[Boatanchors] Cleaning radio chassis

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On 4/28/05, mikea <mikea at mikea.ath.cx> wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 28, 2005 at 10:25:52AM -0500, Freeberg, Scott (STP) wrote:
> > I've heard about the "baking in the oven" drying method for several years.  What I haven't resolved is how the married guys get away with that, and stay married.  Maybe thats the answer, there are no married guys doing that :->
> 
> > If my wife caught me baking a radio in the oven, she'd kill me :->
> 
> Do you mean to say that you don't have your own oven in the shack,
> next to the workbench, just for baking rigs dry?
> 
> Neither do I, but I do have a plywood box with a few 60-watt lamps
> in it, and a rack over them for the electronics. I suppose I could
> get fancier than a few holes drilled in the top for exhaust, but why?

I recently cleaned and painted one of those cast aluminum B&W dipole
center insulators. Used Rustoleum semi-gloss black on the case, mainly
to help preserve it (who's going to see it up in the air?). Baked the
two halves in the oven for half an hour or so at 250. Could not
believe the amount of outgassing that tiny amount of paint created.
What a stink!

Last fall the YL and I picked up a nice old Garland commercial gas
range for the kitchen for next to nothing. My plan is to move the old
electric range out into the garage and run a 230v line to it for
baking things like this. If you restore a lot of gear or work on old
cars, bikes, etc. it would be handy. If you just do the odd part of
cabinet every couple of years, probably not worth the
time/space/effort. Go with a lightbox as Mike describes. They work
pretty well.

de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ