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Old 10th Jul 2008, 6:04 pm   #1
mark pirate
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Default To strip or spray?

Hi all, i have just repaired my portadyne princess, now i have to start on the cabinet, the bakelite is in very good condition (underneath the terrible paintwork) So do i strip the paint & polish up the bakelite or respray it cream?
i think these were available unpainted with brown knobs & gold speaker mesh.
If i respray it what should i use for primer? will car acrylic spray be ok?
Btw picture of set looks better than it is
Cheers
Mark
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Old 10th Jul 2008, 6:30 pm   #2
PJL
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Car acrylic has worked for me...it looks pink but I assume that is your camera? Either way you will need to strip it so why not make a decision then..Peter
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Old 10th Jul 2008, 6:40 pm   #3
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Yes best strip if for a prof finish before spraying or you will wish you had done .Dont you need what they call an etching primer ? like on Aluminium to help it stick better
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Old 10th Jul 2008, 7:46 pm   #4
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Hi Mark. I have one of these but I decided to strip it back to brown rather than re-spray.

The paint came off quite easily in warm, soapy water. I just need to find 3 brown knobs now!

Cheers. SimonT.
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Old 10th Jul 2008, 8:19 pm   #5
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

You will need to strip the old paint off anyway.

Once it's off have a good look at the bakelite. Some manufacturers used different bakelite formulations for their painted sets for some reason, which don't look right unpainted. Sometimes you will find the bakelite is scratched, either to provide a key for the paint or because of accidental damage.

If the bakelite looks right and is undamaged there's no reason why you shouldn't just polish it up rather than repainting.

I've found car acrylic adheres to bakelite well without any fancy priming, but I'm a bit of a bodger It's stopping the stuff running that's difficult.

Paul
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Old 10th Jul 2008, 9:27 pm   #6
mark pirate
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Thanks to all for your suggestions, I will try the hot soapy water method to remove the old paint, but you can bet i will be left with some stubborn bits
has anyone used nitromors on bakelite? if so does it affect the finish?
as already said, all the old finish will have to be removed first.... then i will see how well it will polish up (out with rubbing compound & T-cut ) if it turns out well, will just re-spray knobs & grille.

Mark
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Old 11th Jul 2008, 7:46 am   #7
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Mark
I'd be a bit wary of Nitromors or any sodium hydroxide based stripper - bakelite is porous and you might not get rid of all the stripper. Might be worth trying cellulose thinners on a small part?
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Old 11th Jul 2008, 8:03 am   #8
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Quote:
...if it turns out well, will just re-spray knobs & grille.
I have an Ultra T401 and like you the paint had to go:-

http://www.thevalvepage.com/radios/u...1/ultrat40.htm

It's white control knobs actually look rather nice against the dark bakelite ! If the speaker grill isn't rough, then wait to see what the set looks like - you may well find it looks nice too without having to respray it.

TTFN,
Jon
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Old 11th Jul 2008, 9:17 am   #9
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

I had a Ferranti 546 which had lost most of its paint. When I removed the remainder of the paint prior to a respray, I was greeted by a beautiful gloss black cabinet. Even better than this, the knobs were a butterscotch catalin under the original paint. All of this, combined with the gold herringbone grill cloth, produced a simply stunning effect.
Admittedly the bakelite was not quite of the best standard (since it was intended to be painted) but I decided to leave it in its natural finish.
Neil
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Old 11th Jul 2008, 10:14 am   #10
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

I use Nitromors to strip paint from bakelite when it won't come off with soap and water. It certainly doesn't do any major damage, but it's impossible to know what the bakelite would have looked like *without* the Nitromors.

If the paint won't come off you have little choice but use it.

Paul
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Old 11th Jul 2008, 10:35 am   #11
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Is Nitromors caustic soda or methylene chloride based? Both are effective paint strippers but caustic is water based while methylene chloride is a solvent.
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Old 11th Jul 2008, 10:40 am   #12
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ppppenguin View Post
Is Nitromors caustic soda or methylene chloride based? Both are effective paint strippers but caustic is water based while methylene chloride is a solvent.
Methylene chloride: http://www.henkel-technical-services...DS/10371TD.pdf

Paul
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Old 11th Jul 2008, 8:09 pm   #13
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Sorry I'm a little late catching this one - been out of touch for a few weeks.
For the record, I've stripped a Little Maestro Bakelite cabinet using Nitromors and I found the underlying Bakelite surface to be perfect with a brilliant gleam. So I'd say Nitromors is OK in my experience - but ensure a really thorough washing, especially in recesses and inside angles.
You can clean with meths, which should help neutralize the stripper action - but I'm sure that others more knowledgeable than I can comment on this point. Stubborn paint in corner angles can be persuade to release its grip using matchsticks (Swan pipe-smoker's or cooks long matches are easier to hold, de-headed of course!). Sharpen the ends into required shape and work the stripper into the resistant paint with the stick ends.
Good luck.
-Tony
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Old 11th Jul 2008, 10:23 pm   #14
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Thanks again for everybody's help, will try to strip & clean in one go this weekend, will go & get a small tin of nitromors tomorrow, will post pictures when done.

Mark
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Old 22nd Jul 2008, 9:32 pm   #15
Brian R Pateman
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Keith,

There is a thread in the archive for this section dealing with this type of paint finish;

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...crackle+finish

Regards,
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Old 22nd Jul 2008, 9:49 pm   #16
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Default Re: To strip or spray?

Another similar thread:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...read.php?t=374

Regards, Mick.
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