N4CW@aol.com wrote:
>
> TT subscribers have had lots of great suggestions for mast coatings,
> corrosion-proofing antennas, etc., so I thought I'd tap the knowledge base
> regarding a minor problem I developed: I cleaned my MN-2700 antenna tuner
> case using a strong spray-on detergent and now the "paint" is
> sticky/tacky...not soft, just sticky-tacky. I've rinsed the case to no avail.
> I could strip the paint down to bare metal, but I did like the finish it had
> and probably couldn't reproduce it at home.
> What to do to harden that paint back or get a new coat?
> 73, Bert N4CW
>
Hi Bert,
Bummer, I hate it when this happens!
The material in your cleaner has obviously attacked the coating.
I'd wager a guess that the coating on the MN-2700 is an enamel. I've got
one, so I'm keen on following this.
The enamel coatings are not known for any particular resistance to a
variety of other chemicals.
You didn't report that the cleaning lifted the paint off of the
substrate, so there may still be a way to salvage it.
If you had used a petroleum based solvent you probably would already
have paint on the floor. Whatever you used has been absorbed into the
existing coating, causing it to soften. One of the materials
in the cleaning soluution is acting as a solvent for the existing
coating, causing it to become soft and tacky.
The best thing to do is to get the cabinet into a warm dry environment,
even just get it out in fresh air and warm sunlight, to evaporate the
cleaner and get it out of the coating. This may take time and patience.
Then you can really assess the damage. It may have already separated the
coating from the substrate. In this case, just strip the thing and
refinish it. If you have no blisters, just drying it may get you back to
the original coating, with the few blemishes from handling it while
everything was goo.
Good Luck!
--
73, Kurt, K7NV
YagiStress - The Ultimate Software for Yagi Mechanical Design
Visit http://www.freeyellow.com/members3/yagistress/
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions: towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests: towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-towertalk@contesting.com
Search: http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm
|