Restoring Bakelite Finish

The 4A, 4AB, 4AC, 4AD cars, including the SM 1500 Roadster and SMX
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Mark Thompson
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Restoring Bakelite Finish

Post by Mark Thompson »

Does anyone have any recommendations for restoring the finish to old bakelite electrical parts? I would like to reuse old spark plug wire connectors, trafficator switch, horn button, distributor cover, fuse block, etc..
They are unsightly in their present condition but are perfectly functional. Any ideas?
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Peter McKercher
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Post by Peter McKercher »

Mark

Bakelite is the trade name for the first practical thermosetting plastic invented at the turn of the century by Leo Baekeland and widely used for electrical insulation material, telephone sets, radio knobs and insulators and of course Singer horn buttons and controls. Bakelite is a polymer material formed from phenol resin and formaldehyde that in most cases is made with a filler material, often wood flour (fine sawdust) or asbestos. Parts made of Bakelite are formed by molding using heat and pressure.

Pieces to be restored should be cleaned first with warm soapy water and a toothbrush to remove dirt, grease, and grime. If the surface is rough, as it will be if exposed for a long time to the elements, the surface will need to be smoothed. Start with #0000 steel wool (equivalent to 600 grit sandpaper) and then work through 1000 and then 1500 wet sandpaper. Auto cutting and rubbing compound also works very well.

You may notice that the piece has a speckled brown/golden tinge due to the filler specks (fine sawdust) that have bleached out due to the years of exposure. The next step is to re-moisturize the piece. Use plain black Shoe Polish, hand buffed until no residue is left. You can also use mink oil or plain mineral oil. Finally, apply a good grade of Carnauba wax. The results are usually excellent and far superior to just painting the piece.
Peter McKercher
Vice President - NASOC
Pre war Singer Specialist and Collector
Automotive Historian
Author of "Racing Roadsters"

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Mark Thompson
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Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:51 pm
First Name: Mark
Location: Nashville, TN

Restoring Bakelite Finish

Post by Mark Thompson »

Thanks, Peter. That is the kind of information I was looking for. Painting was an unacceptable solution.
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Peter McKercher
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Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 4:26 am
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Post by Peter McKercher »

You're welcome Mark. If the parts aren't too pitted, my MG buddies here in Ottawa tell me that Brasso does a very good job as well. I assume it also saturates the filler as well as provides a mild abrasive to polish the surface. I don't have any brasso on hand, but I tried another metal polish last night on one of my spare parts and it worked well.
Peter McKercher
Vice President - NASOC
Pre war Singer Specialist and Collector
Automotive Historian
Author of "Racing Roadsters"

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