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Restoring Horn Push Button
- Thread starter Kainopong
- Start date
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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
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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.
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!
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!
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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
Good luck.
Lin
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 itās 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 Iām in the beep business with the correct horn push. 
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Looks good!:eagerness:
pkmh
Jedi Warrior
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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
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
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