Restoring Horn Push Button

Any tips or contacts to restoring the horn push?
couple of cracks and the black has faded...
thanks!

Can you post a picture?

Consider replacing the horn push. The original one on my BJ-7 was everything you described and needed to be replaced IMO. The usual suppliers have them and they look decent (Victoria British featured them in their on-line catalog). Pop the chrome retention ring and replace with new. it's been 10+ years and still holding up. I kept the original one for sentimental reasons. Gonzo

The push bezel is a friction fit in the larger trafficator. Carefully slide a single-edge razor blade under it to lift it enough to get it out with your fingernails.

Lots of good info online about using shoe dye and polish to restore the bakelite trafficator.

I found that spraying clear on the bakelite plastic brought it back. It then gets buffed out to remove any orange peel from the clear.

Thanks all for the suggestions. Here is the pic - I don’t think they make the 100-6 writing on the horn button as new? Curious if there is a way to get the crazing out of the acrylic?

Take a look at p. 16 of this document: https://www.healey6.com/Technical/Trafficator Repairs.pdf

You can also check this website out: https://healey6.com/Technical/Austin Healey-AC Trafficator Restoration Flyer-VII.pdf
I purchased a restored trafficator from Curt Arndt, looks terrific!

I authored the control head/trafficator paper on John's site. Edited is probably a better term because there are contributions from a number of Healey people which I acknowledge. On page 17 there is discussion of refinishing the bakelite. I used this process on my own unit and ten years later, with a bit of polish from time to time, it still looks great. I hope that Curt Arndt will chime in here as I think his advice might have been what I followed though as I said in the article, I really wasn't sure.
Good luck.
Lin

Thanks all! My trafficator is fine - it’s just the horn push i am curious about restoring, suggestions, etc.
Thanks,

So for the benefit of those interested, I took the horn push and removed the black paint and silver paint with a small plastic item to not scratch the back of the horn push. Once removed, the acrylic can be polished with a dremel tool and rouge but be careful and go slow and steady. Once it’s crystal clear smooth I repainted the back with gloss black testers model paint..and it looks pretty good vs where it was! Topped off the back with metallic silver paint and I’m in the beep business with the correct horn push.

Looks good!:eagerness:

Job well done! And you'll be rewarded for the effort every time you're behind the wheel. GONZO

Very good finished appearance. Congrats, Kainopong!

I'm going to throw the following alternative solution on the table for clear plastic elements having fractures/cracks and or chips. If this was mine, the following is what I would do, especially if no replacement parts can be had.

I would first use a dremel having a very fine drill bit (like what dentists use when drilling teeth), drill into and only along the fractured area visible. So, for example, if the crack is linear about a 1/4 inch long and say, 1/8 inch deep, then I would dremel the 1/4" linear path along the crack and drill 1/8" deep groove, enough to rid all signs of the crack. I'm going to note here the depth should not be where any lettering or other design features occur--for this topic, we are just talking clear plastic issues and just removing the clear visible crack. Then, I would use a two part "clear" epoxy resin (brand name "Parks Super Glaze" is what I used to refurbish my wood dash) and fill the created void (cleaning the groove prior is a good idea, but no need to polish the interior areas dremeled prior to adding the epoxy resin). Let set (usually 24 hours), then sand (ultimately using 1200 grit or higher) and buff out (use of a dremel for sanding and buffing would be the best to keep the finishing specific). Then, if necessary, white rouge and high speed buff the whole thing (lightly so as to not burn any surfaces).

To me, even this little process is an art, so its a good idea to practice on a sample specimen first. And I will leave this as a suggestive alternative method if all other options fail.

Please note I emphasized earlier on "clear" because I have yet to figure out, or even having the need to, repair damaged opaque or colored plastic surfaces. Maybe clothing dye as an admixture to the resin??


Paul