[Hammarlund] Hammarlund SP400SX Front Panel Restoration

[Tisha Hayes]

If I recall correctly, the early Super Pro radios had an aluminum front
panel that was painted with a crinkle finish first and then ran through an
engraver. This left the engraving into the aluminum so it was shiny and the
engraving was not filled in.

I think they switched over to steel panels a few months before WWII began. I
cannot see how those would look nice and shiny for years to come with rust
and corrosion working on the unprotected metal.

After a fresh repaint on a front panel it is always a pain in the behind to
scrape the paint out of the engraving so you can backfill with a different
color or art-stick. I came up with a cheat that made it easier to clean out
the lettering.

Once I strip a front panel and get the surface as smooth as possible I use
thinned out wallboard plaster to fill in all of the lettering. Then I clean
the panel again, primer and paint.

When the paint is dry (but before it goes into the oven for a baking) I use
a dental pick to pop out the plaster from the engraving. This leaves the
panel with clean engraving slots, after baking I go back over the lettering
with white acrylic paint to fill in the lettering.
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