Good Evening, Bob and Bruce.
Funny that you should ask about this phase of the restoration work right now. I have been sorting out the details regarding the original factory panel finishes, thought I had it all figured out, and then had a stunning revelation last weekend while looking for some wireless parts squirrelled away years ago. I will definitely be covering that here in the near future.
In the interim, over the years I have found some distinct differences in how one cleans a panel and the inner chassis assembly.
On the panels, I usually start with a soap and water wash with a damp cloth, rinsing the cloth frequently. As Bruce mentioned, it is not uncommon to find a layer of nicotine on the panel surface. I am lucky that I part time at a local automotive detail shop so I have access to commercial cleaners and have a good idea of ones that are safe on these 75 year old finishes. One I currently use is called ‘Orange Crush’, followed by a solvent called ‘RemoveAll’. In most cases, those two products get you back to the original varnished paint surface from the factory. Then you have to decide how much hand polishing with a very fine jewellers rouge you want to do. And I will stop there at the moment.
On the inside, I start with three different tooth brushes: a soft, medium and firm and an air gun pushing usually 25 pounds of air. I will do 40 pounds if no exposed lacquered wiring of any gauge is in the area. Too much risk of cracked coatings getting blown away and destroying the part in question. I end up moving the chassis around a lot because I like to have the shortest distance possible for the dirt to exit the chassis. No point blowing it off/out of A and onto/into B. Never use soap and water on the inner chassis unless its deionized water. More on that later.
David
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