[Uncle Bulgaria]

Ahoy,

I've recently got the above from Freecycle and am trying to get it going. There's rust and a very tatty case, and as it's to go in my hi-fi setup I'd like to get it pretty nice and polished without entirely removing its character.

I have removed all the chassis and run them through the dishwasher which has brought them up a treat. I am about to start on the component checking, and replacing the Bulgin plug with the Bulgin-made IEC that fits the same holes (PX0579).

I have a few samples of material on the way to see if they will be suitable to recover the case. That '50s olive green is not my bag... I've powder-coated my Lenco turntable RAL Signal Yellow! I digress.

While I am relatively experienced in the practical side of things (valve safety, soldering, manual dexterity) and have a basic understanding of valve circuits, I have near zero experience of how to treat tape decks.

The top plate of the 4A is pretty good, apart from some rusty screws and general grime.

Questions (see pictures):

1 - What do you all think the best approach is to getting the top plate and controls cleaned up? Should I a) go wild: remove everything from below, replace the screws, clean the plate, disassemble and lubricate the motors and get everything shiny. b) remove a screw at a time to identify & replace, in order to avoid having to relocate everything on the top plate, but make it harder to clean?

2 - What to do about the grimy tape transport area? Should this be removed to clean or is it toothbrush and isopropanol? What should I be careful of touching/not touching in this area?

3 - The felt pads look shot. What should I do about it?

Thank you for any advice. I have got the Manual and a tape head cover from Ferrograph World already...