... you had a fire in your home which damaged, but did not destroy, the house? Would you repair/repaint the house? Or preserve the damage as part of your family "history"?

Seems to me I heard awhile back that experts cleaned/restored the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Happens all the time with famous artwork (which has value and "history" far exceeding anything our little hobby will ever have).

Pretty simple in my mind. Whoever owns it gets to clean it or not. I consider cigarette burns and smoke damage disfiguring defects; if they can be cleaned, I do. On the other hand, anyone who prefers the uncleaned appearance can certainly leave the burn/smoke/dirt, etc.

----- jim o\-S (much preferring the "21 chip" after cleaning)