12-05-2014, 03:05 AM
Eric,
I finally tried the PlastX on the Model 43 dial. I could see a little luster, but no cleaning effect. I'll remind you that the printed dial scale seemed to be covered by a layer of the phenolic. I think they fused two layers together, after one was imprinted. (Somewhere I read that some of the dials were done that way.)
Today the odorless mineral spirits arrived. I tried that. No results, really. Then I got the little stiff acid brush, finally, and tried rubbing with the mineral spirits on the black smudges and arced streaks...after a while I noticed it was cleaning just a little. Finally, I realized what I could do.
I got some fine steel wool, and vigorously rubbed all the smudged black areas with mineral spirits. Slowly but surely the black came off! It also gave some clarity to the whole dial. I did both sides, and finished off with the PlastX, which added some surface luster and protection.
After the initial Windex cleaning, that dial was dull, barely translucent, and ruined with all that black smudging and smearing from 82 years of rubbing against the black painted light slot plate. Now it is clean and translucent, the dial scale crisp and legible--it almost looks like it just came off the assembly line! I am very pleased.
The PlastX was the perfect finishing touch! Thank you!
I finally tried the PlastX on the Model 43 dial. I could see a little luster, but no cleaning effect. I'll remind you that the printed dial scale seemed to be covered by a layer of the phenolic. I think they fused two layers together, after one was imprinted. (Somewhere I read that some of the dials were done that way.)
Today the odorless mineral spirits arrived. I tried that. No results, really. Then I got the little stiff acid brush, finally, and tried rubbing with the mineral spirits on the black smudges and arced streaks...after a while I noticed it was cleaning just a little. Finally, I realized what I could do.
I got some fine steel wool, and vigorously rubbed all the smudged black areas with mineral spirits. Slowly but surely the black came off! It also gave some clarity to the whole dial. I did both sides, and finished off with the PlastX, which added some surface luster and protection.
After the initial Windex cleaning, that dial was dull, barely translucent, and ruined with all that black smudging and smearing from 82 years of rubbing against the black painted light slot plate. Now it is clean and translucent, the dial scale crisp and legible--it almost looks like it just came off the assembly line! I am very pleased.
The PlastX was the perfect finishing touch! Thank you!
(11-30-2014, 01:14 PM)Eric Adams Wrote: I've used it on plastic dial covers from the 40s with no issues. It was designed to clean plastic headlight covers on cars.
![[-]](https://philcoradio.com/phorum/images/bootbb/collapse.png "[-]")
