Are you even equipped to repaint a machine properly? The quality of a paint job is an important part of the equation, so are you planning on tearing down the entire machine, media blasting its frame and other painted components to clean, bare metal, properly prepping the surface for paint, and then priming and painting it using an air sprayer? Or are you just planning on painting over the rust without even disassembling the typewriter?

A professionally restored typewriter can only increase in value. An amateur repaint would decrease it.

TypewriterGuy wrote:

by amateur Im guessing drip marks, and such, uneven lines, etc.?

Valiant and I know of a guy who repaints the typewriters he buys at auction for the express purpose of selling them. He is proof of the validity of the 'greater fool' theory; despite having ruined many a machine by painting over decades worth of patina, he still manages to sell these typewriters.I hope for the buyers' sake that they never figure out just how terrible their purchase decisions were. Below is an example of his handiwork. 

He didn't want to paint the paper table because "it would have covered over the decal." He wasn't as bothered with painting over the badge on the ribbon cover though.


It makes me cringe to think some poor person out there bought this Quiet De Luxe painted primer red. And I'm puzzled by why they would have paid a higher than average price for this Royal, one that had been repainted using the lid from a peanut butter jar to mask the decals on the back of the typewriter. 


As you can see, sadly there was still enough paint left over from the Skyriter to do the Royal.
 

TypewriterGuy wrote:

Wow. Thats what you meant. If I were ever going to repaint, I would repaint it the same exact color, not a different one. I would repaint it, like that guy with the Underwood 5

The photos weren't detailed enough, but I think he just painted over what was already there, which is also what I was talking about.
 

You may have misunderstood. My point was that I think the person you referenced to (the owner of the Underwood 5) painted over the existing paint, which is another example of an unprofessional paint job.