Rexine ? for handle on Hacker RP25B.

[Aristotle]

I've been lucky enough to acquire a rather nice working Hacker RP25B.

Good cosmetic condition marred only by the missing black (rexine ?) fabric strip on the handle. The underlay to the strip is still there.

I'm very keen to retain the originality of this super radio.

Please can anyone advise,

Is there a supplier of the original fabric or the closest I can obtain in today's market ?

Bearing in mind what kind of fabric I can buy - should I remove the existing underlay ?

What's the best way to attach a new strip ?

Finally - for me this radio is my ultimate "keeper" so if the general consensus is - I won't get fabric to replicate the original (or pretty close to it) would I be better to find a donor set and how difficult is it to remove then refix to my radio's handle ?

David.

[Cobaltblue]

Retrospecialist may do something suitable.


http://www.retrospecialist.co.uk/

Cheers

Mike T

Bookbinding 'cloth' is cheap and may work very well. Stick it on with (proper smelly EvoStik the one with the warning on it)

http://store.bookbinding.co.uk/store...cloth-Buckram/

Or use a strip of thin leather, I got a lot from a charity shop in the form of a pair of ladies leather trousers.

[Radiocruncher]

I bought some of this http://www.retrospecialist.co.uk/bla...etre-631-p.asp from Sid many years ago and used it to replace the handle insert on one of my Hackers. I removed all the old adhesive, cut the new piece out with a sharp craft knife and steel ruler then used a strip of double sided tape to hold it in place. They do paper backed as well which is cheaper and probably easier to work with.

Good luck

Graham

[Aristotle]

Thank to all for the suggestions - I'll contact Sid for a sample to see how well it matches the original - don't mind a bit of difference as long as it's not miles out.

Hadn't thought of double sided tape - like that idea - thanks Graham.

[kirstyd]

dont use double sided tape sooner or later it will come loose .I know i have tried just about everything going did my white sovereign with Araldite .Cut your material coat the handle sparingly with the glue then apply the material stretching it ever so slightly then put a clothes peg on either end till it sets believe me hell will freeze before it comes off

[mhennessy]

The remaining "underlay" is the double-sided tape originally used to secure it. I always remove this, as nothing will stick sufficiently well otherwise. Having done dozens of these, I've found that the best way is to simply leave it submerged in water overnight - after that, the tape and glue will peel off fairly easily.

Those with the earlier handles - the ones that push down to unclip - won't want to do this for obvious reasons. But as the later ones disassemble to just a strip of aluminium, that's fine.

To reattach a strip, double-sided tape is the answer, but you have to use the right stuff. I got something from Farnell which is amazingly strong - I can never remember the details, beyond it being a German brand. Screwfix also sell a tape that works well. So if whatever you use comes undone, don't lose heart, just try something else.

From experience, I'd say that the trouble with super-glue or Araldite is that in the future, these make it much harder to clean up the handle. I've done plenty where this has been a problem - you end up having to chip it away, scratching the aluminium in the process. Of course, the glues stick well to the aluminium, but the fabric just comes away. Perhaps because all trace of the original double-sided tape and its glue wasn't removed from the fabric?

Is the strip Rexine? It's the same as the rest of the radio, of course. "Rexine" is one of those terms we all use generically, but naturally, there are many different types. Hacker used something that is much superior to what the likes of Roberts used, and described it as "Cordoba leathercloth". It certainly has a cloth backing rather than paper, and I guess that's needed because of the padding. It's incredibly hard-wearing compared to the Rexine that Roberts and others used. In my experience, alternatives to the real thing stick out like a sore thumb, and if anything I'd prefer to see a bare - but clean - handle. So in your shoes, I'd wait until the real thing turns up on an otherwise poor set.

Also, I have bought scrappers and removed the leathercloth from the central section (sides and bottom), which gives enough material for at least 2 handles. The hard part is removing all trace of the horrible particle board timber that they moved over to (earlier examples used birch plywood). I've also found it difficult to accurately cut the material. A sharp blade and a steel rule is the obvious answer, but given how scarce the material is, I'm trying to engineer a better solution with less chance of getting it wrong. So far, two razor blades correctly spaced by a block of wood is the best I've come up with

Mark

[stevehertz]

I used Evo-Stik Impact with excellent results when I did mine. It's an impact adhesive (as the name suggests!) so you have to lay the fabric strip down straight first time, it's not hard to do though. Amongst the myriad of things that it will glue together are metal and fabric - perfect. I didn't find that I needed to stretch the fabric taught for any reason, just lay the strip down and keep pressing along the edges to get good adherence, and that's where the super tacky Evo-Stik Impact comes in; it's tacky!