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Philco 48-214 plastic dial glass scratched
#1

I already have one of these, and I don't know wht I got another one, but I did. Probably because my Mom had one on top of her refregerator when I was a little boy, and I used to stand on a chair to reach it and tune in stations far away. Kife was simpler then.

Someone was kind enough to replace the caps probably 20 or so years ago, and no traces of the tar filled dodos remained, but they did a really sloppy job. Anyway I did a re-re-cap of all the paper and electrolytic caps this afternoon, afer cleaning out the melted wax and other crap. The dust and other crap yielded to paint thinner and deoxit. Oddly enough the D**n thing played after only 3 hours effort, but was way off from the dial. Turns out the IF was way off, probably due to the recap job, and I had to step it forward to 465 khz in three steps. Now it's fine, chassis is in great condition, I haven't
been that lucky since, well never. So I did the sensible thing, stopped for the night.

Cabinet is in good shape, just a few nicks and scrapes which should fill in nicely with a little oil paint followed by brush on laquer. I will do selective refinishing here, as even the cream colored enamel on the details and base are in pretty good shape. Actually I am a '48 model, but not a Philco. I am a codefox. And my condition is less than good. You cannot re-cap an old f**t and expect him to play as new. I am resigned to that fact.

My question is about the plastic dial cover. It is clear, but shows some scratches or haze from ? Is there a way to clear this out, or do I have to get a new piece? It's not that bad that I need a replacement, but I was just wondering if anyone out there has a fix for this. I tried plain water, and jewlery cleaner so far, and hesitate to go further.

I'll be away for a while on vacation, but will take any guidance you folks have when I get back
#2

Although I've never tried it, some people say that Novus plastic polish will help. One thing I've done is soaked the dial cover in a mild solution of bleach and water overnight. That helps to clear up the yellowing on most. If they are too far gone, I've opted to make a replacement also.
#3

It's not a cheap solution, but there is a scratch removal kit called Micro-Mesh. Works very well, but takes time, effort, and patience. I'm not familiar with that model, so I don't know if it has flat or curved/rounded dial plastic. In addition I'm sure that it would be easier to work on if you can remove that part from the cabinet.

Just my 2 cents worth.

John




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