On 12/08/2019 17:31, Brian Reay wrote:
On 12/08/2019 16:53, Clive Arthur wrote:
I have a Roberts DAB radio with a traditional style caseÂ* It seems to
be covered in some fake leather or suede effect stuff with a very thin
plastic skin on some powdery cork-like substance.

The plastic is shedding, it's really badly made.Â* I thought I might
get a second hand faulty one on eBay and swap the innards, but they
all seem to have the same problem.

I can fairly easily remove the plastic coating, but how could I seal
the crumbly substrate?

Cheers

It depends which traditional style it is. The only Roberts I can think
of which fits the description has, I think, a fake leather cover over
something like I know as hardboard- a 'cross' between wood and
cardboard, often found in back of cheap furniture etc.

You could try the stuff intended to stablise rotten wood. It is a thin
resin like liquid you paint on, it soaks in, sets hard, bonding the
fibres together. I think Ronseal make it.

Thanks. As it happens, when I peel off the plastic coating there's a
layer, maybe 0.5mm thick of very soft brown powdery stuff - I think it
might have been the 'leatherette' and probably was originally bonded to
the plastic skin.

That scrapes away easily with a penknife blade and underneath is
something harder - maybe hardwood maybe MDF - with a grain or
fabric-like patterning. I can easily get down to that and paint it.
Given it's not going to be subject to much wear and tear, I guess most
paints would work?

Looking on the interweb shows that this is a common problem with these
radios. Roberts used to have a very good name, I suppose they were
bought out and, well, usual story.

The little demon on my shoulder is telling me that I could buy new for
much less time than it's costing me. He just doesn't understand.

Cheers
--
Clive