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rickman rickman is offline
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Default Painting a Bakelite radio cabinet

Dave Platt wrote on 9/26/2017 3:42 PM:
In article ,
wrote:

The bakelite case is solid, but badly scratched. The bakelite under the
Ivory paint is black. This radio sold in black (unpainted - model 66X1),
Painted Ivory - Model 66X2, and two additional woodgrain models.

My plan is to remove the case from the chassis, remove or tape up the
grill cloth and trim. Then spray paint it with an Ivory colored spray
paint. (after sanding it with some very fine sandpaper to clean up all
scratches).

My question is whether I can use a common spray paint on bakelite, such
as Rustoleum? I may not get the exact color as original, but I dont see
any way to get the original paint.


http://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/vin...abinets. html
has a good discussion of this.

He doesn't mention any specific sort of paint being required, but does
recommend spraying on a coat of primer after a thorough
cleaning... probably a good idea to help ensure good adhesion.

I recall that Rustoleum makes some paint varieties which are specified
as being suitable for use on plastics. This sort of multi-surface
paint might give you some additional defense against peeling, if you
decide to omit the primer step.


It all depends on the details. I used a paint for plastic to use on a
plastic container and it did not work well at all. I cleaned the surface
well, but did not rough it up and did not use a primer. It was not too long
before the paint started to peel. I don't know the type of plastic. It was
a food storage container with a seal ring commonly available in stores.
Just a data point for what it is worth.

--

Rick C

Viewed the eclipse at Wintercrest Farms,
on the centerline of totality since 1998