With the successful completion of my British Valve Adapter Project, I have now switched my attention back to working on the 52-Set Receivers.
I have managed t do a little more strip down of the backup receiver, freeing up the knobs, handles and a number of brackets. I am making a concerted effort to properly tag each of the parts with their ID’s and ZA/CAN Numbers and bag them for storage for future use. Something I have not been prone to do in the past.
As you can see, the poor old girl is looking a lot more forlorn now than she did a few months ago.
One thing I thought would be worth mentioning here, as a perfect example of it can be seen to the left of the Power Indicator Lamp, where one of the round chassis handles was located. A large section of the panel paint has fallen away in pieces. It is not always possible to prevent this from happening with 75 year old paint, but some care can go a long way to help minimize this potential problem.
During the original assembly process, fittings and hardware were being installed on new paint, which, depending on delivery timings, could be anywhere from a few hours to a few days old. In many cases not fully cured and hardened. Consequently, it is not unusual for the added fittings and hardware to bond to the new paint after they are mounted and the hardware run home and the paint continues its curing process. 75 years later, and you need to remove said piece, there is a good chance the piece you are removing will stick to the panel paint and pull a piece off when removed.
The other problem is the likelihood of oxidation developing on the surface of the metal, underneath the paint, over time. Even though the oxidation layer may be very thin, it has no strength, that means the bond between the metal panel and the finish paint coat has been compromised, even though the paint may look minty new.
When removing hardware or parts from a painted panel, it is a good idea never to turn the fitting, or hardware on the panel face. Use a screwdriver , or socket to hold the part stationary and undo/unscrew the hardware on the backside of the panel. This will help minimize the risk of scales of paint coming off the panel.
David
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