”.

Continued cleaning of the arm also exposed in more detail the John Deere logo and what appears to be the lettering: ‘GP 10“.

Distilled water was also used in the cleaning to remove the water soluble grime. The previously broken clevis also displayed traces of green paint. A resinous material was found on the reverse (logo) side which was not identified but is soluble in both acetone and ethanol. One suggestion is rosin.

An earlier repair to the left-proper handle (two screws and an adhesive) was left intact.

The wood surfaces surrounding or coming in contact with the corroded metal parts were taped off and shrouded in plastic. The heavily corroded metal components were further cleaned using a medium brush and CRC oil (a synthetic penetrating oil) to remove the surface corrosion. The excess CRC was removed and allowed to dry. Once dry, the metal surfaces were coated with a microcrystalline wax. This was then heated with a heat gun to achieve a sheen.

During the cleaning process, several runs of a bright orange paint was discovered. Some was easily removed, others remain. One ran through the painted logo. Using B-72 in diethylebenzene (10%) as an isolating and consolidating coating over the logo, the paint run was painted out (see below) with Maimeri colors (pigment in damar). The stenciled letters “Highlander” were also consolidated with the B-72 in diethylebenzene. No surface coating was applied to the wooden arm or handles.