[Kenwood] Silk screen legends. Update.

[John E.Cleeve]

Judging from the response to my plea for help, there are a lot of 
other people with the same problem, when it comes to the restoration 
of old electronic, and communications equipment. I guess we can blame 
the accountants who ruled that the silk screen printing of control 
panels and knobs, was cheaper than engraving, or etching. The problem 
is, durability, people are different, they have different degrees of 
acidity in their perspiration, and some silk screen paints are more 
durable, and resistant to perspiration than others. I have put the 
problem to several silk screen printing specialists in the UK, as well 
as to Letraset UK. The silk screen specialists, are of the opinion 
that producing a "one off", that is the artwork, screens etc. would be 
very expensive. 
Letraset are more helpful, in suggesting that the applied Letraset dry 
transfer be coated with one of their products, and an additional 
comment that if that is not durable enough, then go back to them for 
more advice.
It was also suggested, by others on the reflector, that replacing the 
front panel, switch assemblies etc. would be another way. Sadly the 
front panel for the TS940s is no longer available, neither is the 
switch assembly, which contains the silk screened buttons on either 
side of the tuning knob, or, as an aside, the rubber sleeve that 
covers the tuning knob.
So, there you have it, cosmetic restoration is virtually impossible, 
unless you have some access to small quantities of silk screen 
materials and paints.....there is an obvious demand out there, for 
some sort of paint based transfer, like Letraset. I read somewhere, 
or, maybe I dreamt it, that there is a transparent sheet of material, 
that can be used in a computer printer, and the inks used are paints, 
if this is true, and not a dream, then that could be the answer to 
this problem, by making your own transfers.
.......sadly, John. G3JVC.