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Telephone painting techniques/results

Started by BDM, October 22, 2008, 12:24:07 AM

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Dennis Markham

Nto, you don't HAVE to, that's just what I do with mine.  Some of the you could rub on until the cows come home and they just don't get any better.  Some need very little but most need a lot.

bingster

#46
I use black shoe polish, too (the paste kind).  It doesn't last forever, but a couple applications definitely help.

After my little triumph with painting the base, the handset brought me quickly back down to Earth.  I primed the parts, and found that just like the base, they needed many coats of paint to thoroughly cover the primer.  I really don't understand that.  I always figured that once you put a primer down, one or two coats of paint would do the job.

Anyway, I put the parts in the oven when I was finished painting.  My oven has no temperature gradations below "200," but there is a lower setting called "warm" so that's what I used.  I didn't want the bakelite to get too hot for fear of damaging it.  Some of the parts came out fine.  Not as smooth as the base, but that may be due to the fact that I didn't use as much heat as I did with the base.  Still, they were good enough to get by without wet sanding, although I'll probably smooth them out a bit anyway.

But the handle and transmitter cap didn't come out well at all.  For some reason each of these two pieces came out with a few bubbles under the paint.  I'm not sure if I contaminated the surface with oils from my fingers, or if there was some flaw in my technique.  Whatever the problem, I'm going to have to strip the two parts and start again. ::)

= DARRIN =



Dennis Markham

Bingster, as I read your description I wondered if the bubbles were caused by a contaminated piece, as you suggested oils.  That's too bad as otherwise it doesn't look bad.  It sure doesn't seem take much (dirt, grime, oils, etc) to make the paint react.

bingster

I do think the paint may be touchy, because I noticed on the label something I'd never seen before.  It says that re-applications must be made within four hours, or you have to wait 36 hours to re-apply.  It says that re-applying in that 4-36 hour timeframe will cause the paint to wrinkle and flake. 

I'm also going to experiment and see if I can bake bakelite at 200 degrees.  I have an old Stromberg "horse hoof" handset that's totally shot, so I'm going to disassemble it and chuck the pieces in the oven at 200 to see if it gets damaged.  If it comes out unscathed, then I'll put the handle and transmitter cap in at those temps, and see if that helps the paint to smooth out as well as the paint on the base.
= DARRIN =



JorgeAmely

Bakelite is used these days for the handles of kitchen pots and pans. I have a few in my kitchen that go from heat to cold every day and have never broken.

Of course, testing with old parts is always a good idea.

Jorge

bingster

Quote from: ntophones on November 24, 2009, 09:38:59 AMI am enjoying my phone now, but, next time I paint, I hope to get my phone as smooth and shiny as Bingster has. I'd definitely go with the paints Bingster used.

I don't know that I'd recommend this paint.  I've been redoing the handset parts over the last couple days, and it's been a nightmare.  For some reason, it's really tough to get the paint to cover the primer.  On the sharp edges, the paint tends to migrate away from the edges, and it took six or seven shots to get the edges covered well.

I'll post photos when I'm finished, but I had a little disaster with the receiver cap.  I dropped it and chipped the paint up and now I have to redo it.  The rest of the parts are fine, but they have so many coats of paint on them that I'm going to have to let the paint cure for a week or two before I sand and polish the paint.

In the meantime, I wound up sanding and polishing the paint on the base, even though I wasn't going to.  It wasn't dead smooth, but it was perfectly acceptable.  I'm glad I did it though, because now it's as smooth as an original type finish, and it also knocked down the gloss just a bit.  The gloss had been too high, which should generally be avoided since it's glaringly unoriginal, but now it's got the same ever-so-slight satin finish that WE originals had. 
= DARRIN =



ntophones

I'm glad you are writing about this.
The WE202 I repainted has about 5-6 thin coats over the primer. I recently accidentally scratched it a bit around the dial. I also polished it a little more with Novus #2. The things I learned about the Krylon Gloss paint that I used are:

1) it takes a lot of coats
2) it needs to be wet sanded a bit or have Novus #2 with a buffer applied for a really shiny shine. Otherwise, it is o.k., but not too smooth.

But, your paint looks pretty. I'm sorry about the pesky handset problems. Good work, though!
--nto

ETS1979

There are many good ideas here. I haven't done this in a while because of the messy overspray in my garage. I usually use rustoleum products.  Here's what I have done in the past.

1. Parts to be painted must be totally clean.  Silicone is the most difficult to remove. I use paint stripper on bakelite.  I use mineral spirits on plastic that I have painted.  Change rags or paper towels frequently.

2.  Do any body work needed with automotive bondo products.

3.  Primer.  Do not skip this step!

4.  Apply thin coats of paint every few minutes.  Clean the nozzle every few minutes to keep spray even and clean.  Keep the applied paint looking wet, but try to prevent runs.  You want as many coats as you can so that when you begin sanding/polishing you have enough paint to avoid sanding through. There will be times when you may have imperfections that will require starting over.  Try not to get discouraged.

5. I let time do the curing not an oven, usually about a week.

6.  Then begin sanding/polishing.  I try to stay away from edges as much as possible to avoid sanding through.




baldopeacock

Quote from: Dennis Markham on November 24, 2009, 05:35:24 PM
Bingster, as I read your description I wondered if the bubbles were caused by a contaminated piece, as you suggested oils.  That's too bad as otherwise it doesn't look bad.  It sure doesn't seem take much (dirt, grime, oils, etc) to make the paint react.

From auto body experience, silicone (like Armor All) is a painter's worst enemy.   Typical result is "fish eyes" in the paint.   Body shops won't let an Armor All-treated surface anywhere near the paint booth.   That, or similar, could be the cause of several problems with paint that have been mentioned.

foots

  Well, first off I'm sorry I don't have any pics of my 1243 I've experimented with, but here is my method so far. I used the spray can Rustoleum black lacquer that I buy from Wal~Mart. After completely stripping the paint and thoroughly washing the housing with very hot water and drying I apply a coat, let it dry for an hour or so then repeat for a few more coats. Make sure you coat the tips of the cradle ears good. After the paint has been allowed to dry for a few days, it will be very glossy but have a bit of orange peel. I then take 0000 steel wool and lightly scuff the paint enough to remove all of the orange peel and thoroughly rinse off and dry the housing. The phone should appear to have a smooth flat black color.  I then use a clean rag and some Turtle Wax White Polishing Compound and Scratch Remover and then buff with a clean cloth diaper. If all of the orange peel is gone, I then apply a good quality car wax and hand buff again. This leaves a good, smooth, shiny appearance that looks factory.
  I'm going to strip and repaint the 1243, only this time I'm going to put the housing in the oven to let it cure rather than letting it air dry for a few days as I think the heat from the oven will help to settle the paint.
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

bingster

That's what I found with my base, foots.  The oven made a major difference in the look of the paint, making it much smoother. 
= DARRIN =



Come in Nighthawk

Quote from: McHeath on April 05, 2009, 12:39:31 PM

5.  My wife is very tolerant of my weird hobby.  ......... She did make a comment one day, I think after I'd wired up the 6th rotary phone in various rooms of the house, that "How many of those are you going to install in each room?"  Figured that was a signal to slow down on the phone installs... ;)

Curiously enuf, MINE actually WANTS me to get a "nice one" working so as to install it in the sitting room of her mother's condo as a conversation piece (well, and as an extra working instrument too).   :o

:D

Dan/Panther

I find that 220 degrees works wonders on paint. it causes the paint to flow, and all but eliminates any surface imperfections. It levels, Will fill small scratches. !80 to 200 is not quite hot enough. Be especially cautious on older phones. Some parts were made of Hard rubber and not Bakelite. The hard rubber parts will get damaged in the heat.
D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

cihensley@aol.com

I don't know how Western Electric did the colored metal sets; but for the black ones, they were jappaned not painted. Until about 1930 they used aspaltum in their jappaning. This was replaced by another material that was more resistant to perspiration. Research to date has not identified the material they used to replace asphaltum. In any case if you want the black finish that is the original on candlesticks, A mounting and B mounting use jappaning with aspaltum. By the way, you might consider heat lamps rather than your kitchen oven to avoid family friction.

Chuck

Come in Nighthawk

 ???

... not sure I'm up to "japaning with asphaltum."  Where would I even get the stuff??

But would you all say that a good can of Rustoleum, carefully applied to the chipped parts of a D1 mount, followed by (how long??) in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit, would make a decent seal.  I'm not trying to achieve survival of the parts through the next Ice Age.  Just make them a 'tad sturdy to stand up to occasional use without chipping??   ???
;D