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Hints, Tips and Solutions (Do NOT post requests for help here) If you have any useful general hints and tips for vintage technology repair and restoration, please share them here. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

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Old 25th Aug 2007, 11:24 am   #1
af024
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Smile Hacker RP18 etc Rear Plastic Grille Repair

Hacker RP18 Rear Plastic Grille Repair

I’ve never come across an intact Hacker rear plastic grille before. Isn’t it always the case that the plastic studs are broken and the thing is hanging off?

After much pondering and fiddling about, I’ve finally come up with a decent method of repair that certainly worked for me ….

• Cut off the remaining stumps flush with the underside.
• Prepare some metal pegs (I made some from the shafts of some panel pins).
• Drill in the exact centre of where the original stumps were - about 1.5 - 2mm depth (don’t go right through now!). I used a number 53 drill which gave a really tight fit for the pegs I’d made.
• Dob a touch of Superglue to the end of each peg and squeeze home using something like mole grips and a block of wood (don’t apply too much pressure of course – no sense in splitting the grille).
• I managed to source some white plastic cotton buds which had exactly the right external diameter. The internal diameter was also a snug fit over the pegs. [I wonder if you can get black ones for the black grilles?]
• Anyway, I cut bits off the cotton bud shafts (just slightly longer than the protruding pegs (0.5mm or so)), dobbed a touch of Superglue over the pegs and slipped over the pieces. The 0.5mm excess allowed more squeezing to take place (again with the mole grips and a block of wood). This gave a flush top and a perfect all round contact finish at the base.
• Having repaired all damaged studs, I used a sponge soaked in satin black cellulose paint and dobbed the mesh at the back of the set to get rid of the sun-faded square patches (sorry I didn’t do a before photo – just an after). When dry, I then used contact adhesive in the holes and on my new pegs before bringing the two halves together.
• I applied some good old fashioned weights for a good few hours and bingo – a perfect repair resulted.

I must say that I am really quite pleased with the result .

PS Thanks for the turntable Howard – just the ticket! It’s featured in one of the photos.

How do you do yours (sorry, that sounds a bit like a cream egg ad.)?



Andy
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Old 25th Aug 2007, 11:35 am   #2
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Default Re: Hacker RP18 etc Rear Plastic Grille Repair

Final batch of photos ...
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Old 25th Aug 2007, 11:40 am   #3
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Default Re: Hacker RP18 etc Rear Plastic Grille Repair

OK, so there are more (sorry) ...
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Old 25th Aug 2007, 11:41 am   #4
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Default Re: Hacker RP18 etc Rear Plastic Grille Repair

I got a bit out of order there (sorry), hopefuly it all makes sense.

Regards,


Andy
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Old 25th Aug 2007, 4:59 pm   #5
Brian R Pateman
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Default Re: Hacker RP18 etc Rear Plastic Grille Repair

Nice work Andy!

And obviously of benefit if you have a spare isolating transformer and some heavy test kit about.

(A similar repair to this once caused an innocent Avo 8 to become superglued to the top of my bench)!

Regards,
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Old 25th Aug 2007, 8:42 pm   #6
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Default Re: Hacker RP18 etc Rear Plastic Grille Repair

Hello Andy,

I'm impressed with the way you fixed that rear grille. I did once do something similar, with metal posts, but I pushed them into the surface of the plastic with a soldering iron so they were melted in place. It worked fine but usually I simply trim away some of the rexine from around the holes, seal the exposed wood with diluted wood glue and then fix the grille back with spots of araldite or Uhu glue. I redye the piece of cloth with black Kiwi scuffcote.

I'm glad to have been able to help you out with spares for your RP18, soon hopefully it will feature in Success Stories ?

Howard
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Old 26th Aug 2007, 4:31 pm   #7
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Default Re: Hacker RP18 etc Rear Plastic Grille Repair

Thanks for the 'well dones'. Yes, you can't beat ye good olde isolating transformer as a paper weight. I did laugh about glueing an AVO8 to the bench though (I bet you didn't).

Thanks for your approach too Howard. One thing I would say about my method though, and that's that it took absolutely ages!

Yes thanks for the bits Howard - I just need a control knob now and that's that.

Nice sets for sure.

Cheers,


Andy
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Old 27th Aug 2007, 7:55 am   #8
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: Hacker RP18 etc Rear Plastic Grille Repair

Nice job indeed, Andy. I did something like that with the badge on a Sovereign.
All we need to devise is a way to make these grilles when they are (usually) missing!
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Old 27th Aug 2007, 1:59 pm   #9
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Default Re: Hacker RP18 etc Rear Plastic Grille Repair

Yes quite!!

In both black and white.

Cheers,

Andy
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