Mark,
I restore Bakelite knobs using the same technique I use in restoring Control
Heads (trafficator) units.
The below descripption is a bit overly simplistic and misses a few
important steps.
First of all I typically clean the bakelite part with warm soapy water and
#0000 steel wool, which is very fine. Also, you don't go from 400 grit
sandpaper to 1000, that's why they make 600 and 800 grit. In fact I
typically start with 280 or 320 grit (if the surface is very weathered and
rough) and progressively sand to 1200 grit. As stated below, 400 grit is a
good stating point for most applications.
I use a special leather dye plus black shoe polish AND I then still buff to
a high shine (just as they were originally) with *"Dico"* plastic polish on
a buffing wheel. The white lettering can be put back in with white *
"Testors"* enamal model paint. Finally I apply a good Carnuba wax.
The results CAN look as good as the originals. I know since I have compared
them to an NOS pair of WIPER and HEAD LAMP knobs that I have for my BN1.
Cheers,
Curt
On Sat, Feb 26, 2011 at 8:54 AM, Oudesluys <coudesluijs@chello.nl> wrote:
> Bakelite can be polished very nicely using Brasso or brass polish
> followed by carcleaner wax. If there are scratches rub them first with
> wet and dry 400 followed by 1000 and flowerpaper. Deep scratches can be
> filled in with colored epoxy.
> The lettering can be filled in with white paint on cleaned (washing up
> liquid and nail brush, degreased with white spirits) before the rubbing
> and polishing.
> This will leave them nice and shiny in the proper shade of black.
> Indian ink will leave them to black AFAIAC.
> Kees Oudesluijs
> NL
[demime 1.01d removed an attachment of type application/msword which had a name
of Austin Healey-AC Trafficator Restoration Flyer-II.doc]
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