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1973 Aqua 2500

Started by WEBellSystemChristian, December 29, 2016, 02:19:31 PM

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WEBellSystemChristian

I found this at an antique store the other day. I saw it at a distance, and as I got closer, it looked worse. Bad fading, not 10 button, and a major crack in the front. I flipped it around, and felt queasy. 4 cracks around the rear mousehole, plus a section of the mousehole itself missing! For the $7 price tag, I couldn't just leave it there! ::)

The good news is it appears to be dates matching, and the relatively rare Aqua faceplate is in perfect shape. The cord isn't broken or kinked, and has little fading compared to the plastic.

At least the silver lining here is that I get to try out some plastic repair methods, as well as D/P's tried-and-true Acetone crack repair. I also can try filling in the chip with the plastic/Acetone mixture Unbeldi uses.

I have my work cut out for me! :(
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

AL_as_needed

I agree, for 7$ that in its state is still a deal. Parts like the keypad alone make up for that. But considering the fading, if you were to fix the cracks and wet sand the whole thing down, it could clean up into a beautiful phone.

That is if its worth the effort to you of course. I find working on these sorts of phones to be half the fun  8)
TWinbrook7

andy1702

I'll be very interested to see how the crack repair works out. And even more interested to see how you replace the chipped bit! I normally deal with cracks by running superglue on the bact tehn working the cracka  bit so the glue goes in. The problem is it's not totally invisible.

Andy.
Call me on C*net 0246 81 290 from the UK
or (+44) 246 81 290 from the rest of the world.

For telephone videos search Andys Shed on Youtube.

WEBellSystemChristian

Thanks guys!

This method doesn't make the crack totally invisible in most cases, but what I like about it is that I'm bonding the two ends of the plastic together with itself, not a foreign material like superglue or epoxy. The Acetone completely evaporates quickly, leaving the melted plastic holding itself together.

I'll be using the same treatment on the chip out of the rear, but using a liquid mixture. The end result will be a repair that doesn't involve some other material like resin.

My one fear is that the housing could be very brittle. I'm starting to notice chips out of the bottom edge and out of the handset mousehole. I've noticed that most Beige plastics built around the early to mid sixties are extremely brittle and could break very easily with very little force. This could be similar, but I will have to see with time.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

andy1702

Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on December 31, 2016, 11:59:08 AM
I'll be using the same treatment on the chip out of the rear, but using a liquid mixture. The end result will be a repair that doesn't involve some other material like resin.

My one fear is that the housing could be very brittle. I'm starting to notice chips out of the bottom edge and out of the handset mousehole. I've noticed that most Beige plastics built around the early to mid sixties are extremely brittle and could break very easily with very little force. This could be similar, but I will have to see with time.

UK phones in the early 60s were made from Diakon, which is a trade name for a plastic that was incredibly fragile. When they swapped to ABS the cases could be made noticably thinner with no ill effects. The plus point of Diakon is it doesn't fade or more accurately 'tan'. Judging by the color change your phone is suffering I doubt it's anything like Diakon. I guess it could be something else with a similar problem though.

So have I understood this right...? You're going to disolve some plastic using acetone, to make what I guess will be something like a runny paste, then use that as a filler to replace the part that's chipped away? If that works and you find a bit of sacrificial plastic the same color, then I imagine that should make a really good repair. I've done something similar with epoxy mixed with charcoal powder on black bakelite cases, but the color match is always a bit off because it's a different material. Your method sounds a lot better, provided you can cope with the shrinkage as the acetone evaporates.

Andy.
Call me on C*net 0246 81 290 from the UK
or (+44) 246 81 290 from the rest of the world.

For telephone videos search Andys Shed on Youtube.

TelePlay

Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on December 31, 2016, 11:59:08 AM
This method doesn't make the crack totally invisible in most cases, but what I like about it is that I'm bonding the two ends of the plastic together with itself, not a foreign material like superglue or epoxy. The Acetone completely evaporates quickly, leaving the melted plastic holding itself together.

How do you plan to clean the crack, at least the surface of the crack, so that you don't melt darker "dirt" into the weld leaving a line?

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: TelePlay on December 31, 2016, 01:59:36 PM
How do you plan to clean the crack, at least the surface of the crack, so that you don't melt darker "dirt" into the weld leaving a line?

I'm using my constantly-used Denatured Alcohol. With the phone being ABS, it isn't affected by Alcohol, and DA makes an excellent cleaning agent.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

AL_as_needed

One method I have used on cracked ABS plastic is to sort of taco weld it together with the tip of a soldering iron. Done carefully on the inside (like making small dotted lines) should be enough to hold the piece together while you fill and clean the visible face.

PS, A "Happy Birthday!" is in order, here's to many more years of collecting!
TWinbrook7

Jim Stettler

I have seen a "UV activated" Plastic bonding method at Home Depot. It may be a "as seen on TV " item. It was 10 or 20. Has any one tried a product like this?
Just Curious

Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.