Bakelite preservation

[enigmas]

Phil Nottingham said,

The Bakelite plastic parts are still good though

The quote above is in reference to a P2.

The Bakelite binnacle and steering column shrouds on my car are still in good physical condition but the surface finish is uneven with dull and shiny patches according to the sun exposure. Cleaning with Armoural or the like does little to improve the surface finish. Usually a brown residue is left on a cleaning cloth when I attempt to gain an even surface.

Given the outcome above, what are the alternatives for rejuvenating Bakelite surfaces?

[richardlamsdale]

I have some old Bakelite radios, and the general consensus with them seems to be wax furniture polish is best for achieving a shine. It seems silicon polishes soak-in to the Bakelite.

[enigmas]

I'd have never consider that! You're correct though, silicone polishes/preservatives do just soak in and do very little if anything to produce a uniform finish. What type of wax furniture polish would you recommend? (The Bakelite I'm referring to is in my P5 coupe)

[khenderson]

In the past I have had good results polishing bakelite with tooth paste (old fashioned white kind, not "gel")

[richardlamsdale]

I can't remember what I used last time, but any good quality natural furniture wax should be OK. Apparently Bakelite often contained a 'filler' to bulk it up, and sometimes sawdust was used, hence it can be very absorbent. Best to avoid getting it too wet. It can also be polished with T-cut or similar, but it takes a lot of work. If it's very rough you can use wire wool and then cutting compound, but that takes a lot of polishing!

[nz]

Jan 31, 2015 11:08:10 GMT richardlamsdale said:

I have some old Bakelite radios, and the general consensus with them seems to be wax furniture polish is best for achieving a shine. It seems silicon polishes soak-in to the Bakelite.

[nz]

I got great results using my bench polisher. That Bakelite is pretty hardy, although brittle.

[Warwick]

Jan 31, 2015 11:25:31 GMT enigmas said:

What type of wax furniture polish would you recommend? (The Bakelite I'm referring to is in my P5 coupe)

Vince, a local antiques shop should be able to recommend something available here. I can almost 'see' the lid of the tin that Mum always used, but just can't quite summon up the name. I used it on the leather seats in my FJ.


Edit - It was Wundawax!
White Lily was the cleaning cream that she used before Jif came on the market.

[Deleted]

I have a customer in the USA who repairs and sells vintage radios. For the bakelite bodies he uses a product called Magnolia Glazit which is apparently a polish made for the purpose. I've sent him an e-mail for further details as I assume this is an American product.

[David]

I have restored Bakelite door handles and panels for interior doors in my home and found that Tesco Tyre & Bumper spray works very well.
It soaks in and gives a deep gloss finish.
Never needed to recoat in over several years.

[johnwp5bcoupe]

Feb 4, 2015 10:17:49 GMT David said:

I have restored Bakelite door handles and panels for interior doors in my home and found that Tesco Tyre & Bumper spray works very well.
It soaks in and gives a deep gloss finish.
Never needed to recoat in over several years.

Has it got Silicone in it David?

[David]

Yep

[djm16]

My feeling is that it is best to avoid silicon based waxes. Once the very thin surface patina has been removed by sunlight and abrasion there is only sawdust glued together underneath. You will never get a permanent shine out of it.

The choice (even on antique radios) is between:

1) temporary shine with wax (been there done that)
2) painting it to restore the surface patina.

I have found a 50-50 mixture of black enamel and satin PU varnish gives about the right depth and colour and looks very much like unadulterated black Bakelite.

[enigmas]

I did some research via Google and there is quite a lot of literature re: bakelite restoration. (Interestingly the word is 2 syllables, not 3) Products such as brasso, metal polishes of various types (autosol) and very fine grade automotive paint cutting compounds apparently work well.

[David]

Well perhaps the Bakelite used in cars is different than the household type.

All mine had years of paint covering them, so I put each one in a plastic container, poured some hot soapy water over it and left the item to soak overnight. By next day the paint had lifted off. I then left the item to dry on a radiator for 24 hours. Then sprayed it with silicone spray. According to my wife that was 6 years ago. In all that time they have needed no further polishing, just dusting.

[enigmas]

The Bakelite items referred to ranged from: radio cabinets, electrical switches, the decorative handles on eating utensils, telephones and some types of jewellery.

[Deleted]

I've spoken to my USA radio restorer,he told me that that bakelite can have all sorts of fillers added to it from sawdust to french chalk and this effects its ability to take a shine and the cleaning/polishing regime. According to him simply polishing with a soft wax is the safest way,he also made the point that old bakelite can become very brittle as it ages and that made using saw dust as a filler can crack if it gets wet.

[djm16]

Correct me if I am wrong but Bakelite is specifically a phenolic resin binder combined with sawdust filler. Other binders can be used such as linen (to make circuit boards and incidentally our HT lead tubes for P4s and 3 litres), mineral dust (billiard balls?) but they have different trade names such as Tufnol for example.

Rather than repeat myself, I have found a picture of some of my Bakelite parts looking very worn with loss of most of their patina, cleaned up with white spirit before painting.



Next the painted Bakelite in situ after a couple of years use. While the finish is less durable than the original Bakelite it is vastly more durable than wax and polish.

[johnwp5bcoupe]

A good looking Engine nice detailing

[stantondavies]

What Mark of 3 litre engine is that? Significant differences to my Mark III.

[djm16]

That is a mark of 2.6l in a P4 90

and thank you kind sir!