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Metal body restoration? - kenlew0405 - 05-02-2012

Hello everyone,
I have seen some great info here about restoring wooden radios, but what about the metal cased ones? I got 2 (a 65 and a 511) at a swap meet and they are both in need of some work. Can someone give us a rundown on how you strip such a thing and how to paint it afterwards (prime, paint, varnish etc.)? I'm still working on the innards, but It's something I want to plan.

Thanks,
Ken

RE: Metal body restoration? - codefox1 - 05-02-2012

(05-02-2012, 04:16 PM)kenlew0405 Wrote:  Hello everyone,
I have seen some great info here about restoring wooden radios, but what about the metal cased ones? I got 2 (a 65 and a 511) at a swap meet and they are both in need of some work. Can someone give us a rundown on how you strip such a thing and how to paint it afterwards (prime, paint, varnish etc.)? I'm still working on the innards, but It's something I want to plan.

Thanks,
Ken

Well, if it's just the body you're dealing with, and it's rusted or whatever, scour it down and spray it with Rustolium. Two coats, and let it dry for a week and you will be fine.

RE: Metal body restoration? - Arran - 05-03-2012

(05-02-2012, 04:16 PM)kenlew0405 Wrote:  Hello everyone,
I have seen some great info here about restoring wooden radios, but what about the metal cased ones? I got 2 (a 65 and a 511) at a swap meet and they are both in need of some work. Can someone give us a rundown on how you strip such a thing and how to paint it afterwards (prime, paint, varnish etc.)? I'm still working on the innards, but It's something I want to plan.

Thanks,
Ken

If they are rusty, the paint badly deteriorated, etc, I would try using electrolysis to strip the steel, but you must remove any non ferrous metals first. If they are a little worn around the edges but not bad you could wet sand the old finish and paint over it but I would leave it alone. Don't use a grinder or sandblasting, it will score the metal and require lots of primer and spot putty to get it smooth again. Sometime you can use chemical paint stripper but electrolysis is easier all around, the rust and paint will come right off leaving bare metal with minimal mess and no nasty solvents to deal with.
Basically you use a mix of washing soda, or baking soda, and water, a large plastic container, some scrap steel or iron as a sacrificial anode, and a high current low voltage DC power supply. There are multiple videos of you tube documenting the process as well as several web sites.
Regards
Arran


RE: Metal body restoration? - kenlew0405 - 05-16-2012

There wasn't much rust, so I've started stripping the body with Citristrip. It works great and you can use it indoors.

RE: Metal body restoration? - Arran - 05-16-2012

That's why I suggested electrolysis to strip, not only does it take off paint it takes off rust and there are no fumes or harsh chemicals involved just washing soda and water.
Regards
Arran

RE: Metal body restoration? - gary rabbitt - 06-11-2012

Hi Ken,
Stripping and sanding are probably the best for the home user. A light coat of prime for adhesion, then your topcoats.

I have not tried electrolysis yet for rust removal, sounds interesting.
Sandblasting should be avoided though. It can cause heat buildup (possible warping) metal thickness issues, pitting etc. are the downfalls. For severe cases of rust, you might not have any other choice.
For those that don't know, there is the sodium bicarbonate method of blasting. It doesn't present any of the issues a traditional sandblaster has. Works on light rust too. Leaves no pitting or 'signature' of sandblasting.
If one strips all the time, you can get a home version of a unit for around $300.
http://www.eastwood.com/soda-blasting/soda-blasters.html?srccode=ga120030&gclid=CKySvr-Vx7ACFY_J7Qod31A9YQ

A fellow in the radio club says he plans on getting one of the sodium strippers. I've seen it used on cars and it seems to do a good job.
For the casual restorer, it might not be economical to purchase one.
I'll post back, when the guy has had a chance to see how it works on his metal cabinets.
Take care,

RE: Metal body restoration? - Arran - 06-11-2012

Quote:I have not tried electrolysis yet for rust removal, sounds interesting.
Sandblasting should be avoided though. It can cause heat buildup (possible warping) metal thickness issues, pitting etc. are the downfalls. For severe cases of rust, you might not have any other choice.
For those that don't know, there is the sodium bicarbonate method of blasting. It doesn't present any of the issues a traditional sandblaster has. Works on light rust too. Leaves no pitting or 'signature' of sandblasting.

Gary;
You should give it a try, I used it to strip the rust off an unseize my pipe vise and it got everything loose again and down to bare metal. It will take heavy crusty rust and even paint off, after stripping a steel cabinet with paint remover I will never do it by any method other then electrolysis again. In my case the vise is made out out of cast iron or cast steel so I needed to bake it afterwards just to prevent hydrogen enbrittlement. It isn't an issue with mild steel but with cast iron and tempered steel you really need to do this, fortunately it doesn't have to be at high heat just something like 250 F for an hour. I used washing soda for the electrolyte but you can also use baking soda, or TSP, or even lye, but I would stick with either washing soda or baking soda since they are fairly cheap and less caustic.
Soda blasting I think is safer for softer metals, and you don't have to worry about silicosis from the dust like you would with sand. I've also heard of blasting with beads, plastic pellets, dry ice, and even walnut shells for much the same reasons, it removes the crud without removing metal.
Regards
Arran