Zenith C1415 Portable - Cabinet Questions - Videokarma.org TV - Video

jmetal88 · #1 06-11-2013, 05:33 PM

Since my other thread was getting kind of drawn out, I thought I'd start a new one now that I'm thinking about what to do about the exterior of my set.

I have two main concerns. First of all, while I have all the knobs for this set, the front two seem to be missing inserts of some kind. There are ugly-looking dried out patches of glue in the front cavity of the knobs where they were apparently attached. If I can't locate the inserts or a new set of knobs that still have them, how might I get this old glue out so that they don't look quite so ugly?

Second, the front glass for the cabinet, while intact, has a few deep scratches in it. I e-mailed a local glass place (the only one I can find that does more than just auto glass), and they said they normally can't get out scratches which are deep enough to be felt with the fingernails (and mine are definitely deep enough to be felt with the fingernails). Do you guys have any recommendations for this situation?

And as a third, minor issue, the cabinet is missing all its feet. I assume they were standard round bakelite feet, and I know that they were riveted on, as I clipped the rivets off so I'd have an easier time removing and reinserting the chassis. If anyone knows of some nice feet that will fit, I'll take the recommendation, but otherwise I'll probably just search online for some rubber feet that I can easily attach with adhesive.

Aside from all that, I think the cabinet just needs to be sanded down and re-painted (lots of chips/scratches, and a small amount of rust). I'll track down some copper hammer tone spray paint and some metallic gold for the handle once I have access to a garage again and have enough time to do the painting properly.

jmetal88 · #2 06-11-2013, 08:51 PM

Here's a picture of the set in the cabinet. I meant this to be primarily for the knobs (in case it'll help anybody who might have a lead on the inserts), but it also exaggerates the scratches on the outer glass due to the flash casting shadows on the CRT. There's also an interesting smudge on the outside of the glass that will just not wipe off, and will probably need some abrasive polishing compound to remove.

Electronic M · #3 06-12-2013, 01:33 AM

Try some 'Goof Off' on that smudge on the glass. If it is petroleum based it will take it right off. That stuff can dissolve paint and plastic if left on long enough.

jmetal88 · #4 06-12-2013, 03:46 PM

Well, I just screwed up big time. I thought I'd try a little nail polish remover on the glue in one of the knobs, and it pretty much melted some of the plastic. Dang it, why can't I leave things alone while I'm waiting on advice?

EDIT: Hmm, oddly enough, taking a file to it and scuffing it up a bit made it look a whole lot better. Maybe I should get some sandpaper so I can take care of the indentation better, as well? For now, I taped a black cardboard disc in the indentation to cover up the mess I made, haha. Honestly, it doesn't look half bad like that.