drop toe prams

Drop toe prams seem to becoming very collectable, and although they have been around for some considerable time but are now quite rare. The advantages of a drop toe pram is that they can be used from birth until a child is around 3 or 4 years old as the front end of the pram drops down to allow an older child to stretch its legs. Some drop toe models were coachbuilt, others were made of canvas type material. Not many have survived as the drop toe mechanism was the weakest part of the pram and obviously because of the design these prams were well used. They also went out of fashion in the sixties when most people wanted a large coachbuilt pram and a pushchair as well. Previously families could only afford one pram and that had to last them several children and in the war years prams of all kinds were scarce and were only obtainable on special order.

If you are lucky enough to find a drop toe pram, then take care of it, it is quite a rarity! Any problems with the drop end mechanism may be able to be repaired, but depends on what the problem is and I am no expert on this so can't really offer any advice, except perhaps ask someone who is a bit of a handyman! A lot of the prams had wood bodies so it could be possible to remove the old wood and replace it then re-attach the drop toe hinges.

Let us know on the Blog if you have a drop toe pram, I know some of the ladies on the Preloved forums have them and their prams are stunners!

name that pram

I know this is a blog about restoration, but once you have got your pram do you know the make and model of it? Usually the maker's name will be shown on the pram body and sometimes on the handle as well. But unless you have a copy of the original sales receipt, or a brochure of the year the pram was made, you might not know the actual model name. Most manufacturers gave their prams a name, which often changed when the pram was offered in a slightly different way. For example, Silver Cross used the Antibes body shape for several of their prams, one example is the Wedgwood, so called because it has a Wedgwood plaque on the side.

Marmet chose regal names for its prams - The Queen is the one most sought after now.

If you don't know the correct name for your pram then why not give it one of your own choosing? On the Preloved Discussion board for pram restoration (to which I often contribute as they are a very friendly lot of people), lots of people have given their prams names, some amusing to say the least. But it is better than just saying "My Marmet pram", if you can give it a name. Men name their cars, steam trains have names, so why shouldn't we give our prams names too?

hood arms

I spent a long time today polishing up a pram that has been stored in a garage for a long time. When I had finished and tried to put the hood up I found the hood arms were not working properly! I decided to take them off to see what the problem was and the screws were all rusted. After a squirt of WD40 and a polish the screws were okay, so I set about putting the hood arms back, tightened up the nuts and bolts and they are fine now! It would appear that they just needed re-aligning as they had been put on incorrectly, so if you are having problems with hood arms then try this.

lubricants for loosening pram parts

If you are struggling to loosen nuts and bolts on your pram, or hood arms, or maybe parts on the chassis or wheels, then spray some WD40 on and leave for a few minutes then try to move the parts. If they are still stubborn and won't move, you may need to use Dismantling Fluid, this is used by car mechanics and is obtainable from car accessory shops or on E Bay. Usually the dismantling fluid will work on even the stubbornest parts. When using lubricants do take care to cover any fabric on your pram otherwise the oily substance will mark it. Also protect the floor of your working area as you don't want to slip on any spillage!

Remember if you are searching for a particular topic on here, then go to the top left hand side of the page and type in your search word, for example, hood, and then press return, you will then need to scroll down the page to find the relevant posts.

And please leave your comments, any useful hints you have tried, or ask any questions and I am sure someone will be able to help if I can't.

SUN CANOPY

If we ever get any hot sunny weather this summer, you will more than likely want to put a sun canopy on your pram. This will help keep baby from the glare of the sun and will also protect the hood on your pram from fading. Attach the canopy with the shorter side at the hood end of the pram, with the longer side going over the pram body, this way the pram bed is shaded more. With height adjustable canopies you can higher the canopy so it does not fit too near the baby, this is particularly important if your baby is sitting up. Vintage canopies often have fringing on them, be warned - when a breeze is blowing and the fringe is dancing around, your baby will find this fascinating and may even pull off the fringe if it is not securely attached!!!!

northern pram walk

On 16th July a group of us pram enthusiasts are meeting in Manchester for a prammie walk, the walk has been organised by Sam4prams on the website Preloved.co.uk. If you go onto the classifieds section and look for coachbuilt prams you should find more information, or look on Page 765 of the Forum, look under Children, then Pram Restoration and then click on Page 765 and you will see the information.

hood and apron shrinkage

If the pram apron seems as though it no longer fits properly then look back on the blog for information on how to remedy this, and also how to get the hood up if it has stiffened with age. To do this, go to the top left hand side of the Blog and find the box with the spyglass next to it. In the box type "hood and apron" and then press return, then scroll down the pages and you will find any relevant information. Use this search tip to help you find out any more helpful hints.

And if there is something you would like help with that is not shown on the blog, then get in touch with me and I will try to help.

The Pram Restoration booklet is now sold out except for the download version, it is not listed on E bay at the moment but if you would like a copy then please let me know and I can send one to your computer, the price is £5.95 on E Bay, but readers of the blog can have a special price of £4.50, payable by Paypal preferably, or if you don't have a paypal account then a postal order will be fine but then of course you have to wait until I receive it before I can e mail the booklet. With Paypal payments the booklet will be e mailed as soon as payment has cleared.