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Author Topic: YELLOWED Collins Dial Drums - Guess What!  (Read 9769 times)
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WBear2GCR
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« on: June 14, 2019, 02:10:04 PM »


Working on refurbishing some Collins R-388 receivers. Which are coming out great...
A few will be available to acquire shortly. (contact me if ur interested in more info)

SO, I have a dial overlay, and thought I'd try one.

Let's clean the old dial drum first.
What to use?
Ok. Rubbing Alcohol... why not?

Hey, look the surface is getting sticky!!

Guess what it's SHELLAC!

As far as I can tell, it is shellac, which explains why it yellows so much
over time... unfortunately the printing itself is not a particularly good ink,
so it comes off just fine with alcohol or most other things...

But this explains it.

                               _-_-bear

 
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KB5MD
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« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2019, 02:26:49 PM »

That yellowing on a Collins dial can be alleviated by spraying with common laundry bleach.  I have used this method on a couple of the old drum dials like the  75A4 with good results.
I don't think it will work on Hallicrafters dials though since they screened their dials with a water based paint.
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WBear2GCR
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« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2019, 02:30:57 PM »

Really?

Diluted?
Full strength?

What about runs???


Removed from the rig first??

What sort of results did you get?? (pix??)
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_-_- bear WB2GCR                   http://www.bearlabs.com
nq5t
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« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2019, 03:16:12 PM »

For the few bucks it costs to buy and install a good quality replacement overlay, It's probably not worth dragging out the bottle of Tilex (or whatever) to see what happens …
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KK4YY
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« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2019, 03:50:37 PM »

How about using a complementary colored blue bulb behind the yellow dial?

Wait, what?
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W3RSW
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Rick & "Roosevelt"


« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2019, 08:35:42 PM »

probably end up with dirty, dull brownish green.  Grin 
-Green for the blend. Brown from what's already aged.

There's a difference between spectrally additive and artist's blend.
Best Scotch that is. Single malt.
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RICK  *W3RSW*
KK4YY
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« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2019, 09:41:56 PM »

Rick,

I'll have to take you word for it... the Scotch, that is. Unless Jim Beam runs out of bourbon. Grin


Don
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KB5MD
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« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2019, 11:53:29 PM »

The bleach is applied with a Q-tip, thus, no runs.  Use bleach full strength and let dry.  You will begin to see the difference quickly.  No need to remove from radio to apply.
The same thing can be done to ceiling tile that has water marks from a leaking roof.
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KA0HCP
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« Reply #8 on: June 15, 2019, 11:05:00 AM »

Bleach?  Insane!

I clean dials with either Novus Polish system, #1 and #2 or with Flitz polish, using Q-tips.  I avoid touching the lettering itself.  Too easy for it to disappear in a flash. 
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WBear2GCR
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« Reply #9 on: June 15, 2019, 10:18:20 PM »

Novus polish on a Collins drum??
Wrong stuff on the wrong material... it's not plastic.
Not the bezel, the drum that has the Mc displayed... the bands?
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WBear2GCR
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« Reply #10 on: June 15, 2019, 10:20:24 PM »

KB5MB... so is it Q-tips or spray?

Got any pix showing before and after??
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KC4VWU
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« Reply #11 on: June 16, 2019, 06:24:34 AM »

Really? Come on Bear, tighten up! That's old news!

Just kidding. A little while back when I had listed a 75A3 for sale, someone who had responded made a comment about the "yellowed" Mc. dial in comparison to the white Kc. dial. Yep, sadly enough that is true, but I explained to him that EVERY factory Collins Mc. drum dial on the 75 and 51J series would be yellowed by now because they were a paper label and coated at the factory to protect them. I told him lacquer, but it may well be shellac. My quick thought process behind my presumption was envisioning those lovely golden brown lacquered maple necks on the Strat's and Tele's from that era. Not only that, but just the feel of it and closely looking at the bare drum edges will kind of confirm that they were coated
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WBear2GCR
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« Reply #12 on: June 16, 2019, 08:30:44 AM »

Shellac is the key to it.
That's new, never seen it mentioned before.
Knowing the coating means that one can deal with it appropriately, and not
have to guess.

Lacquer might have yellowed, but not the the extent that some of these dial drums do.
At least based on what one sees with vintage nitrocellulose guitar lacquer finishes,
I think this is likely correct (the yellowing part).

Alright then? Cheesy
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KC4VWU
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« Reply #13 on: June 16, 2019, 03:26:33 PM »

Well, I don't know now. I did a search on shellac and found this;
 http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Shellac.html

Says in text that shellac does not oxidize. So does that mean it does not yellow? Hard to believe, because the house I grew up in had knotty pine paneling walls in the kitchen and hallway. My grandpa had to replace one of the panels at one point after the house was about 25 years old. The paneling was already a dark amber color, and the piece he replaced stuck out like a sore thumb because it was so white! After about 10 years, you couldn't tell it was a replacement panel from the rest. All the panels were shellac'd.

Anyways, glad to learn that shellac is made from bug secretions.  
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WBear2GCR
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« Reply #14 on: June 16, 2019, 10:54:09 PM »

I've got no clue what they mean by does not oxidize.

It certainly yellows, darkens and eventually becomes very dark...
Also it comes in different "grades" and colors when new.

Actually it is the bodies of the Lac Beetle, afaik. Maybe the wings...
don't recall.

Sometimes it crazes sort of like wrinkle finish...
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_-_- bear WB2GCR                   http://www.bearlabs.com
KA0HCP
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« Reply #15 on: June 17, 2019, 09:39:35 AM »

Novus polish on a Collins drum??
Wrong stuff on the wrong material... it's not plastic.
Not the bezel, the drum that has the Mc displayed... the bands?
I'm not familiar with Collins equipment; merely offering experience with with my radios.  Novus #1, is a cleaning solution with no abrasive component, and is good for cleaning any surface.  Certainly much safer than bleach. Wink
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WBear2GCR
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« Reply #16 on: June 17, 2019, 10:20:24 AM »

This image might help visualize what we're speaking of...

Usually, they're much more yellowed and unevenly so.


* R388chasTop2.jpg (242.56 KB, 640x461 - viewed 548 times.)
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ka8gef
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« Reply #17 on: June 18, 2019, 08:07:21 AM »


I know the conversation has focused on the dial drums...has anyone had experience with the 75A series (i.e. 75A-2) kilocycle dial?

After restoring my 75A-2, I stored it on a work shelf, facing westward for several months (unused room). The daily late afternoon sun slipped though the blinds and caused the exposed portion in the dial window to brown. duh....

Of course it had to be the AM window on 40 meters. ('85 to '00) and it is truly annoying.

Any success/advice in addressing this or am I up against a reproduction from the few out there that offer these replacements (Radio Daze, Howard Mills)?

Thanks

ka8gef




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WBear2GCR
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« Reply #18 on: June 18, 2019, 01:16:29 PM »

The sun turned it brown?
Hmmm... I always saw that browning as being caused by the pilot light
bulb being in the same location forever...

I'd go for a repro, or one off epay...

                       _-_-bear
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ka8gef
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« Reply #19 on: June 19, 2019, 09:29:33 PM »

A relatively brief (perhaps 30 minutes) direct beam of sunlight through open blinds, everyday for about 18 months....it surprised me as well...ka8gef
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« Reply #20 on: June 20, 2019, 01:00:05 AM »

One period of exposure to the above light has been known to melt the plastic lenses at the faces of CRTs in the old school 3-CRT video projectors. Never underestimate old King  Sol.
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