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Old 06-20-2014, 03:10 PM
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earlyfilm earlyfilm is offline
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Location: Culpeper, VA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by atomicomatic View Post
Low and behold, while painting the numbers on the channel selector knob gold, I got a little paint outside one number. Being picky, I took nail polish remover . . . .
Many pre-WWII knobs were Bakelite. After the war, most were common plastic.

Finger nail remover, is basically a weak blend of perfumed lacquer thinner.

I've seen plastic knobs ruined just by applying a lacquer paint.

Except for lacquer base paint on plastic, most paint will wipe off clean with a dry wipe, if done before it has time to set.


The safest cleaner for unknown plastics is Windex.

The next safest is denatured (ie, 30% water) alcohol, but watch out on pre-war (& 1950s custom) wood cabinets as it may soften the finish.

If the item is greasy, just plain soap and water first.

In any case, always test first on a hidden spot!

James
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