Dealer’s Display Windmill
Built by Ralph Laughton in October 2008
Purchased over 20 years ago in a sorry state, this model was repaired at the time and was taken to a few meetings and shows. The model had none of the original bulbs and due to a shortage of supply of original lamps at the time, all the lamps were replaced with clear bulbs. This really detracted from the original model.
Earlier in 2008, when we decided to show it again, the signs of age were becoming apparent. Fading of the yellow parts was the most obvious problem. We decided to refurbish the model and embarked on several evenings of dismantling and recording the position of parts. Cleaning of the painted parts was accomplished with T-cut and all the zinc parts were cleaned using 0000 grade wire wool.
The model was reassembled and complete re-wire was undertaken using similar gauge and colour wire to that of the original. The acquisition of some original coloured lamps, by buying all the lamps we could find at the shows at the beginning of the year, resulted in the model you see today.