[Eric Adams]

Hi guys,
My problem is with a radio that I just got.

It is an RCA 75X14. It has a plastic cabinet. It has what I would call a faux finish. It is painted to look like marbled Bakelite. My problem is that it has 4 or 5 small chips in the paint and a small hairline crack in the rear at the bottom. I'm not too concerned with the crack.
My question is: What would you guys do? I can't simply touch up the chipped paint because it would just be a solid color touch up. So, do I leave them alone and just polish the cabinet or do I strip the paint off and repaint with a solid brown, the color of Bakelite? I have no idea how I could replicate the original finish.
Please take a look. What do you think?

[murf]

If it were me, I would get as close to a solid color match as possible and dab them in.
But that's just my opinion.
Good luck.

[radiodocs]

I haven't any experience with refinishing, but I wonder if one of the analine dye wood stains might not be useful here. Something more transparent than paint, that would nonetheless cover the chips.
Perhaps someone with some experience with them would care to comment.

[jerryhawthorne]

Eric, I'm with Murph. I would look at a hobby store for a selection of acrylic paints and try to mix something up to match your base color. Use a small artists brush and dab the color into the chip area. After drying perhaps a little contrast color on an almost dry brush to just give a closer look to the original finish which was more of a swirl two tone.
Jerry

[Eric Adams]

Thanks guys, I'll give it a try.