American Restoration – Reviving America's Home Built Treasures

by JIM "PAPPY" MOORE Associated Press

Rick restores old things and makes them look the way they once did. People bring him items which are typically anywhere from forty to one hundred and forty years old. The items almost always hold some personal value to the owner which goes far beyond the actual dollar value of the item.

In a typical episode, Rick and his crew may repair and restore several items, and we see parts of each story. Someone has a toy riding horse made in the 1960s. She wants it restored for her brother, who rode it as a child. Rick makes certain it looks and performs like it did the day her brother tore open a Christmas present fifty years ago and found his new riding horse.

Rick is helped by his son, Tyler, an affable if occasionally unfocused high school student. Other key crew members include: Rick's brother, Ron; a friend of Kyle's named Brettley; a cantankerous fellow named Kowboy; a worker named Kyle; and a lady who works in the office, Wendy. She was added to the cast most recently as what I like to call "the Danielle Addition." The History Channel's hit reality show American Pickers saw that their female member, Danielle, developed a following, so Pawn Stars recently added an interesting, attractive, charismatic female member to their staff. On American Restoration, Wendy has fulfilled that role for Rick and his crew.

American Restoration works with museums to repair and restore iconic items from days gone by. The quality of the original workmanship for such properties is usually far beyond what we normally see in today's world. The wood is solid wood with beautiful grain. It is not veneer. There are no plastic components. The metal used is thick and substantial. These are the things that Rick restores to the vitality they once showed.

Children's toys are a favorite, and I have seen a number of them I recognize from my childhood in the 1950s and 1960s. These include little red wagons, mechanical riding horses, and three wheel vehicles that were designed to look like a rocket ship.

Vending machines from the 1950s and 1960s are also big items. Think of how different those early vending machines were from what we see now. Imagine a refurbished Coke or Pepsi dispenser, the kind where bottles, not cans, were dispensed. Those heavy glass bottles full of cola would slide down into their slot, and we would grab one and pull it out. To my personal knowledge, there has never been a better cola out of a machine than those little Coca Colas that were six ounces and in slightly green glass. Pulling one of those out of a machine and drinking it straight down without stopping is one of my fond memories of those times.

American Restoration does a wonderful job of showing us old treasures made new again, and takes us on a little trip down memory lane every week.

2012, Jim Pappy Moore, All Rights Reserved.

Jim Pappy Moore is a native son of East Texas who still makes the piney woods his home. oaktreefm58@juno.com

Continued here:
American Restoration - Reviving America's Home Built Treasures