The AM Forum

I restore a lot of broadcast consoles, many of them Gates / Harris.  The gray color used n the tube series of transmitters can be matched perfectly with the following:  KRYLON RTA 9205 primer (it dries flat) and Rustoleum Crystal Clear # 7901.  This is also a great match for Hammarlund cases like the HQ series.
See Restorations at www.bobmayben.com . The Gatesway was completely stripped to the metal.

How well does that work for touch-up rather than complete re-painting?  My BC1-T cabinet has quite a few scratches and ding marks from when it was slid sideways across the concrete floor to get it through a small door and out of the BC transmitter building. I wouldn't bother to re-paint the whole thing (I think it was butt-ugly even brand new from the factory), but I would consider touching up the rough spots.

Regarding Bob Mayben's web page, the call letters WCAS were later re-assigned to a 740 kc/s 250w daytimer in Cambridge, MA during the late 60's and early to mid 70's. They had a progressive folk-rock format and provided serious competition to some of the big FM rockers in Boston.  In about 1974 a religious organisation tried to buy the station and convert it to a Bible-beater, which sparked a region-wide "Save WCAS" campaign complete with flyers and bumper stickers, but someone finally came up with the money to purchase the station and maintain the format. Their tower was located on top of an industrial building at the edge of town.  Later the station was moved, and the format, call sign and city of licence were changed. I seem to recall hearing that the station later moved back to its old location with the same tower, but under a different call sign and an oldies/big band format.

Hey Don,
That is some cool history.  This incarnation of WCAS was for its then owner, Charles A. Smithgall of Atlanta.
I touched up places on several Gates boards, and after the clear was feathered in and a little "rubbing out" with Mothers chrome polish, it was impossible to detect. On the Diplomat page, the picture of the Power One supply, the area shown is about half Gates and half Krylon.