[Hallicrafters] EXT :Re: Power washing a dusty, grimy rig??

[Mike Everette]

Todd,

You are right about pre-painted chassis, of course... for instance National SW-3, HRO and other receivers.  And as you correctly state, these were painted before assembly and then the finish was hard-baked in.

What I had in mind when commenting was a different story... the misguided attempts by some "restorers" to spruce up an old chassis by painting it. One particularly nasty case I've encountered was a Crosley table-top "cathedral" radio with a rusty chassis that some Alexandre Dumas(s) had hosed with aluminum paint.  To his credit, he did know enough to mask the things that should've been masked; but the radio smelled like a light bulb that had been color-painted over, while it was playing.  And it really was a stinker.  That's only one out at least three that I've come across.

And then there's the audiophool who restored a vintage amplifier and wanted his metal octal tubes to look new.  You guessed it... he painted the 6L6's with Rust-Oleum Gloss Black.

Do not try this at home....

73

Mike
W4DSE


--- On Sun, 10/2/11, Todd, KA1KAQ <ka1kaq at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Todd, KA1KAQ <ka1kaq at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] EXT :Re: Power washing a dusty, grimy rig??
> To: "Mike Everette" <radiocompass at yahoo.com>
> Cc: "hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net" <hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>, "Michael Peron" <mikeqrpfun at aol.com>, "Bill (ES)Stevens" <william.stevens at ngc.com>
> Date: Sunday, October 2, 2011, 6:15 PM
> On Sat, Oct 1, 2011 at 11:45 AM, Mike
> Everette <radiocompass at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> > In the immortal words of "the Fonz" --
> Correct-a-mundo!
> 
> Well, not exactly. A number of sets used painted chassis
> over the
> years. They didn't have a problem with out-gassing. They
> were
> generally painted before assembly and baked or otherwise
> cured
> afterward. Same principals still apply today. I've had no
> problem
> baking assembled chassis in the 125-150 degree range after
> removing
> things like plastic dials and such. In fact, carbon
> resistors and
> transformers can benefit from a mild baking to remove the
> moisture
> that both readily absorb over time.
> 
> Steel wool is also a handy tool in the proper circumstances
> and
> application. Not a good idea to use it on softer metals or
> surfaces
> that can hold little bits for later rusting. Also not a
> good idea to
> use it inside electronics were the droppings can cause
> arcing. Four
> aught steel wool is excellent for polishing hardware and a
> number of
> other uses.
> 
> The trick to both is doing it correctly. Neither are
> inherently bad,
> though the application of any tips listed so far can as bad
> as
> anything else, if done improperly.
> 
> There is no substitute for experience and moderation. When
> in doubt,
> ask questions. Seek out those with years of experience.
> 
> ~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4
>