10-06-2008, 11:53 AM
Ron-
You painting job isn't that hard and I can send you the correct paint.
After removing all of the electronic parts from the panel, you can knock out the corner nickel decorations from the back with a nail punch (they squeeze back in easily with pliers). Also remove the diamond dial line things.
There are three paint jobs needed. Apart from the stripping (acetone and a 3M green pad), and then light sanding to remove the rust. Primer, and then light-to-medium wrinkle paint the front surface only (panel temp 120-135 degrees F). This is followed by (horrors!) semi-gloss latex paint diluted with wood alcohol and sprayed with one of those mini-sprayers from your local hobby shop. I can send you some of the paint.
There are two distinct brown AK colors; the big box uses the lighter somewhat reddish color; all AK's after that use a much darker brown with no trace of red.
The dials should be cleaned and the numbers filled in with ivory colored acrylic paint (small bottle, $1.00), and then waxed. Never use white! White stands out horribly and doesn't look good; ivory is a much more pleasant and accurate color for a radio that's over 80 years old. People looking at the radio will not realize that it's ivory and will think it's white.
You painting job isn't that hard and I can send you the correct paint.
After removing all of the electronic parts from the panel, you can knock out the corner nickel decorations from the back with a nail punch (they squeeze back in easily with pliers). Also remove the diamond dial line things.
There are three paint jobs needed. Apart from the stripping (acetone and a 3M green pad), and then light sanding to remove the rust. Primer, and then light-to-medium wrinkle paint the front surface only (panel temp 120-135 degrees F). This is followed by (horrors!) semi-gloss latex paint diluted with wood alcohol and sprayed with one of those mini-sprayers from your local hobby shop. I can send you some of the paint.
There are two distinct brown AK colors; the big box uses the lighter somewhat reddish color; all AK's after that use a much darker brown with no trace of red.
The dials should be cleaned and the numbers filled in with ivory colored acrylic paint (small bottle, $1.00), and then waxed. Never use white! White stands out horribly and doesn't look good; ivory is a much more pleasant and accurate color for a radio that's over 80 years old. People looking at the radio will not realize that it's ivory and will think it's white.
Pete AI2V