Keep it Original Restoration Techniques

[Gatethorn]

Ok, I'm a professional Model Designer, so here are a couple of Tips and Tricks that you might want to use in Restoring your valuable Robots without losing their Originality.

 

RUSTED / PITTED CHROME PLATING: should be polished with Aluminium Foil. That's right, the stuff you wrap the Christmas Turkey in. Aluminium is incredibly soft, so it won't damage what's left of the Chromium, but it will remove the surface rust. Be sure to protect the surrounding paintwork with masking tape before you begin your Aluminium Foil Polishing. Also, DO NOT use Brasso, or similar, to give that final polish: it'll turn the metal black! Use a specialist Chromium Polish, available in automotive stores (German stuff, a paste that comes in a gold and black tube, is my recommendation). You won't believe how effective this technique is: ever restoring parts you'd thought were beyond all hope!

 

PAINT CHIPS AND SCRATCHES: can be hidden with those coloured car polishes, sold for hiding those annoying scratches on your Lamborghini. The pigment fills the chips and scratches, while the polish gives an overall smooth protective finish. 

 

SCRATCHED CLEAR & TRANSLUCENT PLASTIC: well, everyone will be familiar with the idea of using Brasso or T-Cut to polish the scratches out. What most people aren't familiar with is using dishwashing detergent (Fairy Liquid) as a 'finishing polish'. Of course it's an abrasive; how else would it clean your dishes?! It takes a bit of 'elbow grease' but is one of the finest finishing polishes around.

 

NO-DISSASEMBLY, ELECTRIC MOTOR REFURBISHMENT: over time, all electric motors get a build up of tarnish on their electrical contacts. This is especially true for an old '50s or '60s motor that hasn't been run for half a century. Here you use Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) to clean the internals of the motor. Of course, most people know that IPA is an electrical contact cleaner. What might come as a surprise is that you want to run the electric motor *totally submersed* in IPA for about 10 minutes! (Obviously, you'll want to check that the robot's paint or other parts are IPA resistant before you start.) The IPA will clean the electrical contacts as it runs in the bath of IPA, meanwhile the IPA acts as a coolant and a lubricant, carrying away debris from the carbon brushes, as they seat onto the comutator; and "no", you won't get a short-circuit. After this treatment, your motor will be much more powerful, smoother and faster (as the model slot-car racers will tell you).

 

That's it for today.

 

Have fun - Rick