In MMDigest of 7 Jun 2003, Michael Pawelek asks,  "If I repaint will
I do more harm than good, or is this a bit more accepted on wind-up
music boxes?"

I would say that the general consensus is to strip of all of the old
paint from the bedplate and then repaint it.  You may need a strong
stripper, such as 'BIX', to get all of the grease and grime off of it.
You can rinse the cleaned bedplate in alcohol and let it dry
thoroughly.

I use an off-the-shelf gold spray paint (on the top and sides only).
Buy several brands and test them to see which is the best "gold" color
for you.  After the paint has dried, spray on a clear lacquer to
protect the gold paint from wear.

This process does no harm to the bedplate, nor will it have a negative
impact on the value of the piece and certainly it will make it look
nicer than leaving it the way you describe.

Caution: When you do this, you will potentially have a difficult time
placing the star wheel gantry, damper rail(s), the pressure bar and the
center spindle back in the correct position.  Several contributors to
MMD have previously addressed this issue.

Musically yours,

Bill Wineburgh
http://members.aol.com/WWineburgh/