Has anyone had a colored plastic 302 crack?

[JimH]

I know there's been a lot of discussion about preventing colored 302s from cracking, different methods to relieve stress, etc.  My question is, has anyone here had one crack from just sitting on the shelf since you got yours?   I have 3 that are not cracked.  I've been debating on whether to do any proactive measures to relieve the stress.  I'm thinking after 60 years without any cracks, I might as well leave them alone. 

[WEBellSystemChristian]

I know that some people have ground down the corners of the bases, but that doesn't look pretty from the inside (I guess it's better than not looking pretty on the outside, like a stress crack would).

[Kenton K]

I use an adjustable spanner to bend the edges of the  metal base inwards. Noninvasive and works well. There are also no teeth marks left on the metal.

KK

[JimH]

I know there's a thread or two on methods for prevention...I just wondered if anyone ever had one crack that was not previously cracked.

[Dan/Panther]

I remove a small amount of the shell at the corners where the plastic has a raised portion. I personally would rather remove a small portion of the plastic, then polish it out, over bending the base, or grinding off a portion of the corners of the metal. Removing a bit of plastic and polishing it is COMPLETELY undetectable, how can that be better than bending the base or grinding off a potion of the metal base, which is very obvious if you remove the shell. Removing plastic you would never know. The argument, it's there for support is just not a factor when you consider how little is removed. That raised portion, in the corners of the shell, is to center the shell on the base, NOT extra strength.
I would be extremely upset if I paid good money for a 302, and the base was ground down or bent in at the corners.

D/P

[Kenton K]

I will say I only bend the lip maybe at most 1mm. It's almost impossible to notice.  I personally would never grind any of my bases.

[unbeldi]

I agree that it is rather hard to detect bending of the rim or lip.  Much less so than having less plastic in the corner, which is NOT raised but is the normal thickness of the plastic.  Only the straight edges of the housing have a thinner wall where there is less potential for stress than in the corners.

Whether it is more or less disturbing for a buyer when either the base has been modified or the housing has been ground, is completely philosophical.

The fact is that a base plate is easy to replace, while a housing is not, and a modified plate does not add additional concern for corner cracking. The bottom line is that purists can't have it both ways, a perfect historical specimen, and assurance of a future without cracks. Frankly either way, it doesn't impact value as the pricing of even broken sets on eBay shows.