[Hallicrafters] Re: Rejuvenating Old BA Cabinet Finishes

[GARDGORE at aol.com]

Since the matter of a high degree of originality is not important to everyone 
the choice either clean the original finish or do a complete stripping and 
repainting mostly comes down to a decision of what is personally acceptable. 
For the advocates of making everything look new again there is the matter of 
correct paint textures, shades, degree of gloss, hardness (durability and 
scratch resistance) and of finished work with no problems such as dirt or 
debris in the paint. An important thing to also keep in mind is "once a 
repaint, always a repaint." Sometimes the original finish is just too far 
gone and the only good choice is to completely refinish the cabinet. My 
yardstick for repaints here is if a visitor to my shack with a trained eye 
has to ask if a particular set was repainted, the job was good and is 
acceptable to me. Many are not that critical, being more interested in other 
things and of course that is fine too. I have personally spotted repaints 
from 20 feet away for sale at hamfests and swapmeets that look more like 
someone's training radio but have also seen stuff that was over-restored that 
still cried out "I've just been repainted!" Perhaps the 75A-4s out there that 
are getting everything on the chassis polished to a bright chrome-like lustre 
fit in this category as well but again all this stuff is subjective and in 
the eye and mind of the beholder. With all of that said I am submitting the 
best method of improving the appearance of old tired cabinet paint finishes 
that I have ever found. With a 50-50 mix of ammonia and 409 in a plastic 
sprayer bottle and with suitable brushes and rinsing water give the cabinet a 
good thorough cleaning (don't get this solution on any silk-screened 
nomenclature labels or decals). If there is any rust remaining it can be 
effectively removed with phosphoric acid. This is a green liquid commonly 
called Metal Prep and is inexpensive and available in plastic bottles at most 
hardware stores. Auto body shops use this to treat bare sheet metal before 
painting. If necessary the paint can be touched up using carefully matched 
colors. Finally using OZ polish applied to a soft cloth rub the cabinet, 
knobs and escutcheon to produce just the right amount of sheen. A damp cloth 
with a little light polishing is all you need, it's not necessary to flood 
the surface. I keep a dampened cloth in a plastic container with a lid here 
ready to use. It is amazing how OZ seems to nourish the paint and bring the 
original brightness and depth of color back out with not too much "shine."  
OZ is a watery, milky colored liquid polish for surface treatment and 
appearance restoration of finishes. OZ dries to the touch unlike snake oil, 
Armorall, WD-40 and other favorite tips and remedies. It does not contain 
silicones and its effects are completely reversible which is also an 
important consideration. OZ can be found at Constantines which is a wood 
refinishing products supply house. Go to "www.constantines.com" and type "oz 
polish" in the search blank. This method is not original with me but rather 
was gleaned from asking the recognized experts and experienced collectors out 
there who have been through all this before. 

Regards, Greg Gore; WA1KBQ