Tube amp faceplate restoration question.....

P

prix

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Recently I decided to clean off the faceplate for my Harman Kardon A500. Not having the guts or the energy to take out the Simichrome Metal Polish that Wardsweb recommended, I saturated the face with LPS 1 and wiped it down with a cotton cloth. Then I took it inside and washed it with water and ivory dish soap. When I was finished, I rinsed it again with purified water. The problem is that now I could swear that the lettering has lost it's lustre, if it was there to begin with. It just doesn't seem as black anymore. LPS is supposed to be completely safe on paint, so I don't think that is the problem. I can't remember what the letters looked like before, so I'm not sure they are even any different or not. From certain angles, the lettering and logo looks clouded and almost grey, rather than black. I was talking to Kara Chaffee about it over the phone today and she said that maybe I dried out the paint? She suggested that I put some car wax or some kind of paint sealer on the faceplate to bring back the shine of the painted on letters. A) Do any of you A500 owners happen to notice if your lettering is shiny and glossy, or does it tend to be pretty dull/flat? B) Can anyone recommend anything I might try for this issue?
 
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Greetings,
I would go for the car wax. I have brought back many chassis and face plates with simple Turtle wax. There is also a special polishing compound made for plastic model builders, I do not recall the name, that works great for fine work and may be your best bet for the lettering on your face plate. You may want to contact your local hobby shop and inquire.
For chassis with a good heavy paint layer, a light rubbing or even polishing compound can work wonders.
 
After restoring many old Ham and military radios and using different substances to get the faceplates clean, I would be sure to get a wax that doesn't have any cleaning agents, i.e., mild abrasives, in it....you don't want to remove any more of the painted or silk screened letters, only to "feed" 'em a bit....Johnson's paste wax, like used for floors, has no abrasives or cleaners in it, most woodworker's waxes also contain none. I also know that Meguaiar's makes auto waxes with no cleaners.

So, I would try the least "inasive" methods first....rub a little "Pledge" or other furniture polish on it and see if it darkes the letters a bit....in fact, for anodized faceplates "Pledge" makes a pretty darn good cleaner when sprayed on and allowed to sit a bit to loosen dirt or smoke residue....
 
Good plastic polish

Hi Prix

I restore reel to reel decks, and many times the plastic parts are dull. I use Novus Fine scratch remover. (2) Works great on all plastic and even wood-panels. There is a nr: (1) also for very deep scratches but no:(2) with some elbow-grease is better I think.
Call: (800) 548-6872 Novus Inc. Minneapolis. MN 55438

Good Luck !:cool:
 
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