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-   -   Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !! (https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=138802)

Nibor81 7th Aug 2017 3:07 pm

Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
3 Attachment(s)
Hi,

This is my first post on this very interesting forum and I am hoping someone will be able to point me in the right direction.

I have a 1960's Phillips portable valve stereo record player which really works very well and appears to be in relatively unmolested condition - I have owned it for about five years and it is kept in a dry and warm room.

It is a Phillips AG- 9115/95 model and sees to be quite rare. The attached photos show images of the player for reference.

My concern is that the covering was separated in places from the base cabinet producing a wrinkled effect - which detracts from the overall otherwise excellent condition.

I would now like to try and somehow smooth out the wrinkles but internet searches have not been very fruitful.

I am sure that this issue must have affected many cabinets and I am hoping someone will be able to provide some tips on how to restore the covering.

First thoughts centre around syringing perhaps PVA glue into each wrinkle and then use a small roller to smooth the wrinkle out.

Has this been a successful approach in the past?

Or perhaps is it worth taking the player to a professional restorer? would it be worth it?

One of the photos shows a close up of a wrinkled panel.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Many thanks in anticipation.

tracypaper 7th Aug 2017 3:42 pm

Re: Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
Hi.
Welcome to the forum.
Depending on how brave you are and if the original covering is cloth backed, use a steam iron!
I cover the area with a sheet of photo copy paper and iron over with a warm to hot iron (no steam) paying particular care not to touch any uncovered areas, the heat softens the original glue and re-sticks the covering.
Start of with low heat and only keep the iron on for a second or two, you will eventually work out the correct heat and amount of time you leave the iron on as you get braver.
Good luck.
Gaz.

Guest 7th Aug 2017 4:03 pm

Re: Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
Hair dryer? The cheap little ones can be made hotter by blocking off some of the intake with ones hand. I was going to suggest a heat gun, but that may be too fierce.

Audio1950 7th Aug 2017 4:06 pm

Re: Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
Good advice above, but if that doesn't work for whatever reason, then your initial thoughts regarding PVA and a syringe are spot on. I use this method often. You can't use the PVA neat, as it's too thick to be drawn up the needle, so I put a couple of spoonfuls in a mug, and add warm water, a drop at a time, until the mixture is thin enough to be drawn into the needle. On no account be tempted to slit the material to get adhesive in, the cut line will look worse than the bubble did!

Barry

Nibor81 7th Aug 2017 4:34 pm

Re: Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
Thank you all so far for your suggestions - I will wait a little longer to what other responses come through before trying any of them. Softly, softly seems to be the approach trying the least invasive procedures first may be the way forward.

Cheers - Robin

Refugee 7th Aug 2017 4:39 pm

Re: Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
I would not be tempted with the iron.
It looks like soft vinyl and is not as durable as regular speaker cloth. The iron may smooth out the texture before it sticks back down.
I would take the back off or even take the deck out to gain access to a bit at the edge that will not matter if it gets damaged and try various methods to soften the existing glue or add some new glue but wait over night to see if it soaks through to the finish before committing to the repair.

bobskie 7th Aug 2017 11:21 pm

Re: Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
I would personally have gone with the hairdryer route too, give it a go and see if it helps I can't see it damaging anything unless you hold it too near for too long, though I'm no expert.

tracypaper 8th Aug 2017 1:50 pm

Re: Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
The covering in question looks like Rexine to me and should be cloth backed as most players from the era used this, later fidelity players used paper backed. The stripped darker grey material does look like some kind of speaker cloth and is a totally different kettle of fish.
The Iron does sound a drastic measure but it has worked every time for me, as Refugee suggests (and I perhaps should have) find an inconspicuous piece under the deck and try the methods suggested.
Gaz.

Nibor81 10th Aug 2017 5:16 pm

Re: Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
Once again many thanks for all your help and advice.

I tried the hair dryer approach, starting off with gentle heat and gradually increasing it, smoothing the covering onto the wooden base with a microfibre cloth in order to get some heat to soften / melt any glue that might be on the surface of the base.

I then weighted down the folded cloth over the wrinkles with books etc and left for at least three hours.

The result was that there was complete success where there was perhaps some rectivateable glue under the covering but in the remaining cases I think it is going to have to be the syringe and some diluted PVA glue.

I did try a small travel iron on an unseen area and again where there was glue it stuck OK. I was concerned, though, that too much heat would erase the embossed pattern.

Once again thank you all for your input.

Robin

crackle 10th Aug 2017 8:39 pm

Re: Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
Are you sure it was not a foam backed covering and the foam has gone to dust leaving the covering loose.

Mike

Nibor81 11th Aug 2017 10:50 am

Re: Wrinkled Covering - Please Help !!
 
Mike.

Thanks for your interest in this problem. From what I can see from removing the speaker back panel and looking at where the covering has been folded over and glued down I don't think the covering material was foam covered.

However it is a possibility I had not thought of so thanks for the suggestion.

Cheers
Robin


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