Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

Well finally, the 6 Flick Indicator Flags on the Sender can glow in the dark again. I am pretty certain this might just be the first time since 1966, when the set went in for an overhaul.

As per the first photo, I went with Post It Notes again to mask off the lower black paint portions of the flags. As soon as I had finished applying the paint and rinsed off the brush, I removed the masks. This particular paint is quite thick and does not easily spread. It does like to bond with paper and fabric, however, so the sooner you remove it the better.

The second photo is charging up the paint with my black lamp after it had cured and the last photo is what it looks like in the dark now.

Quite pleased with the way it turned out.

David

[David Dunlop]

I am finally at the point in the Sender part of the project where my thinking can actually wind down for a while, but the physical activity with my hands climbs dramatically. The start of polishing down the Sender Front Panel begins.

The DOORS assembly from the upper left corner of the panel will be the starting point. A few reasons for that. First and foremost, it is a nice sized piece to work with and the original paint is solid on it. The plan is to slowly polish it back by hand until the patina on the Gloss Navy Grey hopefully falls within the range of colour tones I already have on the two restored receiver panels. That should also get it very close to matching the remains of the paint on the front panel of the Supply Unit that was refurbished back in 1966. So I am not going for a factory fresh, crisp paint. Rather, I want the look of a set that has been in service for a few years, well looked after and aging gently. That gives me the added benefit of preserving some of the look the set acquired during its 20 odd years of service life.

I have to do this polishing work upstairs in the dining room to take full advantage of the bright natural sunlight in that room. Far too many shadows to deal with trying this in a dark, artificially lit basement shop. With such a small piece, however, it will be easy to take it to compare against the two receivers to get as close to the colour tone match I am hoping to attain.

Once I have the colour tone I want on the DOORS, I can then take it up to the local RONA to have it colour matched to a litre of full gloss enamel. Since the lower inch of paint on the Supply Unit is either missing completely, or lifting very badly, and the rebuild decal work was done so badly and with the wrong coloured luminous paint, I am going to have to completely strip the paint from the Supply Unit when I get to it. Hence the need for a litre of gloss enamel that will blend with the rest of the set when all is said and done.

Also, with luck, I hope to preserve and stabilize about 95% of the original paint on the Sender front panel. It will be useful to have a touch up paint already matched for that work. The DOORS will also be used to match the polishing process of the rest of the Sender front panel.

You may notice the two Shakeproof Fasteners are still on the DOORS assembly. I cannot remove them at the moment because I have not yet been able to source a supply of the pins that fit through the shanks of the fasteners that lock them into their retainers on the Sender chassis. These are single use pins, not designed for reinstallation when pressed out of the fastener shanks. Shakeproof is still alive and well and I have contacted them about a week ago asking about the pins and possible current source. Hopefully, the inquiry will fall into the right hands and I will eventually get an answer. I am in the same position with the larger Airloc fasteners on the 52-Set, but parts for these still show up on vintage aircraft websites from time to time.

So let the games begin. I hope my fingers and knuckles are up to the challenge!

David

[David Dunlop]

After an hours worth of finger polishing work on the DOORS assembly this afternoon, I have been able to cut through the discoloured varnish on the top upper left quadrant of the DOORS and produce an even colour of grey from underneath the discolouration.

Even more exciting, when compared to the paint patina I currently have on both receivers, it is about as perfect a match as one could hope for, and will also work very nicely for repainting the Supply Unit panel when the time comes. I must admit, this varnish coat is much thicker than any I have ever encountered on a 19-Set panel and I am certain my knuckles are going to show me their displeasure tomorrow.

The other interesting find was on the upper left Shakeproof fastener, which got a bit of a clean up as well. The “18” stamped on the shoulder of the fastener, either side of the wing head, shows up clearly now. This is the size number for the fastener, but I have yet to discover how this sizing system works, or on what it is based. I cannot read the number on the lower fastener. It is just too dirty at the moment. I can tell, however, that it appears to be a smaller size than the upper one. It has a slightly smaller shoulder and a thinner wing head.

Once I have the Doors completely polished, I will take a photo of it against one of the receiver panels.

David

[David Dunlop]

The upper half of the DOORS Assembly has now had the discoloured varnish polished back down, and so far, no complaints from my fingers.

I will complete the main door panel in two more sections before tackling the hinge plate.

David

[David Dunlop]

Now at the 3/4-Point for cleaning the main door panel for the Sender.

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Now at the 3/4-Point for cleaning the main door panel for the Sender.

David

What are you planning to do when you get to the decals?

[David Dunlop]

The main Doors panel has now been polished free of the discoloured varnish. Next step will be the hinge assembly.

I did find that the accumulated, dried polish brushed out of the hinge sections easily with a soft tooth brush and a quick low pressure shot from the air compressor.

The other interesting find was made when the crud was removed from the lower Cowl fastener. The Parts Lists only refer to these items being sourced from Airloc, the majority (larger) fasteners used on the entire 52-Set, and Shakeproof, where their smaller versions were used on the Receiver Vibrator Supply section of the Supply Unit and the Doors assembly for the Sender. The lower fastener on this door, however, was made by Dot and has the number "230" stamped on one side of the shoulder of the wing head. The other side is stamped "DOT'.

I was not aware the Dot Company ever made cowl fasteners but I am going to have to look into that now as another possible source for the Shank Pins I need.

David