Paint for bakelite cases

[howard]

Hello,

I am about to restore a 1955 Philips Philetta AM/FM BD254U radio which is in a grey painted bakelite case. The paint is very badly scratched so there's no chance of touching it up so I'm going to strip it all off and then respray it using my Iwata airbrush compressor kit.

I assume that the original paint would have been cellulose and that would have been my first choice of paint as it dries quickly, but it's expensive unless one can find it in small quantities ..... and its sale has been prohibited since the beginning of the year.

I could use Enamel model paint such as Humbrol but as that takes ages to dry there's a good chance of dust ending up buried in the surface. I gather that there may be fast drying thinners around for some brands of enamel paints.

There is also Acrylic paints but the modelling water based variety such as Tamiya which is available in small quantities is not hard wearing. One can also use the acrylic paint from a Halfords aerosol after allowing the propellant to evaporate and then thin down for use in an air brush.

Has anyone repainted a radio case recently with an airbrush and can recommend a suitable paint please ?

Howard

[paulsherwin]

I don't have access to proper airbrushing equipment, so I use acrylic car paint in aerosol cans. You can get a good finish with these if you put sufficient work in. As with all acrylic spray paint, the safety margin between too little (orange peel effect) and too much (runs and sags) is very small. The finish needs rubbing down with wet and dry then finishing with T-Cut.

Car aerosols seem to turn up on market stalls having been returned by car accessory shops for whatever reason - overstocks, discontinued colours, insolvency etc. They are normally sold for a pound each and I always have a look if there are any useful colours. The cans are usually tatty and rusty but the paint inside is fine. I have about 10 in stock now.

Paul

[howard]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

........ so I use acrylic car paint in aerosol cans. You can get a good finish with these if you put sufficient work in. As with all acrylic spray paint, the safety margin between too little (orange peel effect) and too much (runs and sags) is very small. Paul

With an airbrush one doesn't have those problems as long as the paint is mixed correctly and a light polish when it's dry is all that's needed for a perfect finish. I used to do a lot of airbrush work when I used to paint the polycarbonate bodies of Tamiya and Kyosho remote control model cars and never had a problem and I usually used Humbrol enamel or Tamiya acrylic paints.
It would be nice to be able to use cellulose as originally used on the set but as it's hard to get hold of now I'll probably end up using the contents of a suitably colour matched can of Halfords acrylic aerosol thinned down with cellulose thinners.

Howard

[Sean Williams]

Hi Howard,

I wouldnt thin Acrylic with Celulose thinner - it will most likely react!

I have never had a problem with acrylic finishes, I normally get a local paint supplier to custom mix aerosols for me, but will be progressing to a spray gun now - easy to get 1/4litre cans of paint made up to whatever colour you need.

Most modern acrylic paints used for automotive purposes are water based now, something about reducing the volatile organic content.

We still use Cellulose based paints when repainting parts of our engines at work......

Cheers
Sean

[howard]

Originally Posted by Sean Williams

Hi Howard,
I wouldnt thin Acrylic with Celulose thinner - it will most likely react! .......
We still use Cellulose based paints when repainting parts of our engines at work...... Cheers Sean

I'm not sure what I can use to thin the paint out of a Halfords aerosol, but it has an organic propellant which one has to allow to evaporate before one can use the paint - possibly an acrylic thinner. I know one can't use cellulose thinners with enamel paint.

I think cellulose and two pack paints will get harder and harder to find as existing stocks dwindle, and acrylic paints will become the standard.

I know of a motor accessory shop in Farnham who mix up small cans of car touch up paint to order, now that would be ideal and I shall be contacting them tomorrow to see if they're still doing it.

Howard

[howard]

Hello again,

I managed to get 100ml of grey cellulose paint from the motor accessory shop mentionned above. It's Holts Dupli-Color and a perfect match too, but is usually seen on Ford Transits

Howard

[howard]

Hello again,

I'm getting on now with this old Philips Philetta. Pics below of it as it was, after the paint was stripped off using Nitromors, and finally in several coats of white primer/undercoat. I've actually used a Halfords aerosol as there are one or two scratches on the top front of the case which an airbrush wouldn't have disguised.

Next step, once the primer has dried for at least 48 hours is to rub it down with very fine wet and dry, and soapy water which avoids snagging the paint and pulling it off, and hopefully I'll be able to lose those small scratches as well. And then the top coat.

Howard

[howard]

Hello again,

I have now finished repainting the Philips Philetta BD254U bakelite cabinet.
I rubbed down the Halfords acrylic white primer paint applied two days ago with 600 and 1200 grade wet n dry and no soapy water was needed. It's rather like sanding down chalk this paint and it was very straightforward to attain a glass like finish. Only one tiny tiny little scratch in the case surface is still visible, all the others vanished under the primer

I decided after all to use a Halfords aerosol paint to do the top coat and as I was working out in the hot sun this afternoon I was able to give the case several thin coats - and I managed not to capture any insects or dust either !

Cos it's acrylic paint it now needs to dry for 2 weeks before I can compound it down, not that it needs much, and then acrylic gold paint will be applied into the channels around the front.

I'm very pleased with the finish attained from the Halfords aerosols.

Howard