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Old 17th Apr 2018, 12:27 am   #1
petervk2mlg
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Default Sobellette 439 paint

Hi all,
I'm wondering if anyone has had experience stripping the paint from a factory painted Sobellette 439 radio. Does the paint come off easily?
I've tried removing the paint on some Australian painted bakelite radios and the job was impossible. The paint had been baked on and would not succumb to stripper.
Thanks
Peter

Last edited by petervk2mlg; 17th Apr 2018 at 12:28 am. Reason: typo
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 10:15 am   #2
ronbryan
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Default Re: Sobellette 439 paint

There is this thread on the Sobellette 439, which towards the end refers to a stripped set.
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=61440

You could try sending a PM to forum member IJK2008 to see if he remembers how he stripped his Sobelette.

Ron
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 11:31 am   #3
David G4EBT
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Default Re: Sobellette 439 paint

I imagine that given that the restoration in that thread dates back to 2010, it pre-dates the regulations restricting the sale for domestic use of dichloromethane, ('DCM) so paint strippers on sale back then such as Nitromors would have contained DCM, which will strip just about anything. (The present formulation is DCM free and nothing like as effective).

It's still permissible to use DCM based strippers under controlled conditions by trained staff in an industrial setting, but not for domestic use. (It's also used quite extensively for graffiti removal). In the UK, the two main DCM products are 'Paramose', and 'Langlow's Stripaway Pro'. Surprisingly perhaps, the latter can be bought on Amazon in the UK by the general public, but formulations that contain DCM are not sold by DIY stores and the like. Painstrippers that don't contain DCM are nothing like as effective.

The risks in using DCM aren't simply theoretical or as some would deride as 'elf 'n safety gone mad' but are very real. A lot of fatalities have arisen through lack of precautions or an understanding of the dangers to health, as a result of which restrictions apply throughout Europe and progressively elsewhere such as the States, and in Australia, as outlined here:

http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/pages...ride-in-a-tank

And here:

http://media.mofo.com/files/uploads/...t-Stripper.pdf

So it's more than likely Peter that whatever stripper you've tried on your Sobelette doesn't contain DCM and hence, isn't effective. You might like to explore whether or not you are able to obtain DCM stripper in Oz, and 'ride at your own risk'.

Given the age of the radio, I'd have thought that it would have been sprayed with nitro-cellulose paint, but if paint thinners have no effect on it, it may have been electrostatically powder coated, and baked on. I'm not sure when that process became widely adopted. (There was also 'stove enamelling' baked onto metal items and maybe Bakelite would also have stood that process?)

Good luck with it.
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 9:19 pm   #4
crackle
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Default Re: Sobellette 439 paint

Have you tried this; Fairy Power Spray
Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_2824.jpg
Views:	165
Size:	42.3 KB
ID:	161287
It makes a remarkably effective paint remover. Spray it on and leave it and the paint bubbles away, then scrub hard to remove residue.
I suppose it depends on what paint was used, but it works on the spray type paints you buy for DIY jobs.

Mike
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Old 18th Apr 2018, 11:46 am   #5
RobRusbridge
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Default Re: Sobellette 439 paint

Up pops Mr Unhelpful. I have stripped two Sobell Toasters in the last three years. The cream one was flaking very badly and only a little paint didn't come off when brushed with a dry scrubbing brush. The rest gave up very easily with DIY-shop paint stripper. The green one wouldn't strip straight away with the same stripper (paint not bubbling up), but I did discover that the stripper banjaxed the paint enough for me to get the thing clean with a little brass brush which was about the size and shape of a toothbrush. Go easy if you need the brush or you'll get a rough surface on the Bakelite. Most painted British radios strip easily enough. Stripped a few dozen in my time!
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Old 19th Apr 2018, 10:29 pm   #6
petervk2mlg
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Default Re: Sobellette 439 paint

Quote:
Originally Posted by David G4EBT View Post
I imagine that given that the restoration in that thread dates back to 2010, it pre-dates the regulations restricting the sale for domestic use of dichloromethane, ('DCM) so paint strippers on sale back then such as Nitromors would have contained DCM, which will strip just about anything. (The present formulation is DCM free and nothing like as effective).

It's still permissible to use DCM based strippers under controlled conditions by trained staff in an industrial setting, but not for domestic use. (It's also used quite extensively for graffiti removal). In the UK, the two main DCM products are 'Paramose', and 'Langlow's Stripaway Pro'. Surprisingly perhaps, the latter can be bought on Amazon in the UK by the general public, but formulations that contain DCM are not sold by DIY stores and the like. Painstrippers that don't contain DCM are nothing like as effective.

The risks in using DCM aren't simply theoretical or as some would deride as 'elf 'n safety gone mad' but are very real. A lot of fatalities have arisen through lack of precautions or an understanding of the dangers to health, as a result of which restrictions apply throughout Europe and progressively elsewhere such as the States, and in Australia, as outlined here:

http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/pages...ride-in-a-tank

And here:

http://media.mofo.com/files/uploads/...t-Stripper.pdf

So it's more than likely Peter that whatever stripper you've tried on your Sobelette doesn't contain DCM and hence, isn't effective. You might like to explore whether or not you are able to obtain DCM stripper in Oz, and 'ride at your own risk'.

Given the age of the radio, I'd have thought that it would have been sprayed with nitro-cellulose paint, but if paint thinners have no effect on it, it may have been electrostatically powder coated, and baked on. I'm not sure when that process became widely adopted. (There was also 'stove enamelling' baked onto metal items and maybe Bakelite would also have stood that process?)

Good luck with it.
Many thanks for your well considered and comprehensive reply David.
I don't have my Sobellette yet, but I'm looking forward to it.
Peter
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Old 19th Apr 2018, 10:30 pm   #7
petervk2mlg
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Default Re: Sobellette 439 paint

Quote:
Originally Posted by crackle View Post
Have you tried this; Fairy Power Spray
Attachment 161287
It makes a remarkably effective paint remover. Spray it on and leave it and the paint bubbles away, then scrub hard to remove residue.
I suppose it depends on what paint was used, but it works on the spray type paints you buy for DIY jobs.
Thanks Mike. I'm sure there is a similar product available here too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RobRusbridge View Post
Up pops Mr Unhelpful. I have stripped two Sobell Toasters in the last three years. The cream one was flaking very badly and only a little paint didn't come off when brushed with a dry scrubbing brush. The rest gave up very easily with DIY-shop paint stripper. The green one wouldn't strip straight away with the same stripper (paint not bubbling up), but I did discover that the stripper banjaxed the paint enough for me to get the thing clean with a little brass brush which was about the size and shape of a toothbrush. Go easy if you need the brush or you'll get a rough surface on the Bakelite. Most painted British radios strip easily enough. Stripped a few dozen in my time!
Many thanks, Rob,
Glad to "meet" you, by the way.
Peter
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Old 20th Apr 2018, 2:50 am   #8
petervk2mlg
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Default Re: Sobellette 439 paint

Quote:
Originally Posted by ronbryan View Post
There is this thread on the Sobellette 439, which towards the end refers to a stripped set.
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=61440

You could try sending a PM to forum member IJK2008 to see if he remembers how he stripped his Sobelette.

Ron
Many thanks for locating that thread for me Ron.

P
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