[R-390] Removing MFP

[Curt]

AAHHH...The Buckles...:)

Curt  KU8L
TD2  US Naval War College   Naval Electronic Warfare Simulator


On 3/25/2012 2:11 PM, Thomas Chirhart wrote:
> Perrier, every sailor on the list with grey hair knows NeverDull. Never a dull moment polishing 16 inch projectiles in boot camp or bright work onboard ship such as the ships telegraph on the bridge. Works wonders on brass buckles too. Thanks for sharing... 73
> Tom K4NCG
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 24, 2012, at 10:51 PM, Perry Sandeen<sandeenpa at yahoo.com>  wrote:
>
>> Some of the BA’s we have/get were coated with MFP which causes several problems.
>>
>> Background.
>> A long time ago the US military found it had a problem in some situations with mold and/or fungus thriving inside electronic equipment so they developed a spray material that was applied to combat the problem. It is a brownish looking material on wires and solder joints and adds a somewhat golden look to aluminum chassis parts
>>
>> Our current problems with MFP
>> Wires and terminals coated with MFP makes repair difficult as the wires become stiff and tend to glue together in wire harnesses.  Sometimes adding to the problem is the spray coating was very heavy.
>>
>> Terminals covered with MFP must be scraped clean before soldering or one gets an ugly residue.  Scraping the stuff off can be difficult.  I’ve found that a stainless steel cuticle pusher, about $4 at beauty supply stores, sharpened a bit on a grinding wheel worked best for me.  I tried using a Xacto knife.  For me in many cases the blade was too large or wasn’t good for prying, but then it wasn’t designed to pry.
>>
>> I had no success with either alcohol or acetone.  A list member suggested AFAICR, Goof-Off.  I tried it but it didn’t work on the MFP. I’m still looking for a chemical cure that isn’t a carcinogen.
>>
>> Removing MFP from aluminum parts.
>> For removing the stuff from chassis parts thanks to Walter Wilson, I learned of an automotive product called NEVER-DULL by Eagle One.  It is about $5 for a 5 oz. and comes is a round metal can.
>>
>> It is a bit of a strange product.  It seems to be cotton wading moistened with a faint kerosene-like odor fluid.  To use it, one pulls out a wad and then rubs the MFP coated metal.  The wading turns black in color as you rub.  You keep moving the wadding around until the whole piece is black. The results are spectacular.  Now the downside is that this takes a great deal of time and can be expensive.  To do both sides of one R390A side panel might consume a whole can and several hours.
>>
>> Somewhat faster (relatively speaking) and considerably cheaper was using a product marketed by Turtle Wax called POLISHING COMPOUND&  scratch remover.  It is a white cream with some abrasive in it so the finished shine was a bit duller than using NEVER DULL.  I have yet to try using NEVER DULL as a final polisher for metal done with polishing compound.
>>
>> For very heavy MFP or corrosion I used The Turtle Wax product rubbing compound. This is a rust colored paste that removed MFP fairly rapidly.  It is about the same price as the polishing compound but leaves a duller finish.
>>
>> The level of finish “shine” desired is totally subjective.  The amount of MFP applied seems to very greatly.  My best advice is to try any or all of these products in an inconspicuous place and see how they work in your particular situation.
>>
>> A final note.  I also tried these products on an old plain SP-600 side panel and got the same results.  IMNSHO, I believe any BA metal polished with these products makes for a very good looking radio.
>>
>> Still on the to-do list is to see if front panel paint can be shined up with the NEVER DULL or the polishing compound. I personally wouldn’t use rubbing compound on a painted surface because it is so aggressive.
>>
>> Perhaps others would share their experiences.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Perrier
>>
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