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Old 27th Jan 2023, 1:17 pm   #3109
pmmunro
Octode
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Dundee, UK.
Posts: 1,797
Default Re: AVO Multimeter survey

Quote:
Originally Posted by stickfly View Post
Many thanks for the extra information everyone.
Dave, I know I'll probably upset some purists here regarding the wooden boxes but :
I wouldn't worry too much Gary.

One of the main reasons I have for colllecting Avometers (and I have a few) is to trace their detailed history and for this reason I would take a curator's approach, but not to the extent of leaving any which could reasonably be restored to working condition, unrepaired - using original materials.

Professional museum staff seem to place more emphasis on leaving artifacts "as found" but that may detract from the available information as much as preserve it. I suspect that some of the incentive for "purity" may be that many museums have neither the knowledge nor the ability to carry out a valid restoration. There is a large centre lathe in the Royal Scottish Museum which is missing part of its saddle and has no toolpost. Without these, you need to know that something is missing to understand the exhibit. It needs an intelligent approach and, as in engineering, there is no single correct answer.

Have a look at http://sparkmuseum.com and go to page "Restoration of the Marconi Multiple Tuner" and see what you think. Is the before or after condition more informative about the equipment? I find the telegraph instrument restoration work of Fons Vanden Berghen very attractive and would think it does much to attract interest, but he's destroyed no end of "patina"!

You could also argue that your meter is not a museum piece. It is still a working instrument which should be repectfully maintained - and used!

I once made an Admiralty style wooden box, pianted RAF grey, for a ex-Air Ministry Type 'D' Avometer for someone else. I made it look as near to what such a thing might have been had the Air Ministry specified it but discreetly marked it as a "reproduction" so that here was no ambiguity about is "provenence".

PMM
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