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Cleaning Bakelite that has yellowed !

Started by electric al, February 23, 2015, 10:05:33 AM

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electric al

Is there a good (practical) way to clean up bakelite that has yellowed ?

What would be the best product to use , or is there a trick to it ?
Never met a phone I didn't like !

unbeldi

Quote from: electric al on February 23, 2015, 10:05:33 AM
Is there a good (practical) way to clean up bakelite that has yellowed ?

What would be the best product to use , or is there a trick to it ?

Yellowed?

Bakelite usually just gets dull. Sometimes in most conditions it can have some brownish surface layer, probably phenol alcohols, that wipes off fairly easily with many cleaners, I prefer a metal cleaner.

HarrySmith

What do you have that is yellowed anx bakelite?
Pictures please!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

WEBellSystemChristian

I'm pretty sure he means when it turns brown after a ton of use, like on well-used G1 handsets.
Christian Petterson

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

electric al

  Here is a pic , that shows the yellowing !
Never met a phone I didn't like !

HarrySmith

I think you will find it plastic, not bakelite. The peroxide method should work. The housing is metal and should clean up with soap & water. I had a customer a few years back that had a bunch of those. I did a lot of work on some. There are some that were really nice. Silk cords, wood plugs & gold plated!  The dials were all added, originally they were manual phones. Enjoy!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

electric al

 Of course , you are correct , it is plastic , not Bakelite !

I will try the peroxide and oxyclean method, although it is not really that bad !

What could I try the mixture on first , to be sure that it would not harm the plastic !

Also , what percentage of each ingredient is best ?

 
Never met a phone I didn't like !

HarrySmith

I use Salon Care crime formula 20 should work if it is not bad and that is fairly weak, should not harm plastic. IIRC the handle is 2 pieces. Try it on inside. Is the gong gold plated?  Do you have real silk cords?  Looks like it might!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

unbeldi

#8
I believe the original color of these was some shade of ivory anyways. It probably never was white.
It's hard to tell for us, what is actual discoloration and what is due to the photography or lighting.
The phone really looks to be in fairly good condition.

The original design of these phones is based on the Danish company KTAS and goes back to the around 1908 or so.  That original model was something like 'D-08' and those were built for a long time, so that the parts were reused and new variants created by many after-market sellers. In Denmark, Expoga  (spelling?) also modernized the design. Eventually, these phones were newly mass-produced in Japan primarily for the American market after it became legal to install a privately own phone, but can be found also in Europe. They are usually marked DO-8 , JN-4, US-4, and perhaps others.