10-24-2014, 07:56 AM
That 38-14 in the link is my radio. I also could not find any reproduction or services to restore that dial so I bought some gold leaf and fine tipped brushes and paint and spent many hours with a loupe and magnifying headband. It is not as good as I would have liked but much better than the way I got it.
I found that in the missing gold areas the embossing left a remnant pattern on the backing cardboard which allowed me to carefully rub out the new gold leaf sheet after positioning it to bring the pattern through. Sort of like burnishing. After it was complete I sprayed the whole dial with a matte clear coat to both protect it and dull the shinier gold leaf to better match the original.
Steve D
I found that in the missing gold areas the embossing left a remnant pattern on the backing cardboard which allowed me to carefully rub out the new gold leaf sheet after positioning it to bring the pattern through. Sort of like burnishing. After it was complete I sprayed the whole dial with a matte clear coat to both protect it and dull the shinier gold leaf to better match the original.
Steve D
