Of the two Lionel J-36 semi-automatic keys I received a week or so again, I have them both in great shape. It's simply amazing how well they both cleaned up — the photos made them look pretty hopeless, which is likely why they didn't bring much on eBay.
They look nearly right-out-of-the-box new once I cleaned them up. They don't show a lot of wear, either.
The Lionel J-36 had a thin plastic celluloid label that heat would warp and eventually destroy. Of the two J-36s I received, only one had any label remaing — the letter “L” Lionel logo was the only piece remaining on one bug.
On the other J-36, there was nothing left but the five little pins that held the original label down. I decided to put this bug back into 1942 full military form!
I found a web site that had a reproduction label you could download, print and put on your J-36. It's a pretty good replica, too.
I printed some of them out on a sheet of paper. Some collectors laminate them or use thick packaging tape to do some “homebrew” laminating of the label. I took my sheet of labels to my local copy shop, had them laminate the entire sheet, then they cut each label out for me.
They did a fine job of it, too.
I then used a Sharpie to blacken the edge of the paper label on each one I had done. I created a template of the label and matched the holes up. It worked like a charm!
The J-36 label looks stock, and boy howdy, it looks mint now! I'm very proud of my purchase. I need to fabricate a new paddle for the other one, and add a label, and then it too will be complete.
No one makes a stock replacement paddle for the J-36. Vibroplex still has the triangular shaped bakelite paddles for its bugs (I ordered a couple earlier this week, along with the knobs). I bought some plexiglass with the hope of making paddles that match the J-36's unique shape. The only drawback is the plastic is shiny, and won't look “vintage”, but that's ok, I can handle that.
You're still getting a piece of American history with one of these rare bugs.
I ordered a bunch of parts from Vibroplex earlier this week, along with the Vibroplex 100th anniversary book.
While on the phone with Betsy at Vibroplex, I asked about the new 100th anniversary bug. I'm all hot for one of these collectibles because they are being limited to a run of 250 units, and about half are sold now. They feature a power coated base painted black with gold pinstripining, resembling the original “black japanned” finish of 100 years ago, complete with the gold leaf pinstriping. It's one beautiful key!
I have a couple of bugs that have had the pinstriping worn off, and I'm thinking of refinishing the bugs myself. Heck, I want them to look like new! I could either use a real black laquer finish, or I could use the old black japanned finish. There's a formula that dries hard and doesn't need stoving, which is nice.
I don't know about my skills at pinstriping, but I would be willing to learn.
Anyway, I've decided I'm going to create an online museum for my bugs. Watch for details!