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Vintage Telephony and Telecomms Vintage Telephones, Telephony and Telecomms Equipment |
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16th Aug 2018, 12:42 pm | #1 |
Retired Dormant Member
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Getting paint off Bakelite
Is there something Bakelite friendly that you can use to remove paint? I was thinking of using nail polish remover, would this do any damage to Bakelite?
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16th Aug 2018, 12:56 pm | #2 |
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Re: Getting paint off bakelite
Mark 1 finger nail or old credit card. A "plastic" wire pan scrubber if you're careful.
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16th Aug 2018, 4:49 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
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Re: Getting paint off bakelite
A tip I was given (and which I have successfully used to remove paint from telephone parts) is to soak them overnight in a strong solution of biological washing powder (must be the 'bio' type). The paint is then a lot easier to rub off.
As far as I know this does not harm bakelite. |
16th Aug 2018, 5:42 pm | #4 |
Octode
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Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
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Re: Getting paint off bakelite
I use paint stripper. Of the various brands I've used over the years none have done any harm, in fact the Bakelite usually looks very good indeed afterwards.
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16th Aug 2018, 5:56 pm | #5 |
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Re: Getting paint off bakelite
Bakelite is pretty tough stuff, most cleaning solutions will not harm it. If the paint displays a propensity towards flaking, ie the surface was not degreased properly before the paint was applied, then flaking it off or scraping it off bit by bit with something that will not scratch the bakelite would be my favoured method. Otherwise use paint stripper.
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16th Aug 2018, 7:19 pm | #6 |
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Re: Getting paint off bakelite
Fingernails harden up to a more useful level for this job if you've just done a messy job like an oil change.
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16th Aug 2018, 7:28 pm | #7 |
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Re: Getting paint off bakelite
i often remove paint from early plastic and use caustic soda,do not use on aluninium
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17th Aug 2018, 2:22 pm | #8 |
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Re: Getting paint off Bakelite
I've used Nitromors on a Bakelite Bellset (No:26) to good effect, followed by a good waxing-up with furniture beeswax. Greygate polish is probably best as a finish but I didn't have any.
The bellset had several layers of paint on it.
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19th Aug 2018, 9:40 pm | #9 |
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Re: Getting paint off Bakelite
Thanks for all your help, sounds like nail polisher remover wouldn't do much damage.
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