Red line on AU-717 knobs

[lbcgav]

Has anyone been able to match the color and fill in the red lines on the knobs of an AU-X1X series amp? I assume you'd paint it on and then wipe if off, but I'm not sure of the best technique to achieve this.

 

[tnsilver]

red sharpie?

 

[restorer-john]

Clean the knobs really well first (I use an ultrasonic jewellery cleaner). Get the old flaky red paint off. Dry them and use an enamel paint in the line/cut. Let it almost dry and use a rag on your finger (convex shape) soaked in turpentine to rub away the excess that rises up and over the edge of the 'cut'.

I use the same method when restoring the lettering on my sunbeam mixmasters.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sa-9100-faceplate-letters.780951/#post-10731479

 

[lbcgav]

Clean the knobs really well first (I use an ultrasonic jewellery cleaner). Get the old flaky red paint off. Dry them and use an enamel paint in the line/cut. Let it almost dry and use a rag on your finger (convex shape) soaked in turpentine to rub away the excess that rises up and over the edge of the 'cut'.

I use the same method when restoring the lettering on my sunbeam mixmasters.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sa-9100-faceplate-letters.780951/#post-10731479

Great job on the mixers! I thought you were talking about audio mixers at first. The only issue I think I'll have at this point is finding a red paint that matches the original.

 

[larryderouin]

Try TESTOR's Model Paint. They have a few Red's and one of them may match closely. And they are enamel paints.

 

[ETLS]

A box of wooden toothpicks, and a set of the paint mentioned above, you can mix a few colors to achieve a close match, without having to pour any paints out, or cross contaminating the bottles.

A little fine sandpaper will thin down a toothpick to make one fit well into the cut, and lay a fine line down.

 

[lbcgav]

I forgot about Testors paints. The dark red looks like a good possibility. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[lbcgav]

Surprisingly, dark red is too dark. The Michael's I went to didn't have the regular red, which now looks like the right color.

 

[ETLS]

https://www.testors.com/product-catalog/testors-brands/testors/enamel-paint/enamel-paints

 

[macyjrm]

What about ladies nail polish? Seems like that stuff comes in every shade under the rainbow. Mask off the knob except for the color line, apply the polish, allow to dry, remove masking tape.

 

[ETLS]

There's a whole lot of brush, holding a craplot of polish, that ole toothpick trick you might find works good.

 

[lbcgav]

The red Testors is a much closer match than the dark red. I'd say the original might be a bit more orange, but it's close enough.

 

[lbcgav]

Here it is:


Pretty good match.

 

[ETLS]

Very nice. Did you try that with the toothpick or mask and brush?

 

[lbcgav]

No mask. Just a very fine brush and then wiped off with paint thinner after letting it set for about 30 minutes. Pretty much how restorer-john described.

I did use your toothpick trick with some Birchwood Casey Super Black on the front panel. Thanks for the advice.

 

[ETLS]

Cleanup is a breeze with the toothpick. Lol.