11-07-2008, 08:26 PM
Hi all,
I have been working on the cleanup of a 116B chassis. It was very dirty with lots of ground in grease and dirt. It took quite a while to get this one to the point that I would consider that it looks decent. I was looking for a way to remove the grease and dirt without using steel wool, since I was concerned about the possible loss of the cadmium plating using steel wool. I tried many different products to clean this chassis, including mineral spirits, Fantastik, Liquid Comet Cleanser, Mothers Mag Wheel Cleaner, etc. I finally hit on a combination that worked well. I ended up using a combination of Distilled White Vinegar and powdered Comet Cleanser. It removed the dirt and grease easily. I just dipped a scrubbing sponge in the vinegar and applied a little powdered Comet to the sponge and just scrubbed down the chassis with it. After scrubbing, I rinsed the chassis at least twice with a clean cloth dipped in warm water. I wanted to be sure to remove all the vinegar, since it is a mild acid (5%), it will turn the metal brown if not rinsed off. But, even if you miss a spot in the rinsing, the brown discoloration can be easily removed with another application of the vinegar. This is the best solution I have found so far for cleaning a really dirty and greasy chassis. YMMV!
BTW, after cleaning the chassis, I did follow up with a polishing of the entire chassis, also including the I.F cans, coil cans, and transformers with Mothers Mag Wheel cleaner, which gives it the overall shine. If the shine is too much for you, just skip the polishing with Mothers.
I forgot to take a picture of this chassis before cleaning, but here is a photo I had on file of another 116B chassis before cleaning. I can only tell you mine was far worse than this.
Before - file photo
[Image: http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q136/...Before.jpg]
After - my chassis
[Image: http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q136/...BAfter.jpg]
[Image: http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q136/...After2.jpg]
Before cleaning I did troubleshoot this chassis. I found that antenna transformer balun was fried, as in charcoal. It was probably the result of a lightening strike. I also found the long wave antenna coil open.
After repairing these problems the radio actually fired up and plays quite well. Now comes the easy work. I just need to finish the recapping and restuffing the electrolytics and then complete an alignment.
Ed
I have been working on the cleanup of a 116B chassis. It was very dirty with lots of ground in grease and dirt. It took quite a while to get this one to the point that I would consider that it looks decent. I was looking for a way to remove the grease and dirt without using steel wool, since I was concerned about the possible loss of the cadmium plating using steel wool. I tried many different products to clean this chassis, including mineral spirits, Fantastik, Liquid Comet Cleanser, Mothers Mag Wheel Cleaner, etc. I finally hit on a combination that worked well. I ended up using a combination of Distilled White Vinegar and powdered Comet Cleanser. It removed the dirt and grease easily. I just dipped a scrubbing sponge in the vinegar and applied a little powdered Comet to the sponge and just scrubbed down the chassis with it. After scrubbing, I rinsed the chassis at least twice with a clean cloth dipped in warm water. I wanted to be sure to remove all the vinegar, since it is a mild acid (5%), it will turn the metal brown if not rinsed off. But, even if you miss a spot in the rinsing, the brown discoloration can be easily removed with another application of the vinegar. This is the best solution I have found so far for cleaning a really dirty and greasy chassis. YMMV!
BTW, after cleaning the chassis, I did follow up with a polishing of the entire chassis, also including the I.F cans, coil cans, and transformers with Mothers Mag Wheel cleaner, which gives it the overall shine. If the shine is too much for you, just skip the polishing with Mothers.
I forgot to take a picture of this chassis before cleaning, but here is a photo I had on file of another 116B chassis before cleaning. I can only tell you mine was far worse than this.
Before - file photo
[Image: http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q136/...Before.jpg]
After - my chassis
[Image: http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q136/...BAfter.jpg]
[Image: http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q136/...After2.jpg]
Before cleaning I did troubleshoot this chassis. I found that antenna transformer balun was fried, as in charcoal. It was probably the result of a lightening strike. I also found the long wave antenna coil open.
After repairing these problems the radio actually fired up and plays quite well. Now comes the easy work. I just need to finish the recapping and restuffing the electrolytics and then complete an alignment.
Ed
