"Restoration" vs "Preservation" vs "?"

[ggregg]

If your all about keeping the desirability as high as possible with collectors, then leaving them alone is probably the best option. However that means you are stuck with a bunch of shelf and floor queens that you can't do anything with other than look at.

Me, I like my sets to run and as we all know, that means capacitor replacement at the minimum, usually.

I've never had a set so valuable that I thought it prudent to restuff all the capacitors. I have restuffed some electrolytics so the top of the chassis looks original, but I've never been too concerned about what it looks like underneath as long as the work was good and safe. However if I had an extremely rare set, I would probably restuff all the paper caps also.

As far as finish goes, I try to buy sets in very good condition so I don't have to do anything to them. I like a little patina so a scratch here or a ding there doesn't really bother me. Although I do have an 8TS-30 that has a bunch of poly or something gooped on it that I'm going to have to do something with someday.

If you have to, using Howard's or something similar is fine and only refinish as a last resort. I've refinished enough sets to know that I don't really like to do it although my wife has gotten pretty good at it and likes to do it so problem solved if I come across something rough that I want.