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Old 18th May 2017, 8:50 pm   #1
Tractionist
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Default Rubber Paint!

Brethren!

I'm currently working on a 'basket case' 1958 Nordmende 'Clipper' 0/601 - and like most of Nordmende early tranny portables [Transita's, Mambo's, Bambino's etc.] and several other manufacturer's sets .... it features a soft embossed plastic / leatherette / rubber [] perimeter case trim. These trims are invariably irredeemably stained with dirt/nicotine/rust mould and .... whatever awful glue/adhesive that they employed .... leaching through to the outer surface.

This particular one is the worst that I've ever encountered, and despite concerted efforts with all manner of cleaning agents [including bleach] it was always going to be an eyesore. I thought about spraying it with standard acrylic or cellulose paint or some 'plastic' paint .... but the thing is rather plyable and also of indeterminate chemical composition (I was therefore concerned about adverse chemical reaction and cracking etc. etc.).

Then I happened across Rust-oleum 'Peelable' soft touch temporary rubberised coating .... "adheres to metal plastic and glass". It comes in several colours but I used white [albeit that I have no idea how 'white' this thing was from new]. They say it's peelable {i.e. removable} for upto three months - and then full curing makes it totally permanent.

Anyway - I used it and was surprised at a) how thin it was - thereby not clogging or filling-in the decorative embossing, and b) how well it 'obliterated' quite prominent staining. Coats can be applied at twenty minute intervals [I used three] - and it's fully handle-able after an hour.

I'm very happy with the result - albeit that it currently almost looks 'too white' ..... but in my experience, all white rubber takes on a slight 'greyish' appearance after a relatively short time.

So far so good .............
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Old 19th May 2017, 8:27 am   #2
Nickthedentist
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Default Re: Rubber Paint!

That sounds an interesting product. Could we have before and after photos?

N.
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Old 19th May 2017, 7:33 pm   #3
marconi_pete
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Default Re: Rubber Paint!

Sounds like it's a good product to have around the workshop. Would love to see some pictures of your set. Maybe a before and after.

Thanks,
Peter
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Old 20th May 2017, 3:45 pm   #4
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Default Re: Rubber Paint!

O.K. By popular demand ! The first three shots are 'before' [but I had cleaned the back], and the second two are the on-going WIP 'after' I'd sprayed the perimeter trim:
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Old 20th May 2017, 5:16 pm   #5
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Default Re: Rubber Paint!

Post script: The last shot doesn't really display the fact that all the embossed detail is still there unclogged and 'crisp'.

These are neat little sets - this one is dated late 1958 .... and is therefore one of the German responses to the Bush TR82's etc. They feature pretty advanced circuit designs [e.g. intermediate IF transformers] and high quality components coupled with pretty good workmanship. I've worked on a few of these early Nordmende's and never had trouble with the 'Telefunken' germaniums .... yet!

All the electrical/chassis work is now done - and it sounds great and performs beautifully ..... with a very low quiescent. Altho' the set is a third of the size of a TR82 [but weighs no less!] I'm sure this performance is substantially because they used timber cabinets/cases.

Doubtless TR82's were hand-assembled .... but the construction of the Nordmende's [which use a PCB with a brutal trace - as opposed to the hard-wired TR82 pressed aluminium chassis] must have been incredibly labour-intensive i.e. fabricating the timber case / covering the same with leatherette etc. etc.

Finally, this set has one of the 'finest' air-vane variable tuning caps that I've come across in a while ..... with all the potential [actual!] shorting problems that this portends. That said - I seem to have problems with all the Nordmende AM tuning caps that I encounter !!!
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Old 10th Jun 2017, 5:41 pm   #6
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Default Re: Rubber Paint!

I've recently been experimenting with this stuff, and think I have discovered another use for it.
The rubber handgrip of my camera had degraded to the extent that it left he fingers black after use, and small chunks could easily be gouged from it with a fingernail - the sort of age-related deterioration we're all familiar with.
Just to see what would happen, I gave it three or four light coats of rubber paint. Not only has this stopped the black gunge from coming off on my skin, but it appears to have stabilised the rubber altogether. It's still fine three weeks later, but time will tell if this is a long-term solution. Certainly worth trying if you've nothing to lose, anyway.
I wonder if it would work on hardened turntable mats?
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Old 10th Jun 2017, 7:56 pm   #7
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Default Re: Rubber Paint!

I remain very impressed with it... but note [and don't forget] the delayed final/non-removal curing period. At the end of which/at that point, the real test [or proof] of long-term durability will commence eh?
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Old 11th Jun 2017, 12:42 am   #8
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Default Re: Rubber Paint!

I had meant to mention that it seems to be very 'searching/penetrating' - thereby [seeming] to stabilise the defective rubber sub-striates to which it's being applied ..........
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