Refinishing and painted cases

[RIrvingbas]

Hi list,
 
 I have a customer with an old S&S model K upright. When I walked into her
 house for the first time, I saw that it had been “refinished” by being painted
 over with high gloss white enamel house paint. Needless to say, the action was
 shot, a fact which I only found out after having to pry loose all the case
 parts. I warned her what would happen to those pretty edges when I separated
 the parts. It was just like when you go into an old house to discover the
 windows painted shut. It was a splendid time, I’ll tell you. I guess my
 question is, who else has seen refinishing like this, and how do you keep a
 straight face when you do see it? What should my reaction be, and what is the
 best way to be diplomatic about it?
 
 Ray