WAYS TO "SPIFF-UP" BAKELITE RADIOS.

EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN GAME PLAN, AND I AM NO DIFFERENT, BUT MY PLAN WILL HELP REMOVE ALL BUT THE DEEPEST SCRATCHES. IT WILL WORK ON PAINTED RADIOS IF YOU ARE RE-PAINTING. MOST BAKELITE PANELS AND RADIO SHELLS HOLD UP VERY WELL OVER TIME. HOWEVER, BAKELITE IS A "THERMOSETTING" PLASTIC MATERIAL, WHICH MEANS THAT ONCE THE ITEM HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE MOLD, YOU CANNOT RE-MELT THE ITEM TO IT'S ORIGINAL LIQUID STATE. IT IS THIS CHARACTERISTIC WHICH MAKES BAKELITE DURABLE. IF THE ITEM BREAKS OR CRACKS, THE REPAIR- NO MATTER HOW SKILLFULLY DONE, WILL ALWAYS BE WEAK.

THIS RADIOLA CABINET, EVEN THOUGH IT IS MISSING A PIECE, MAKES A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR THE DEMONSTRATION. THIS RADIO SPENT UNTOLD NUMBER OF YEARS IN A WELDING SHOP. THE SPEAKER HAD SO MANY HOLES IN IT THAT IT WAS A WONDER THAT IT COULD REPRODUCE SOUND AT ALL. THE RADIO HAD IT SHARE OF SCUFFS AND SCRATCHES. IN BAKELITE, THESE ARE EASILY HANDLED BY SANDING WITH "FINISHING PAPER". FOR UNUSUALLY DEEP SCRATCHES, YOU CAN START WITH "320 GRIT", ON LESSER SCRATCHES, YOU CAN USE EITHER "400" OR "600" GRIT FINISHING PAPER. WHICHEVER GRADE PAPER YOU STARTED WITH, PROGRESS TO FINER GRITS IN STAGES UNTIL YOU HAVE REACHED AT LEAST AN 800 GRIT, OR FINER. THE SCRATHES LEFT BY PAPER THIS FINE WILL HAVE THE ROUGH AREAS OF THE SCRATCHES SHALLOW ENOUGH, THAT WHEN POLISHED WITH WAX, IT WILL ACHIEVE THE SAME LEVEL OF REFLECTANCE AS THE REST OF THE PIECE. IT IS THE ROUGHNESS OF THE SCRATCH THAT MAKES IT VISIBLE. YOU WILL KNOW WHEN TO SWITCH PAPER GRADES WHEN ALL OF THE SCRATCHES/SCRATCHING LEFT BY THE PREVIOUS GRADE OF PAPER ARE GONE. ON DEEP SCRATCHES IT IS WISE TO WORK OUTWARD FROM THE SCRATCH A SMALL DISTANCE TO "AVERAGE" OUT THE DIFFERENCE IN SURFACE LEVEL. IN ADDITION TO WORKING OUT FROM THE SCRATCH FOR THE PURPOSE OF AVERAGING THE SURFACE LEVEL, YOU SHOULD TRY TO "FEATHER" THE EDGES OF THE WORK AREA TO CAMOFLAUGE THE AREA WHERE THE DAMAGE OCCURRED. THERE ARE SEVERAL TYPES OF FINISHING PAPER, AND THEY ALL WILL WORK WELL. IF DUST IS A CONCERN, USE SOME WATER AS A LUBRICANT. WHEN THE SCRATCH HAS BEEN REMOVED, YOU SHOULD HAVE A FAIRLY SMOOTH SURFACE, THAT IS DULL. NEVER USE STEEL WOOL! IT WILL SCRATCH IN WAYS THAT CANNOT BE CONTROLLED.

ALSO GIVE THE CABINET OR PANEL A THOROUGH CLEANING FIRST, USING AN OLD TOOTHBRUSH TO GET INTO THE CREVICES, AND CORNERS. ONCE THAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED: APPLY A GOOD COAT OF A HARD WAX, SUCH AS "JOHNSON'S PASTE WAX", WHICH CAN BE PURCHASED AT MANY WOODWORKING STORES. HARD WAX HAS A VERY SLIGHT ABRASIVE EFFECT, WHICH IS NEEDED FOR POLISHING. THE WAX ALSO LEAVES BEHIND A THIN LAYER OF WAX THAT WILL BUFF TO A SATINY LUSTER.

SHORT OF NEEDING A LITTLE SCRUBBING IN THE GROOVES ON THE TOP, THE CABINET LOOKS MUCH BETTER THAN IT DID.

This Antique Radio Webring site owned by John McPherson.
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