Hey all

Need a lesson on how to fix cracks in the casing of a bakelite radio. I currently have a AWA 500MY and it has a crack from the back to the front along the top right edge. Whats the going method of fixing such a crack. I have an idea of what to do but would rather ask the experts first.

Cheers

Peter

I'm not an expert in this but I believe that fibreglass-based fillers, similar to those used to repair surfboards and boats, are best whereas Araldite and other clear epoxies aren't. Whilst Araldite does the advertised job of bonding the two bakelite surfaces well, once dry it darkens, highlighting the crack rather than hiding it. I have a couple of cabinets I repairs in my early years of collecting that need to be reverse-engineered, ie: rebroken and repaired properly and I have a cloudy green Astor Mickey cabinet which I broke in two whilst sanding back for polishing which needs an expert as this radio had a potential value of over $1,000.

I do know there is a bloke in Sydney and another bloke in Melbourne that repair cabinets well but unfortunately I do not have their contact details. I have seen their work however and the standard of workmanship is excellent. Another site member may be able to help with this part of the question.

Out of curiosity, what colour is your Radiolette?

Brad

Its dark brown in colour.

Peter

No worries. If it was a green one I was going to offer to buy it as it would supply me the much needed dial pointer I spoke about.

Yeah mines just plain brown. The green is just awsome.

I know this is going to sound crazy. But I'm going to take mine to a friend who is a panel beater and get him to give me some tips on how best to hide the crack altogether. I mean he has to do the same sort of thing for plastic bumbers. Why can the same technique be used for bakelite. Going to see if he can pass on some info. Will let you know how I go.

Sounds good. It would probably depend on what the substance used for bumper bars is based on but as long as it is colour-matched and can be sanded flush with the surface of the bakelite and polished to the point where the naked eye can barely see where the crack was it should be a good result.

Chances are that your cabinet has a slight marbling or tortoise shell effect so the colour matching will be the most difficult part of the repair work.