06-03-2012, 09:31 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-03-2012, 09:36 AM by Radio Fixer.)
I'll add thanks to the list Tony.
I did look into making some knobs myself and it wasnt the expense of the RTV materials but there short shelf life. Had the stuff lasted for years it would have been OK... but this is not the case. Also, Im told that there is a lot of experience needed to get really good results. So I went to an expert: a Dutch guy called Wim Jaegers who already had moulds for the knobs I needed. And what knobs he came up with: flawless, perfect colour match and even the satin finish was spot on. A discerning friend said "... they even feel like Bakelite". He included brass inserts for the screws which to me are essential as the plastic is soft and doesnt take a great thread.
I was delighted but after a year or two a little disappoinment crept in: the knobs were changing colour. Simply getting darker. I asked Alumilite (http://www.alumilite.com/), one of the most respected suppliers of materials, and they said it was just going to happen and there was nothing that could be done about it.
I have thought about asking Wim if he could make another set of knobs in 'snow white' so eventually they would age to the right off white colour... I'm not sure how white you can get with these materials so maybe it still wont work. Painitng is an option but one knob has lettering that is filled on the front. This is shallow and so may not fill nicely after painting. Also from repairing and spray painting electric clocks I know the paint colours fade.
cheers Gary
I did look into making some knobs myself and it wasnt the expense of the RTV materials but there short shelf life. Had the stuff lasted for years it would have been OK... but this is not the case. Also, Im told that there is a lot of experience needed to get really good results. So I went to an expert: a Dutch guy called Wim Jaegers who already had moulds for the knobs I needed. And what knobs he came up with: flawless, perfect colour match and even the satin finish was spot on. A discerning friend said "... they even feel like Bakelite". He included brass inserts for the screws which to me are essential as the plastic is soft and doesnt take a great thread.
I was delighted but after a year or two a little disappoinment crept in: the knobs were changing colour. Simply getting darker. I asked Alumilite (http://www.alumilite.com/), one of the most respected suppliers of materials, and they said it was just going to happen and there was nothing that could be done about it.
I have thought about asking Wim if he could make another set of knobs in 'snow white' so eventually they would age to the right off white colour... I'm not sure how white you can get with these materials so maybe it still wont work. Painitng is an option but one knob has lettering that is filled on the front. This is shallow and so may not fill nicely after painting. Also from repairing and spray painting electric clocks I know the paint colours fade.
cheers Gary
