The restoration of the Acworth Depot freight scales has been a exciting project at the Red Onion Press. We have learned a lot about the history of the scales, how it works and how old it is. Even though the Acworth Depot had gone through a couple of major changes over the years, the Howe Scales were built sometime after 1870 and before 1888, when the depot scale went through a major design change. See the transformation below:
Using a wire brush and etch to remove rust and grime from the columns
The scale parts stacked around our worktable
Repairing the wood damage involved replacing the floor boards and back board.
Solid oak boards that make up the frame of the scale held up well, but the thinner floor boards had to be replaced
3/4 inch oak floor boards were a good fit!
Each steel part had to be wire brushed, coated with rust remover and painted with an undercoat.
A lot of parts!
Including the columns
When we removed the rust on the scale plate we found the reference to the patent in bold letters.
The scale restoration so far. working from the bottom, we are now ready to attack the “cap” or top of the scale.