[Hallicrafters] SX-28 front panel color

[Barry Hauser]

> Mine is black/grey. Looks original. Around the few chipped spots 
> near the front panel screws I can see an undercoat of black over the
topcoat 
> of grey. Pix at:  http://www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/joe.html
> 
> Joe, W1GFH


Looks more like a medium gray, maybe with some blue in it, to me.  Very
much like the gray rackmount unit I have, which also appears to have been
oversprayed.  The SX-28 and SX-28A's have come to us the long way around
-- a very complicated early history.  They first came out pre-WWII, then
got glommed up by the military and lend-lease.  After the war, they were
produced and sold commercially and also surplussed out by the military.

The SX-28's have a refinishable panel with engraved or stamped lettering,
i.e., not requiring re-silkscreening.  I suspect most of the units
destined for the military were supplied in the original black, but may
have been refinished during overhaul, or brought up to specs by the Navy
with the "right color".  (I have an AR88 with a yellow front panel,
courtesy of the RCAF.) Maybe Hallicrafters resprayed some on the way out
the door.  There's been over a half-century of possibilities since then. 
A private owner may have refinished the panel to match other equipment,
like St. James Gray.

There are other panel anomalies, like SX-28A's with SX-28 panels. 
Apparently Hallicrafters used up the last of the non-A panels on early
production of the A. Many have noticed variations in the level of the
"leather graining".  Could be production variations, however, if the
panels were refinished, they may have been sanded, wirebrushed or
sand-blasted.  Even if they were just oversprayed, the buildup of paint
would tend to flatten out the detail.

Anyway -- not too worry.  You have a radio that's been places and done
things and still looks and works pretty good.  That panel looks nice to
me.  Of course the cabinet is the wrong color ;-)

Barry

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