The PHILCO Phorum

9/27/14 -  I purchased a 53-1350  radio phonograph with the "bakelite" finish. Kind of like a dark mahogany color. 
What is the best way to restore the finish on this thing?  I've read about using Brasso on it - which I did try on a small section and it quickly removed oxidation and left a fairly shiny surface.  Other suggestions?  What about surface scratches?  Can you buff these out - can you wet sand it with fine sandpaper?  I don't want to destroy the finish obviously.  Thanks in advance people.[attachment=5641]

If I get one with a dull or really scratched/scuffed finish I wet sand it smooth and coat it with satin lacquer. I haven't figured out any way to get the gloss back once it's gone. wax and or buffing always seems to make the finish spotty which looks as bad as an all dull finish.

So I too would like to know of a way to bring it back without clear coating, although lacquer looks really good, as good as when it was new.

Novus Plastic cleaner and polish works well. I haven't tried it on bakelight but sounds like it would do a good job of getting scratches out and polishing it. It works well on plastic and laquer finishes.

I usually use a good metal polish.... I like a brand I pick up at car shows called Satin Gloss, but there are other brands that will work also like Metal Armor or Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish that might be available locally.

Some like Brasso in the metal can, but when they changed the formula due to EPA regulations they ruined it.  You can tell the new formula because it comes in a plastic bottle now.

You have to be very careful when sanding Bakelite because you'll eventually reach a point of no return where you expose the pulpy filler underneath..... kind of like sanding through some thin veneer on a wood cabinet.  I have seen a cabinet wet sanded  using 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 and 3000 grits and followed up with Novus #2 polish that looked very nice.

 I could never figure out what the EPA had to do with Brasso changing their formula, what makes Brasso good for polishing plastic is the fine abrasives it has in it not the chemicals, and it's mostly the chemicals they are concerned with. I have a feeling that they changed the formula to cut corners on production costs and are invoking the EPA line as an excuse for making an inferior product, diatomaceous earth costs money and so does rottenstone. The mag rim and aluminum polishes always were and still are much more harsh chemically then Brasso ever was and they are still on the market.
In any event one the Novus line of polishes are supposed to be good as is Simichrome, the auto parts stores carry a lot of plastic polishes these days. If it's really bad you may have to wet sand the Bakelite to get rid of the roughness and scratches, but start off with 800 or 1000 grit and if that works then work your way up to the finer grits, if it does not then down to 600 grit or maybe 400 but no lower. In my experience it actually takes a lot to sand through the top layers by wet sanding with the finer grits, but it's usually not necessary to wet sand at all unless it's really scratched up.
Regards
Arran

I believe it was someone on this forum that recommended a product called "Scratch Out" Made by Kit.  It can be found at the automotive store and seems to work pretty well for removing minor scratches and producing a decent gloss finish.

Craig R.

 I think I will try some sort of plastic polish - apparently there are many -  rather than take sandpaper to it at this point.  There are some fine scratches in it all over the place, but nothing deep -  so I'm thinking the plastic polishes will work good enough.  The BRASSO I have is in the plastic bottle and seems to do very well at removing some surface oxidation, but doesn't seem to do much as far as a polish.    Thanks for all your responses.

I just cleaned and polished the bakelite panel for my Synchrophase radio. The panel was a mess: scratches, some form of liquid that ate into the surface where the drops dried, general gunk, you name it. I used a sheet of 3000 grit wet sand paper (it is attached to a very thin layer of foam rubber like material) that I found at Walmart, some clear-coat scratch remover for cars, and then some turtle wax.

I went VERY gently, but evenly, with the sand paper. This removed the surface scratches and gunk and debris that GoJo couldn't budge. Like sanding wood, go gently, always in the same direction, and ALWAYS with the "grain." The surface was then very clean, but I had lost the nice glossy quality that bakelite is supposed to have. I used the car buffing compound and a new sponge to polish the bakelite surface and remove the light hazing and fine scratches left by the sand paper. This made the surface reflective again, instead of the dull/matte finish that the sand paper left, but you had to REALLY work this part HARD to restore a smooth, even texture. Do it all by hand. After I was happy with this, I rubbed in some of the original green liquid turtle wax, let it dry for an hour, then buff. You'll need sunglasses after this step!

The bad news for me was that removing the grime revealed pitting in the bakelite panel as a result of the abuse it received over the years. Comparing areas of panel that were "protected" vs "exposed" reveals that the pitting is the result of decades of exposure, as opposed to me sanding through the bakelite.

What a shine now!

Thanks everyone.