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Old 14th Mar 2019, 9:49 pm   #2
Uncle Bulgaria
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Join Date: May 2016
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 2,315
Default Re: Steel chassis resto How to ?

I don't know what it looked like when new, but if you want to get rid of the rust then oxalic acid, vinegar/salt, abrasives and elbow-grease are all good. You will remove some of the metal, of course, as it has already turned to iron oxide. If it was a painted finish then you'd need to get it back flat to remove the pitting first.

You can't 'restore' the metal, as if it's rusted then it's gone. If you want it shiny then rubbing it down and lacquering it would do. Galvanising is only worthwhile if the object is going to be in a corrosive atmosphere, and I would have thought was an unlikely finish for a radio chassis. No doubt experts here will show I'm wrong though!

Even shinier would be a metal plated finish - zinc or nickel. I had a bicycle electroplated with yellow zinc that got a lot of compliments. Other colours are available...
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