Yamaha Gun metal/black metalized finish - repair technique or restoration sources?

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Has anyone ever come across a method or source to repair or restore the late 70's/early 80s finish (M2/T2/C4 etc)? Thanks if you can share!
 
Once the black anodized aluminum is scratched. Thats all she wrote. Or find a clean piece off of a parts unit. Best you can do is cover it up with something. I use Birchwood Casey flat black paint pen.I covers it up . But scratch is still there.
 
I mean rather than paint it, actually reproduce that metalized gun metal color that makes Yamaha look so cool. Not sure if plated, baked or painted on from factory. Surely someone someplace is/can reproduce that look.
 
I have a couple of B-1s with side panels that are scratched. Will be looking at refinishing those at some point.
 
The old finish must be removed (some thickness is lost in the process) before the new anodized is applied again. The finish can be matte, gloss, brushed...
The restoration of the silk-screen print is usually more problematic...
 
The old finish must be removed (some thickness is lost in the process) before the new anodized is applied again. The finish can be matte, gloss, brushed...
The restoration of the silk-screen print is usually more problematic...
For the silk screening I've been looking at uv paint printers since they also print white. The problem is price, maybe for a business but not yet there for a hobbyist. These uv printers are used to print custom art on the backs of smart phones so the paint is very durable. Of course you can just teach yourself silk screening, which is more affordable(but requires more space).
 
It can certainly be redone. I just went through this process last month. Re-anodizing the part will not remove a scratch if it's more than about .001" deep -stripping the original anodizing will remove about that much base metal. The anodizing builds about half of that back. Reanodizing - especially if you dye it black - will make a very fine scratch virtually unnoticeable. As said - if the lettering was originally screen printed that will likely be a deal-breaker. I had two Kenwoods redone in black. These both have stamped lettering so refilling the lettering was a piece of cake. The cost for each was $60 at a local anodizing shop. The hard part is finding a shop that will take on small projects and do quality work. The process was to take it to them and have the original anodizing stripped. Take it back home and prepare the metal and polish to my liking, then return it for anodize/dye/seal. A bit more info here http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/kenwood-model-650-rescue.818794/

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It can certainly be redone. I just went through this process last month. Re-anodizing the part will not remove a scratch if it's more than about .001" deep -stripping the original anodizing will remove about that much base metal. The anodizing builds about half of that back. Reanodizing - especially if you dye it black - will make a very fine scratch virtually unnoticeable. As said - if the lettering was originally screen printed that will likely be a deal-breaker. I had two Kenwoods redone in black. These both have stamped lettering so refilling the lettering was a piece of cake. The cost for each was $60 at a local anodizing shop. The hard part is finding a shop that will take on small projects and do quality work. The process was to take it to them and have the original anodizing stripped. Take it back home and prepare the metal and polish to my liking, then return it for anodize/dye/seal. A bit more info here http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/kenwood-model-650-rescue.818794/

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looks fantastic. I dig the black version much more than the original
 
Good God that's beautiful. Congrats on a spectacular result.
Black is so sharp with contrasting silver controls IMHO.

How is the white lettering a 'piece of cake' even if stamped?
Okay, I went to your thread and found you did it by hand. Wow.

All you amazing experts seem to be on the other coast!
 
Thanks for the kind words! I was actually floored by how well it turned out - looks even better in person.

...and don't picture me sitting there with a one-bristle brush carefully filling in each letter. I just daubed on some paint and quickly wiped off the excess with an acetone (polish remover) dampened paper towel. Worked in small sections and it took about two hours including breaks.Some spots I had to go over a couple times. The only 'tough' part was the big KENWOOD logo and the tree emblem, as the towel tended to scour out the fresh lacquer.
 
Thanks for the kind words! I was actually floored by how well it turned out - looks even better in person.

...and don't picture me sitting there with a one-bristle brush carefully filling in each letter. I just daubed on some paint and quickly wiped off the excess with an acetone (polish remover) dampened paper towel. Worked in small sections and it took about two hours including breaks.Some spots I had to go over a couple times. The only 'tough' part was the big KENWOOD logo and the tree emblem, as the towel tended to scour out the fresh lacquer.

If you use a thin lint free rag stretched over a plastic block when wiping you will have less of a problem with the rag digging down into the lettering. Also toluene on the rag is what we used when doing this sort of blackfill in the etching business because it has less of a tendency to leach/run down into the paint. (Whitefill in this case :D)

Very nice clean work. The Kenwood looks spectacular! :thumbsup:

Cheers,
James
 
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