Clean-up old MOBIL Sign....?

[whackywaxer]

My wife got me this great Mobil Sign for my garage. It seems to be enamel or porcelain......is it best to use wax or Armeral or some other product to clean it up......it has a slight hazing or white powdering mainly on the blue and red.
Any thoughts are appreciated. See attached picture

 

[d.mcfarland]

First, what's the plan to stop the rust?

 

[theoldwizard1]

You need to be very careful ! Collectors actually don't want it "too" nice (just leave the rust and try to store it in a dry place).

Mild detergent and water. I don't think I would apply wax or anything else.

 

[spongerich]

That chalkiness usually means that the paint has dried out. Even plain water may wash a lot of it away. I have a big Kendall sign and ended up washing a section down to bare metal. All I used was about an ounce of citrus cleaner to a gallon of water... pretty mild stuff and it still caused some damage. I'd carefully hit the rust spots with rust stabilizer and leave the rest of it alone.

 

[mitchtr25068]

Check the shop talk section on old gas.com. Just like garage journal, there's thousands of experts in a searchable online forum with recommendations. You can often spray some wd40 on to get a sheen. Some recommend bar keepers friend to clean, but others warn to try a small section first and wipe off quickly. Bottom line, I would post a picture of the sign and your questions and concerns on that site. Btw, that sign is worth some serious $, I'd think. Your wife got u a great gift.

 

[motorcycle79]

I would just wipe down lightly with glass cleaner or something light I like signs with a little weatherd look. Nice sign by the way wish I had one like that

 

[bob15]

Leave it alone. You can make it worse by trying to "fix" it up.

 

[bb1970]

That is a killer sign. It isn't faded paint. It looks to be porcelain. I've used fine rubbing compound on several porcelain signs. It will bring alot of color back to the sign. But many times that white haze remains as if were embedded in the colored areas especially blue. You can be more aggressive with a porcelain sign than a old painted sign. Without worry of rubbing through. I've even used lacquer thinner to remove paint from the face of a porcelain sign with no ill effect. Paint to touch up the face of the sign looks bad to me. You always see the rusted or chipped areas any how just leave them alone. Much of that rusty haze will come off even with simple wax. Maybe paint the frame and pole if you want to dress it up more. That old curb sign is probably a $1200+ sign.

 

[kbs2244]

I am not an expert on the value of these things.
But, like antique furniture, you can fix them up too much.

If you never plan to sell it, do what you like.
But I would put a light coat of car wax on it to prevent any more rusting.
Maybe add a bullet hole or two for a little more authenticity?

 

[Cryptic1911]

I wouldn't touch that thing at all. Leave it be, and let a collector buy it

 

[kid_charlie]

Dawn dish soap and warm water to clean. Polish with a cotton cloth and Meguiars. It's baked enamel, nigh indestructible other than to impact and sun-fading. A clean porcelain sign should not suffer decreased value. Grats on the treasure!

 

[Rodhotz]

Do not touch it unless you are going to keep it. That sign in that condition will bring as BB1970 said well over a grand in that condition, clean it and you will be lucky to get 800 bucks. Remember it is only original once in it's lifetime. Tell you what, i will trade you a new repop of that for that ol rusty one and even pay shipping for you to get it to me, then it solves your dilemma.

 

[premierplayer]

Dawn dish soap and warm water to clean. Polish with a cotton cloth and Meguiars. It's baked enamel, nigh indestructible other than to impact and sun-fading. A clean porcelain sign should not suffer decreased value. Grats on the treasure!

this /\ /\

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Don't get any wax or polish on the rust, or it will be impossible to get out ! Just wash it with soap and water. Patina is good on old things.

 

[whackywaxer]

Thanks for all the great comments ......I don't see myself ever selling it....I really think it has great character compared to a repro or restored one. What is a good rust stabilizer????? that could be used with out messing up the way this looks now.

 

[jwith68]

Great sign! Is it perchance on a large, round cast iron base with "Mobil", "Socony Vacuum Oil Co." & some other text cast into it? I have one of the bases, but unfortunately not the sign!

 

[Kevin54]

I'd clean it up with WD40. It will get rid of the chalking, it will deepen the rust color but also stop it somewhat from rusting more, without losing any of the "patina" that is now there.

 

[dnroe]

As others have mentioned porcelain signs are incredibly durable. I would wash it down with soapy water. It doesn't look like there are any rust stains on top of the porcelain but if there are I have had limited luck with 0000 steel wool to lightly polish the stains away. But be careful with steel wool especially on white areas as it can sometimes give it a gray tint. Lastly dry it off and wipe it down with some baby oil if you want to prevent further rust. The baby oil will make the colors more vibrant and give it a good shine.

 

[James E]

I can't believe it hasn't been said:

You ****.

Nice sign.