French 1924 Column phone (PTT24)

[FABphones]

I've resprayed the base/stem. After sanding the first attempt away it received primer, then the black x2. I left it to dry overnight between applications. It went into the oven after the first coat of black but not after the second. The depth of shine is nowhere near what it was the first time. It's more of a satin finish now and I'm very very tempted to put another coat of paint on and pop it back in the oven, but for the moment in view of my first attempt, I'm holding off. Either way, it will be a couple of weeks before I can proceed to the next stage of this part of the renovation whilst the paint cures. Photo attached in the meantime.

Also attached a photo of the mouthpiece now it has been cleaned up. The two plaques are on the same photo (and the black 'button' which is held on via a nut), showing the rivets which I have managed to save. Both plaques were riveted to the side of the body so I ground them off from the inside using a mini tool. This means I will be able to reattach the plaques so they look exactly as they did prior to removing. For that I'll use some sort of epoxy resin on the inside. The wiring diagram was loose inside the body when I opened it, I'll glue that back as it was originally placed too.

ETA: I couldn't leave the finish as per the photo - it's had a rub back with 000, a wipe over with Acetone, left for an hour or two, and then another spray... Fingers crossed everyone...

[FABphones]

Photos:

1) Painting finished (3 coats total plus primer)
2) Cradle parts. The cradle had taken a knock at some point during it's history so needed straightenng out.

I have had some polishing products recommended to me which should really bring up the shine on these. Nothing can be done for a couple of weeks now so plenty of time for them to arrive before the next stage.

[FABphones]

Repainting this has proven to be a bit tricky. Several reasons the finishes so far were not good enough – from me being too impatient and not sanding back well enough, to the temperature becoming too cold. I have now moved the spraying setup into a large, dust free (!) and warm room.

I had been waiting for some lacquer (clear coat) to arrive to finish up and get the shine onto this paintwork, then, during a clear out the other day I found I already had some. So I've been sanding back and layering to try and build up a shine. Today I finally achieved the glossy finish I wanted so I took this photo for you all to see.

...but, right after I took this photo I watched in slow motion whilst a fine wisp of something delicate gently floated down – and landed right on top of the lacquer. 

Compared to the photos on page one of this thread, the cradle and the outer dial rim, although pitted, I think have polished up beautifully. For this I used my mini tool with polishing wheel and 'Autosol', my very favourite product for a shiny chrome like finish on this type of metal. 

[FABphones]

Finishing this phone was held up for a while by 'the one in front', but here it is. Same viewed angle, before and after.