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Conservation vs Restoration vs Doing Nothing


Swedish MG Dog Sled  

11 members have voted

  1. 1. What to do with my Swedish MG Dog Sled

    • Do nothing
      8
    • Fix bulkhead only
      0
    • Fix bulkhead and address corrosion \
      3
    • Full restoration to like new
      0


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I'm in a little quandary on what to do. I have an original Swedish dog sled for my Swedish Kg m/37 BAR. There is a split in one of the interior bulk heads that I think I can fix with Accuglass without really doing much to change the looks. The dilemma I am facing is trying to figure out if I should address the corrosion inside the sled as can be seen in the pictures below. Addressing it would damage the original paint that has been there since before WW2. This is the only one in the US and one of only 3 known to exist outside of a museum (other 2 are in Sweden and Finland). I'm in the Texas' Gulf coast area so snow enough to ever use it will never occur and I do not ahve a dog to tow it anyway.

So what to do?

  1. Restore it to like new condition?
  2. Fix the bulkhead only?
  3. Address the corrosion area and bulkhead thus affecting the local original paint?
  4. Do nothing and let it be?

http://weaponblueprints.com/mongo/pictures/Swedish-Kgm37-sled-left-open-with-BAR-small.jpg

http://weaponblueprints.com/mongo/pictures/Swedish-Kgm37-sled-left-open-with-BAR3-small.jpg

http://weaponblueprints.com/mongo/pictures/Swedish-Kgm37-sled-left-open.jpg

http://weaponblueprints.com/mongo/pictures/Swedish-Kgm37-sled-right-closed2.jpg

http://weaponblueprints.com/mongo/pictures/Swedish-Kgm37-sled-bottom-closed.jpg

Edited by Mongo
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Mongo:

I vote for the partial restoration. Fix the split and touch up the paint, leaving as much original paint as possible. You should be able to match the color.

Are you familiar with "Ospho" a rust treating acid? Brushed on rusty metal it will stabilize the rust so it can be painted over. otherwise the oxidation will continue. Try it in a small area and see if you like the results.

That is certainly a unique piece, and a partial restoration will preserve it for another 75 years.

Good Luck

BPinFL

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First contact a museum and ask them for advice and perhaps assistance. If you need pm me and I will get you the numbers to the USMC Museum at Quantico. There are collectors who have restored Tanks, halftracks, jeeps, airplanes etc and I am sure they have all kinds of lessons learned they can share.

 

If it was mine, (after) getting expert advice, my goal would be to stop the rust by using something like PB Blaster catalyst. Keep it off the canvas. That will slow down the rust. I would keep the rusted areas even if I had to sand it down to stop it and then put renaissance wax over it. Only repaint where you have to, and keep the rust color somewhat if you can. The displays in the Quantico Museum look like they are in the field with "mud" etc. which are all fiberglass and paint.

 

Don't make it look "new".

 

FWIW I doubt "dogs" pulled anything. When I was in Norway we pulled similar sled (pulks and Akio's) and we were the dogs. Marines wore the harnesses and we both pulled and braked the sleds, with guys in front and back. We did it with ski's and snowshoes.

 

Good luck, Sandman1957

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Sandman, I agree that I do not think many dogs were used with these. Imagine skiing along and start taking fire and your dog gets smart and heads for the hills with your LMG in tow. The Swedes call them dog sleds but I guess that can infer the guy stuck towing it was a dog too.

 

The do nothing was my first thought but I was not sure with the rust that's on it.

Need to find someone that knows a good way to preserve it the way it is.

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  • 1 month later...

I would say leave it alone. Keep it some where that humidity is controlled. It is in original condition now and it never will be again if you tamper with it. Sounds like a rare piece and you would not want to do anything to alter it. Just my .02

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