I thought about putting some perforated steel on the bottom to make it look like a ventilation panel, but I'm working on a different idea. Here's how I did the repair:
Reshape the defect to facilitate cutting a matching patch and make a template.
Acquire a piece of matching Bakelite and cut the patch slightly (~2 mm)larger than the hole with a bevel around the entire circumference.
Grind the edges of the patch with painstaking care until it sits in the beveled hole with the margins matched as closely as possible and cement with epoxy. After epoxy is fully set, sand to smooth, even finish
This is a good representation of the true appearance of the repair. The Bakelite patch is twice as thick as the repaired area, but thinner at the edges. Due to the variations in thickness and the translucency of the material, many photos--especially with flash--will show a clear outline of the repair which is not apparent to the naked eye.
Conclusion: This technique is entirely impractical and anyone who attempts it must be mentally deranged. For that reason, I thought some people in this forum might be interested.
- Winky