[ARC5] [Milsurplus] Cleaning fine crackle paint

[Bill Carns]

No no no Glen.   I have to step in here. The Ammonia potentially leaves an active radical on the surface and just “cleaning with paper towels” will not completely remove it.  This WILL promote corrosion over a period of time in humid condition.  Whenever you use the 409/Ammonia clean, you must use a following flushing rinse followed by a mild surfactant clean to remove the remaining radical. Then rinse with DI water and dry thoroughly..  That is a process that is not practical around components on chassis. I do NOT use that clean ever on chassis parts.

Any of that ammonia that creeps into IF cans or remains on the surface microscopically is real trouble downstream.  I have seen more radios cleaned improperly – including washing generally – that result in contaminants (either physical or chemical) being washed into hidden areas – including the little sandwich ceramic trimmers so common in Collins – that later result in corrosion or stuck slugs or trimmers.  People wonder why they are finding so many “stuck trimmers” on S-Lines.  As designed and built, there is no reason for them to ever stick.  What causes them to stick is the crap washed into them when people try and improperly clean an entire radio.

 

This kind of cleaning is often done by people that both do not know better and also want to make things look squeaky clean for a sale and do not have to live with the consequence years later.

 

Washing a radio lets contaminants wick into small crevices like transformer laminates and ceramic trimmer layers, never to be removed again.

 

Bill

 

 

 

From: Glen Zook [mailto:gzook at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2015 10:03 AM
To: Bill Carns; hwhall at compuserve.com; arc5 at mailman.qth.net; milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Cleaning fine crackle paint

 

The Formula 409 plus ammonia also works great for cleaning chassis, etc.  Of course, be careful around i.f. cans, etc.  Do a small area, using a brush, and then clean up with paper towels.

 

Glen, K9STH 

Website: http://k9sth.net

 

  _____  

From: Bill Carns <wcarns at austin.rr.com <mailto:wcarns at austin.rr.com> >
To: hwhall at compuserve.com <mailto:hwhall at compuserve.com> ; arc5 at mailman.qth.net <mailto:arc5 at mailman.qth.net> ; milsurplus at mailman.qth.net <mailto:milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>  
Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2015 8:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Cleaning fine crackle paint


I will tell you what I use and you will be amazed at how the dirt literally
jumps right off and out of the wrinkle.  Mix a solution of 50 % 409 right
from the bottle and 50% household ammonia (buy at grocery story) have a
medium soft brush ready. Spray the solution liberally on the wrinkle paint
all over. Quickly give it a general liberal liquid good brushing and then
watch.  The 409/Ammonia will foam up and it will be white at first. When the
foam gets dirty, you are done. It does not take long....  like a minute or
less.  Give it a good rinse in tap water and then apply a dilute solution of
very dilute warm water and dishwasher liquid soap.  This has a anti spotting
agent in it that makes the surface of your piece reject water when drying.
Then rinse with DI water really well.  The two good rinses after the ammonia
exposure are necessary to preclude future corrosion.

Now blow dry and keep it warm for a while.  

Now, you may still have some spots where the paint has a white cast.
Liberally apply WD-40 to the entire piece, and then take off the remainder
with a soft dry towel. Let the piece stand for a day and you will have a
super clean, rejuvenated paint job if the paint was decent at all to start
with.....and no more white.

I have been using this treatment for restoration of 25 years and am
currently using radios that I did this to 20 plus years ago and they look as
good as they did when I finished them.

It works.  Be very careful of anything that has silicone in it.  Amour All -
for instance - is long term death on paint and if you ever want to do any
recoating later, you do not want silicone anywhere near your radio.  It is
also long term death on Vinyl - although the Amour All folks would have you
cleaning your dash with it every day...  Looks good for a while and kills
the vinyl long term.