Hi Rich and Chris. You pretty much nailed it, Chris. I'd like to add a little more. Really does just come down to what you, Rich, like or want the board to look like. Restore it to make it look super clean and new or repair it to preserve its original, as-found condition. I think we too ofter misuse or too loosely use the word "restoration" to describe the work we do on some surfboards. Stripping the glass off and rebuilding the board with new materials to return it to its original condition, should not be called "restoration," but rather "reconstruction." Unfortunately, there really aren't any defined standards or guidelines for preserving vintage surfboards, like there is for historic buildings, antiques, etc. A repair job that is very careful to preserve all of the historic fabric or materials of the board (glass, pigment, fin, etc.), is probably a better definition of "restoration." That way the work of the original shaper and glasser are still preserved as part of the board's history.
Tom |
