His customers find him largely through his Web site, where he posts pictures of finished projects as well as treasures waiting to be restored. The price of the restored appliances rival, and in many cases, exceed the price of a new high-end appliance. But before you decide to cash in for big bucks on grandma's old Philco, consider the work that goes into refurbishing an old refrigerator. The unit is completely disassembled, old insulation and wiring discarded. The box is stripped and gutted, with every piece meticulously catalogued, photographed and stored in a plastic bag.
Interior rust is sanded, dents and body damaged are repaired.
The box is then coated with two coats of primer and finished with a solvent-based enamel. If the appliance is old enough to be porcelain, it is sent out to be refinished and relined. Chrome racks are re-plated. Then the refrigerator gets new insulation, new coolant, new wiring and an overhaul of the mechanical system. The simplest appliances require at least 50 hours of labor to restore, with some more elaborate models taking up to 110 hours.