[Boatanchors] hickok 600A disaster!

[Jim Wilhite]

Gene, there are several ways that might save the meter 
cover.  Aircraft supply houses sell a kit of sand paper, and 
it starts (as best I recall) at about 400 grit and goes up 
to about 1200 grit.  It also contains some polish for the 
final work.

Another thing often overlooked is toothpaste.  It contains 
very fine silica which is very good for removing small 
scratches.  I have a Globe Champ 300A that had a crazed 
meter cover and was foggy as well.  I used the toothpaste 
trick to clear it quite nicely.  It didn't remove all the 
crazing, but it is much clearer.  Jeweler's rouge used 
carefully with a polishing wheel until the fog is gone is 
another way.  Then the final polish job should be done by 
hand.  Brasso is something that has more grit in it to start 
the job then finish with the toothpaste.

By the way, I would bet the nicotine preserved the paint 
quite nicely.

Jim/W5JO

!


> Hello all,
>
> Bought a hickok 600A on epay and I really epaid! I had 
> been looking for
> a tube tester that can do some more modern tubes than my 
> I-177B for
> quite some time. Make a long story short, it came and had 
> 2 inch-thick
> coating of nicotine on the panel (or so it seemed). I 
> spent the better
> part of today trying to clean it up.
>
> Well, I did something stupid. One of the cleaners I was 
> using must have
> attacked the plastic meter cover and now it's almost 
> completely fogged.
> At first I thought it was just humidity and I removed the 
> cover hoping
> to wipe it away. Well, although the fog didn't wipe away, 
> I was able to
> use the rag to wipe away the tears hi, hi! At least the 
> meter itself
> looks very good.
>
> So here goes another long shot.  I am looking for one of 
> the following:
> 1. A nice plastic meter cover
> 2. Someone who may be willing to try to polish my cover (I 
> cannot do it,
> and I'm not sure it can even be done)
> 3. A replacement meter. Hopefully something off a donor. 
> Not a shiny new
> expensive one.
>
> I know of one tube tester calibration place that will sell 
> meters for
> $125-$180. But that is just an incredible sum of money and 
> could never
> spend that in good conscience (the xyl would sooner 
> divorce me!).
>
> Well, thanks to anyone who can help.
> Eugene w2hx