Hi BS,
I guess the fumes have gotten to you haven't they ? LOL !!
Not quite sure any of us will be able to clarify this issue, but you may be correct that they were painted white and then some handles were old finished stock and then had to be re-finished to suit the new livery that SB changed to.
Must admit that edgers are of no real interest to me personally as they are really out of date machines for the modern garden where units like the single wheel Atom Edgers are streets ahead and me personally I use a straight shaft Line Trimmer free hand. Not everyone's cup of tea I might add as it requires a rather steady hand but those older style Tilt a Cut type machines were designed for the lawns of the 1960's where you had concrete all around the edges for the machine to run on. We've now moved away from this type of landscaping and thus the machines are obsolete in the general domain.
I also feel that the Model 38 has become and overnight must have partner to a Model 45 owner simply because of the 45's rockstar status. The other item that's had a demand created is the optional edger attachment that can be fitted on the 45 and after most new owners fitted it and attempted to use it quickly found out it was a suicide piece of kit only to be removed and tossed aside within 10 seconds.
I'm not trying to discourage you from doing this project but simply warning you that they ain't all what they're cracked up to be.
Cheers,
BB.
