Flexy Flyer

[Luther Oswalt]

I am planning to refurbish a Flexy Racer by the Flexy Flyer Company for some friends of mine and I am in need of some advice on the cleaning of the wood. The Racer is a wheel version of a Snow Sled with 4 wheels replacing the steel runners on a snow sled! The under side of the wood has the stenciled names of the company and the name of the “sled” and I don’t want to harm that in anyway. Finishing and cleaning the metal and wheels I don’t think will be a problem but I am concerned about the wood and specially the stenciling! So what is the best way to clean and then to preserve the wood. Thanks in advance!
Leo

[Greg Portland]

Does this have any inherent collectible value? If you remove the patina from the wood then you can greatly reduce the value. If it is collectible, consult a restoration expert.

If you just want to polish up the wood a bit, I've had good luck with the orange-glo (citrus) style cleaners & oils. I used that on old kitchen cabinets and it really made an improvement.

[Luther Oswalt]

No to Collector Value ... the folks just want to include in their family home as something they had as children but really do not want do much more than clean and paint the metal. I want to make sure I don't mess up the markings from the stenciling! I will carefully try your method as it sounds like something that is safe! Thanks! Leo