I have gotten excellent results using pumice, rottenstone and linseed oil,
cut with a little turpentine. the turpentine cleans, the linseed burnished
into a bit of varnish with heat and rubbing, and the two abrasives
ultimately bring the bakelite up to a smart satin shine. You will find it
sometimes has a brown cast, and sometimes goes back to black. These
materials are used by museums and antique furniture conservators to cut away
the outer UV-spoiled layers of oil and shellac finishes, which bear
something in common with bakelite in terms of how they respond to abrasion.
With bakelite, building up a little heat is not a bad thing, as it is not
just a matter of cutting away material with the abrasive, but to a small
degree a bit of filling in pores.
If you have a severely weathered surface, I would suggest starting with a
bit more aggressive abrasive, perhaps 220 wet and dry moistened and worked
over all the surface to the same degree, followed by a good washing and the
formula above.
Over last summer I Hope's metal polishes followed by a good microcrystaline
wax to bring up the shine and it freshened up the bakelite a bit.
Some care needs be taken to ensure the trafficator is truly bakelite. I have
an old plastic one from the '70's, and it looks ancient, but is a lot less
responsive to polishing and burnishing.
allen miller.
----- Original Message -----
From: "davidwjones" <davidwjones@cox.net>
To: <healeys@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 3:31 PM
Subject: Trafficator finish
> Ladies and Gentlemen,
>
> Is your trafficator looking dull, tired, and lifeless? Does it not seem to
> have that shine and bounce that it once had?
>
> No, this is not a shampoo commercial. I'm looking for suggestions as to
> how
> to best stain/restore the finish on the trafficator hub. (the bakelite?
> part).
>
> I've tried black shoe polish (liquid and paste) --and it looks good for a
> while before going kinda gray and dull again.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> David W. Jones
> '62 Mk II BT7 tricarb
> Cumberland, RI USA
|