IML: Dashboard Restoration

["A. Foster" <monkeypuzzle1@xxxxxxx>]

Ernie;
 I think that the art restorers also like using those soft white vinyl
erasers that stationary stores sell. They take off pencil marks and dirt off
without leaving a streak. If you are worried about damage to your gauges
keep in mind that architects and draftsman erase things with them and
drafting paper is little more then thick tissue paper.
  One peice of advice that I will lend is to start with soap and water on a
part of the gauge scale that can not be seen. If nothing happens then you
can clean the rest of the scale with a reasonable degree of safety. If the
soap and water doesn't work on everything then use the eraser, again test it
in a safe place. This comes from many years of experience with cleaning old
radio dials some of which I found out afterward had water based paint or
ink.
 I think that by 1958 it is pretty much a safe bet that they used a baked on
enamel paint especially in the tough conditions found in a car, it was gone
from radios by the early forties. I am not sure but I think that the 58'
gauges might have had the numbers moulded in the back of a plastic scale
with a black metal backing, at least that is what the 54' has.
 One dumb thing about the 54' is that it has a black metal mask in front of
the scales which was dip painted right after they took the stampings out of
the press, same with the clock. As a result nobody bothered to clean the oil
off after they came out of the press so the black paint is peeling off. When
I serviced the dask clock the paint peeled off in a sheet basically with my
finger nail requiring me to repaint it.
Best Regards
Arran Foster
1954 Imperial Newport
Needing A Left Side Tailight bezel and other trim parts.
1975 Chrysler Newport
Need to replace the speedo cable.
1978 Puch Newport
Repairing the tailight housing, wish I could do that with the Imperial's.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ernie Stepney" <estepney@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2004 7:31 PM
Subject: IML: Dashboard Restoration


Hi group:
Further to my enquiries about 58 dashboards it appears that Just Dashes
is the best bet. The outfit in Australia doesn't really appear to have
their act together at the US agent, no replies to emails. The price was
within $100 for both including color at Just Dashes. Shipping, Vancouver
BC to California, by FedEx was $55 cdn. Vs $1000 cdn to Oz. 8 week
turnaround, oh well if I was in a hurry I would have bought something
bland with off the shelf parts.
Does anybody know what art restorers use to clean paintings, I think it
is like an eraser powder that picks up the dirt and leaves the paint. I
think it would work for gauge restoration.

Best regards:
Ernie and the Black Bitc_!!




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