[Hallicrafters] RE: Paint for SX-71 (and other S- and SX- rcvrs)

[Bruce Wright]

Dear Fellow List Members...

As has been mentioned in earlier posts, Krylon 1403 Dull Aluminum seems to 
be the closest match for the hinged lid atop the cabinet of the SX-71 and 
others...I used it to paint the lid of my SX-100 and it's perfect in color 
and sheen...Additionally, Krylon 2206 Dark Anodized Bronze 2206 is a very 
close match for cabinets such as the SX-96, SX-99 and SX-100...Possibly 
others...Some ACE Hardware stores carry a somewhat comprehensive collection 
of Krylon aerosols and--as I understand it--privately labeled ACE brand 
aerosols having the same color description as Krylon products because they 
are nothing more than Krylon colors packaged in ACE labeled cans <insider 
information>.

Other notes:

(1) Clear overcoating of painted surfaces:

I would not suggest the clear overcoating of panels, cabinets or lids with 
polyurethane as is commonly available in aerosol cans...This material is 
most often a fast dry varnish and has properties that may or will cause 
problems later on, including the gradual yellowing of light colors and white 
panel legends, a breakdown in adhesion to the enamel, acrylic or pigmented 
lacquer film underneath as evidenced by hairline cracks, bubbles or blisters 
whose appearance will be accelerated by the heat of the metal surfaces that 
have been overcoated...If overcoating is desirable for sealing or sheen 
adjustment of the painted surface, then a much better choice, in my opinion, 
is a clear acrylic lacquer film as can be sprayed atop the paint previously 
applied...The acrylic will not yellow and will adhere to the paint much 
better because of the solvents used as thinner in the lacquer...One (or two, 
at most) just barely wet coat(s) should suffice. I have used Krylon brand 
Clear Acrylic Satin with excellent results and can recommend its use in the 
application above.

(2) Polishing painted panels, bright metal trim, clear plastic lenses, 
Bakelite knobs, etc.

I see the seemingly widespread advocacy of Brasso as a polishing 
medium...IMHO, a far better choice is NOVUS 2 Plastic Cleaner/Polish for 
these tasks...Main reason?...It leaves much less tracking (staining) of 
delicate paint surfaces and clear plastic lenses...It is easily adjusted in 
its polishing power by adding a small quantity of water to the polishing 
cloth...And it is easily cleaned from grooves and other surface attributes 
that commonly collect excess polish in the application, leaving behind no 
residue.

FWIW

Bruce
WC5CW


>Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 14:17:02 -0700
>From: "Julian Bunn" <Julian.Bunn at caltech.edu>
>Subject: RE: [Hallicrafters] Re: SX-71 paint help
>To: "'Peter May'" <peter_may at optusnet.com.au>,	"'DA'"
>	<aiken at rhythm.com>, <hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>
>Cc: julian.bunn at caltech.edu
>Message-ID: <20050903211709.F332F109A5E at earth-ox.its.caltech.edu>
>Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="US-ASCII"
>
>This is indeed a great tip: I just tried Brasso on an S-40A panel
>I'm dealing with, and it came up nicely.
>
>Unfortunately, on this panel, although the white lettering is
>in good condition, the red lettering is faded. It seems like
>the red is actually applied on top of white, because the
>letters are fading to pink ...?
>
>I'm in the habit of applying a clear polyurethane coat to
>panels, which restores some gloss and protects from future
>nicks/scratches etc..
>
>Julian
>