[R-390] Front Panel Restoration ER Don Reaves

[Glenn Scott via R-390]

Don Reaves, and R390(A) Enthusiast 


Let me take a moment to personally apologize to you Don Reaves. When I first wrote the script for this article several years ago you GRACIOUSLY offered to edit my paper and gave me a lot of PROFESSIONAL  help with getting it present well. I had misplaced your email address and wanted to credit you in the ER article for the KIND assistance you provided.
So, please allow me to personally Thank You here among our friends and fellow (R390 series) receiver enthusiast for your assistance, wisdom and all of the effort you provided to make my article better.  I only wish I had given you the credit in the published article!!
THANK YOU DON REAVES !!


Ray, the editor of ER did bring up some concerns with Zinc Chromate that perhaps I should have hit on a little harder in my article. Zinc Chromate is considered a  Neurotoxin and must be used with proper safety gear, outlined in the article, such as a respirator, gloves, eye protection and an old long sleeve shirt that can be tossed. I also suggested in my article to pull the fumes away from yourself with a box fan having an AC filter ahead of the fan. However, even the PAINT fumes being sprayed from a paint air-gun are dangerous to breath and can cause major health problems or worse.


Zinc Chromate is still available in spray cans as I mentioned in the article and is still used by aviation and marine concerns. Every time I soda blast a panel down to bare aluminum, I run into either green or yellow primer, colors that Zinc Chromate comes in, below the top coat. Though, I do not have a way to test this primer, I believe it to be Zinc Chromate which has been widely used as an Aluminum primer for a LONG time. It may be more of a health risk to soda blast one of these panels that to prime and paint it. Though, soda blasting is wonderful for this application, remember SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY!!!!!! Did I mention SAFETY?


 I have tried a number of other primers with poor to fair results on Aluminum. Even much more expensive automotive Aluminum primers. Zinc Chromate is so good on Aluminum that it has to be sanded or soda blasted off; it's that good. 


Other primers I have experimented with can often be wiped off with a shop towel and a little effort.
I am open to suggestions from others who KNOW of a better primer for Aluminum or one that is reasonably decent. I buy Zinc Chromate inexpensively but I would gladly pay more for a better product.


There may be some concern about using Acetone on Enamel paint to wipe off white smear from acrylic paint used to fill the engraves. As I said in the article, I discovered this accidentally after spilling white acrylic paint on another panel. Since I was going to have to redo that panel anyway, I thought the Acetone would help lift the original paint; this was prior to having soda blasting equipment. It quickly removed the acrylic but pouring a can of Acetone on that panel and rubbing with shop towels did NOT hurt the original paint. This ONLY works when the new paint has FULLY cured. And this is usually a longer period of time than you might imagine. If you do NOT have a NON food oven, let the panel sun cure   for several day and set it aside for 3 or 4 weeks and sun cure it another day or two.
The acetone evaporates very quickly and I keep moving around the panel quickly, so as to not stay in any one spot too long. Acetone dose an EXCELLENT job of getting the white smear off.


Didn't mean to write an epistle but I wanted to personally THANK Don Reaves and discuss a few other points.


73,
Glenn Scott WA4AOS
DSM Labs
glenn at dsmlabs.com