I acquired a 143Aw receiver with an old railroad scissorback just purchased on ebay. After wiping it with liquid metal polish I was much cleaner and shinier but the bakelite surface is slightly roughened from years of use and dirt. I tried buffing it with a shoe brush but no luck. Is there a specific polish and application method anyone can recommend that can help restore the final shine?
Thanks,
Bob Farber
This is a good reference area to start with. Several different methods discussed.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?board=21.0
On smaller parts like the receiver and handsets, I've had good luck with a power buffer. I use one of those stick compounds and use an electric buffing wheel - smooths out the roughness and gives it a nice black shine.
If you want to go the buffing route, that was addressed on the forum and this is one link, with posts following this one, which gets into buffing plastic and bakelite with some very good examples of completed work.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=8217.msg89581#msg89581
And this is farther down showing one recommendation that bakelite is best buffed at 3450 RPM.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=8217.msg89722#msg89722
There are others. This is the link that came to mind when buffing was mentiioned.
Very good job!
What material is the housing made of? Not painted metal?
I use a dremel on bakelite. Lowest setting, felt polishing wheel. On a higher setting, you may risk causing burnmarks.
Same goes for ureoformaldehyde.
Plastics, don´t! Painted metal, don´t!