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Author Topic: Cleaning up after a visit from the mice  (Read 13334 times)
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wx3k
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« on: November 08, 2008, 06:58:44 PM »

 Cry

I need some advice in restoration of a power supply chassis.

I have a Harvey Wells T90 and matching power supply APS-90...Unfortunately, Mice found their way into the power supply. See attached picture. I disassembled the chassis and removed the transformers and cleaned the chassis as best I could with Nature's Miracle to neutralize the smell. I used an abrasive pad with some lestoil to remove additional corrosion. I am wondering if there is some way I can have the chassis cleaned with a ultrasonic cleaner using some sort of solvent. I really want the dark corroded spots on the various places on the chassis mostly removed. Anyone know who can do this ?


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Stephanie WX3K
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"Thunder is good; Thunder is impressive but it is lightning that does the work" ...Mark Twain
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« Reply #1 on: November 08, 2008, 07:24:25 PM »

Hi Stephanie,

Welcome to this group!

I think the only solution to this problem is to completely strip the chassis and then have it glassbeaded. The corrosion appears very severe, and ultrasonic cleaning will not remove this kind of corrosion. That sheetmetal is pretty far gone, in my opinion.

Once the chassis is glassbeaded, and the sheetmetal is as smooth and imperfection-free as you (or a metal finishing facility) can get it, you may want to consider having the chassis cadmium plated as part of the restoration of this unit; my guess is that this was the process the factory used for the original finish.

Good luck with this restoration project!

Best 73,

Bruce, W2XR
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wx3k
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« Reply #2 on: November 08, 2008, 07:43:18 PM »

Hi Bruce,

Thanks...I never posted here at all until today. I met a bunch of AMers for brunch today and they suggested I post here for some suggestions. I dont have access to all those processes and have no clue who does that sort of thing these days. The local antique radio group used to have someone that did chassis restoration but they retired and moved out of the area before I had a chance to take care of this. It might be easier for me to have someone just fabricate a new chassis out of sheet metal. In either case, this is a time consuming project of course which I chip away at bit by bit.

:-)

Hi Stephanie,

Welcome to this group!

I think the only solution to this problem is to completely strip the chassis and then have it glassbeaded. The corrosion appears very severe, and ultrasonic cleaning will not remove this kind of corrosion. That sheetmetal is pretty far gone, in my opinion.

Once the chassis is glassbeaded, and the sheetmetal is as smooth and imperfection-free as you (or a metal finishing facility) can get it, you may want to consider having the chassis cadmium plated as part of the restoration of this unit; my guess is that is the process the factory used for the original finish.

Good luck with this restoration project!

Best 73,

Bruce, W2XR
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Stephanie WX3K
Eico 720/722/730  HRO50T
"Thunder is good; Thunder is impressive but it is lightning that does the work" ...Mark Twain
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« Reply #3 on: November 08, 2008, 08:13:56 PM »

howdy. 

the glassbeading is just like sandblasting.  My suggestion if you live in a rural area find a farmer. if there are any farmers in your family or anyone you  know knows one, farmers routinely sandblast old paint and rust off old farm implements.  the glassbeads can be loaded into the sandblasters.  you can get the stuff in 50 lbs sacks at tractor supply. your other option is to look up custom harley shops in your area. find out who they use for this. One option they will have avail is an acid dip.  custom hot rod shops use this process. your motorcycle shop will also have a guy that does chrome plating.  The same guy often does copper nickel zinc and other types of plating.

or you could just pay a sheet metal shop to stamp a new one.  Probably cheaper this way. was for me

hope this helps
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W2XR
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« Reply #4 on: November 08, 2008, 08:24:27 PM »

Hi Stephanie,

Yes, unfortunately mouse urine is extremely corrosive. I can vividly recall seeing photos of a classic vintage automobile that was stored improperly, and mice urinated all over the vehicle, ruining the factory-original finish.

If you live in an area where mice may be a problem, and wish to store valuable items in an out-of-doors environment, including an attached garage, one of the best things you can do to ward off mice and other vermin is to keep a pie tin full of good old fashioned mothballs there. Leave the pie tin on the floor all year-round. Every 4-6 months throw out the mothballs and replace them with fresh ones. The Enoz brand (available at Walgreens in this area) seem to work the best.

I say this, as I too have a classic vintage auto, and I store it in an attached garage. After 23 years of residing here, I have had literally zero issues (fortunately) with mice or anything else.

I think fabricating a new chassis for this rig is unnecessary and expensive. The original corroded chassis can certainly be saved using the processes I have described in my previous post. I don't know what part of PA you live in, but there must be vendors in your area that do this sort of work. A quick perusal of the Yellow Pages should confirm this.

73,

Bruce, W2XR

Just my 2 cents!
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Real transmitters are homebrewed with a ratchet wrench, and you have to stand up to tune them!

Arthur C. Clarke's Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".
wx3k
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« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2008, 08:47:11 PM »

Thanks :-) I never thought about this but my area is full of custom shops. Lots of NASCAR and car enthusiasts around here. I will have to do some digging.

howdy. 

the glassbeading is just like sandblasting.  My suggestion if you live in a rural area find a farmer. if there are any farmers in your family or anyone you  know knows one, farmers routinely sandblast old paint and rust off old farm implements.  the glassbeads can be loaded into the sandblasters.  you can get the stuff in 50 lbs sacks at tractor supply. your other option is to look up custom harley shops in your area. find out who they use for this. One option they will have avail is an acid dip.  custom hot rod shops use this process. your motorcycle shop will also have a guy that does chrome plating.  The same guy often does copper nickel zinc and other types of plating.

or you could just pay a sheet metal shop to stamp a new one.  Probably cheaper this way. was for me

hope this helps

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Stephanie WX3K
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"Thunder is good; Thunder is impressive but it is lightning that does the work" ...Mark Twain
wx3k
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« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2008, 08:50:49 PM »

Actually, the power supply was stored in an outside shed by the person who I bought the rig from.

<snip>
If you live in an area where mice may be a problem, and wish to store valuable items in an out-of-doors environment, including an attached garage, one of the best things you can do to ward off mice and other vermin is to keep a pie tin full of good old fashioned mothballs there. Leave the pie tin on the floor all year-round. Every 4-6 months throw out the mothballs and replace them with fresh ones. The Enoz brand (available at Walgreens in this area) seem to work the best.

I say this, as I too have a classic vintage auto, and I store it in an attached garage. After 23 years of residing there, I have had literally zero issues (fortunately) with mice or anything else.

I think fabricating a new chassis for this rig is unnecessary and expensive. The original corroded chassis can certainly be saved using the processes I have described in my previous post. I don't know what part of PA you live in, but there must be vendors in your area that do this sort of work. A quick perusal of the Yellow Pages should confirm this.

73,

Bruce, W2XR

Just my 2 cents!
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Stephanie WX3K
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"Thunder is good; Thunder is impressive but it is lightning that does the work" ...Mark Twain
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« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2008, 10:01:25 PM »

DANGER MOUSE URINE CAN KILL YOU! BE VERY CAREFUL when you handle anything and wash well after.
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wx3k
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« Reply #8 on: November 08, 2008, 11:15:18 PM »

I always wear gloves when cleaning Grin

DANGER MOUSE URINE CAN KILL YOU! BE VERY CAREFUL when you handle anything and wash well after.
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Stephanie WX3K
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« Reply #9 on: November 09, 2008, 09:38:44 AM »

My SP-600 came from a barn in Texas complete with mouse carcass at no extra charge.  Fortunately the SP-600 was their dining room and they must have used another rig for the latrine; mine had missing insulation from a couple of wires and lots of mouse fur but no corrosion.  I did spray the whole thing with Scrubbing Bubbles cleaner and hosed it off followed by a rinse in water from my dehumidifier.  The Scrubbing Bubbles tends to coat whatever is on there without turning it into airborne dust; this hint was passed along by another ham who lives in an area where rodent borne viruses are a major issue.

Congratulations on finding the fairly rare Harvey Wells transmitter!  I thought I was lucky to find a TBS-50 with the matching VFO base at a hamfest this year.

Rodger WQ9E
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« Reply #10 on: November 09, 2008, 11:19:34 AM »

Hi Stephanie,

Welcome to our little coffee klatsch.   Smiley  It's nice to see another YL here.  Mouse droppings in your Harvey Wells - yeesh!!  That beats the dustiness my Viking II had, when I first started restoring.  Feel free to ask away for help.  I do all the time.  Ask these guys!  I'm a young OT, (45 years old, and licensed for 30 years), and I've learned a lot from these guys (especially WQ9E) in the past year and half about radio restoration.  My next project - OK guys start cringeing (you brought it on with the eBay link to the NCX-5), is an NCX3!   

Hugs & 73,
Ellen - AF9J

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« Reply #11 on: November 09, 2008, 06:01:49 PM »

Hello and welcome. My Viking I was almost that rusty in some places and was beyond a cosmetic restoration. Instead of restoring it, I used scotchbrite to clean the worst places, then used alcohol to disinfect and then some detergent, and clear coated it, so it thas that post-apocalyptic look without the nasty organic coatings. I have no rodent problems thanks to cats. I feed them well and they hang around and kill my vermin for sport. Good luck on that project. It will certainly be a labor of love.
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« Reply #12 on: November 09, 2008, 07:28:02 PM »

Yes, I love our cat and she nails anything that comes in range.
Thanks to her we had our best garden in 5 years.
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KA1ZGC
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« Reply #13 on: November 09, 2008, 08:29:08 PM »

Mice have no respect for radio equipment, or each other, it seems.

I spent several hours yesterday stripping a pager rack that had been moused. We needed it for the STL and exciter for the broadcast FM we're building. The paging company that had been there previously left three racks behind, and they all became mouse motels. The building manager said we could have them. I grabbed the one that smelled the least like mouse piss and started stripping it.

When I pulled the top card cage out, I noticed a dead mouse in the fan tray, covered with mouse crap.

Must not have been very popular in the mouse community.  Tongue

--Thom
Kilowatt Amplifier One Zero Grid Current
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« Reply #14 on: November 09, 2008, 10:20:12 PM »

Cry

I need some advice in restoration of a power supply chassis.

I have a Harvey Wells T90 and matching power supply APS-90...Unfortunately, Mice found their way into the power supply. <snip>

Hi Stephanie -- welcome to the fine group of AMers here and on the air!

Years ago I bought this vile looking stuff that cleaned carburetors.  It did a terrific job cleaning out the crud in my weedwhacker carb... came out just like new.  I'm wondering if you have a local outfit there who would have a large enough "bath" where they would be willing to put the chassis  through the cleaner for a clean up.   Otherwise, I have a consumer grade sandblaster that would do the trick (your mention of local shops comes to mind here) -- what you use for media can be all the way from a special walnut mixture to "Americal Beauty" (including the glass beads already mentioned) sandblasting media.  There are other posts on this thread that covers that approach.  It does work but be very careful to prepare the chassis -- disinfect it and wash you hands (better yet, use gloves) and use a respirator  while cleaning it up.

What you do with the chassis after you finish removing the corrosion is up to you.  If you are really into restoring it a local plating shop could help you.  Depends on what you want to do  but you will have to put some sort of protection on it.

GL, es 73, Al
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« Reply #15 on: November 10, 2008, 10:01:08 AM »

If you are not after a show quality restoration there is an easier way to do this. And cheaper Wink

Remove all the parts on top. Take plenty of notes, mark all leads and take a lot of digital photos.

Then wire brush the chassis outdoors and get it as clean as possible, rotary brushes in a drill work best. The idea is to remove any loose scale, a little rust in the pits and on the surface is OK. If you are concerned about high spots go over it with a flat board and a 80 grit paper.

Then use Zero Rust Red Oxide and give the complete top and sides two light coats following the instructions. Ive tried all the rust preventer stuff on the market and ZR has them all beat by far.
Go here for info and where to find a distributor. Last I looked JC Whitney had it.  http://www.zerorust.com/  Gray is also OK. You dont want black as it is harder to cover completely without showing thru.

Once its completely dry put on a skim coat of filler, I prefer Evercoat Rage. Its fully chemically compatible with the Zero Rust; other rust paints arent. The Zero Rust seals the chassis from any more rust and the Rage is just to get a perfectly smooth surface. Ask any of the auto toys guys how to do that.

Then use Eastwoods or any other quality auto restorers cadmium look alike paint.

Ive used the above several times and without getting right on top of it you cant tell it from a new original.

Being into hot rods and custom cars since I was 16 Ive always found many related items and products to help with radio gear.

Carl
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« Reply #16 on: November 10, 2008, 12:52:29 PM »

I have been lucky with a mixture of 409 and ammonia. Get a conatiner and be ready for the fumes from the ammonia, fill the conatiner about half from each cleaner and a scrub brush. The others here have good points about water issues in transformers.
Summer is over, so the equipment will have to spend 4 or 5 hours in a WARM oven to dry, after a careful thorough rinsing of clean water.
I hope you can drift down to 160M this Winter.
Welcome to the mode where people sound like people.

Fred
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Fred KC4MOP
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« Reply #17 on: November 10, 2008, 05:16:40 PM »

HI STEPHANIE   and welcome to AM.....Lots of advice here...Mine is....Clean it,   paint it and get on with your life...It is a cool rig .......it will never be a show piece but it can be lots of fun if you get it working....73 Steve
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« Reply #18 on: November 10, 2008, 06:00:45 PM »

I've used a dishwasher to clean up chassis and R-390/a gear trains. You would have to remove all the coils and transformers of course, but after a couple of wash cycles things get squeaky clean. I've also used naval jelly on corrosion with good results.
BTW I'm new here too. Where's my big welcome? Wink
-Phil
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Steve - WB3HUZ
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« Reply #19 on: November 10, 2008, 07:54:37 PM »

Welcome Phil. We love you!
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« Reply #20 on: November 10, 2008, 08:19:39 PM »

mouse piss in the dish washer???......even my son would be ticked off at me and we stick close when it comes to boy in trouble stuff

BTW. vinegar works great on copper. we needed to clean a copper ground plane and everyone at work is chemical sensitive so one of the guys gave it a try. It makes copper shine and the lab smelled like a salad bar for a couple days. Not sure about aluminum but worth a try. Take a shot yourself it is good for the pipes.
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« Reply #21 on: November 10, 2008, 08:46:56 PM »

Quote from:  Where's my big welcome? Wink
-Phil
[/quote

   Kumbaya


klc
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« Reply #22 on: November 12, 2008, 10:52:32 AM »

What about spraying/brushing the rust with "Metal Ready" solution (phosphoric acid)? It converts the rust to a much-less-offensive looking gray color.

I have a somewhat corroded SX-110 I am about to re-cap and get working, but don't want to strip the entire chassis. that would be too much work for a 110  Roll Eyes
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« Reply #23 on: November 12, 2008, 10:10:10 PM »

 Undecided  Not sure of my approach yet......I need to access how much the sandblasting, re-plating method would be first. I really want it to look nice but I understand what everyone is saying about the overall investment.

What about spraying/brushing the rust with "Metal Ready" solution (phosphoric acid)? It converts the rust to a much-less-offensive looking gray color.

I have a somewhat corroded SX-110 I am about to re-cap and get working, but don't want to strip the entire chassis. that would be too much work for a 110  Roll Eyes
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Stephanie WX3K
Eico 720/722/730  HRO50T
"Thunder is good; Thunder is impressive but it is lightning that does the work" ...Mark Twain
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