Touching Up the Silver on HP35 / 45

[Ignatz]

Has anyone had a go at retouching the worn silver on classics?:



I've seen chrome and aluminium paint advertised, does anyone have any experience with this?

[rprosperi]

Use a silver leaf pen, like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Krylon-K09902A00-...B00448INW6

It works remarkably well, though you must be careful and patient when applying it (to not touch elsewhere, leave an even amount, etc.) but you'll like the result. You can also carefully trim the writing wick with a razor knife if needed, or if it 'mushes' down.

Also, be sure to clean the area to be painted thoroughly to insure no grease, fingerprints, dust, etc. is there when you paint it. I suggest using a mild cleaner first, then follow-up with alcohol, but don't get alcohol on the bezel labels, it can remove the label paint.

If you try this, please post photos of the 'after' results so future readers will be able to see how well it works.

Credit for original idea (teaching me) goes to Didier Lachieze.

[toml_12953]

(03-22-2020 03:13 PM)Ignatz Wrote:  Has anyone had a go at retouching the worn silver on classics?:



I've seen chrome and aluminium paint advertised, does anyone have any experience with this?

I like Krylon's Leafing Pen. It's pretty shiny and easy to apply. Test it on a scrap piece first to make sure it's what you want.

https://www.michaels.com/krylon-leafing-..._cmp-67238

[Ignatz]

Cheers, Both!

Will give it a shot... pen application should be easier than a brush...

[Didier Lachieze]

(03-22-2020 03:54 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Credit for original idea (teaching me) goes to Didier Lachieze.

Well, I will not claim the original idea as I was inspired by a post from 2006 from someone named Gordon. See here for more details

[JohnRausch]

The Krylon works well, but not a shiny finish. Boo boos can be removed with a soft eraser if done quickly. Practice before you try it on a calculator.

Personally I would not use it on a seriously collectible calculator.

[toml_12953]

(03-22-2020 03:13 PM)Ignatz Wrote:  Has anyone had a go at retouching the worn silver on classics?:



I've seen chrome and aluminium paint advertised, does anyone have any experience with this?

Another suggestion from a friend who builds model cars: Use bare metal foil. I've seen his models and you can't get shinier than that. You can actually see reflections in it. I watched him do some detailing one time and it looks fairly easy. You put the foil over a surface and rub it to completely bond it with the surface then trim off the excess. The result is amazing!
You don't have to worry about getting it on other parts. It only sticks to the part you rub.

https://www.bare-metal.com/bare-metal-foil.html

[Ignatz]

(03-23-2020 06:31 PM)toml_12953 Wrote:  Another suggestion from a friend who builds model cars: Use bare metal foil. I've seen his models and you can't get shinier than that. You can actually see reflections in it. I watched him do some detailing one time and it looks fairly easy. You put the foil over a surface and rub it to completely bond it with the surface then trim off the excess. The result is amazing!
You don't have to worry about getting it on other parts. It only sticks to the part you rub.

https://www.bare-metal.com/bare-metal-foil.html

Now that's interesting... I'll have to look into that...

[[kby]]

In my understanding, the foil is exactly what leafing is (anyone remember getting a CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics with the foil to put your name on it?).

In my opinion the various leafing pens work better if the desired color is more like aluminum; slightly on the bluish end of the spectrum. The actual silver leaf (foil) which you can also get at Michael’s, is a warmer hue; more like real chrome plating.

The foil is relatively fragile—it will rub off what you put on with only a little more effort than what you needed to transfer it in the first place, so it is not good for high wear areas unless it’s only a “display” calculator.

Fortunately, most of the calculators appear in those areas to use paint and so are more “aluminum-colored” to my eye.-kby

[toml_12953]

(04-02-2020 04:54 PM)[kby] Wrote:  The foil is relatively fragile—it will rub off what you put on with only a little more effort than what you needed to transfer it in the first place, so it is not good for high wear areas unless it;s only a :display” calculator.

True. My friend didn't touch his display models much!

[toml_12953]

(03-22-2020 03:13 PM)Ignatz Wrote:  Has anyone had a go at retouching the worn silver on classics?:

I've seen chrome and aluminium paint advertised, does anyone have any experience with this?

Whatever solution you go with, please pose an after picture here! The results should be interesting.

[teenix]

There's another product that looks nice and shiny.

Molotow liquid chrome pen

Haven't had any experience though, although I might give it a try.

cheers

Tony

[Paul Dale]

Hmmmm, I kind of get worried by the name Молотив


Pauli

[toml_12953]

(04-03-2020 07:19 AM)Paul Dale Wrote:  Hmmmm, I kind of get worried by the name Молотив


Pauli

Have a cocktail and relax!

[teenix]

Hi all,

I got the Molotow Liquid Chrome pen today with a 2mm tip.

Results on an old HP-45 shown below. Sorry, the light was a bit dull.

Good shiny silver result.

I thought I gave it a good clean first, but a few spots lifted. I think this may occur if the original silver is a bit flaky and the Molotov "ink" gets under it and it might lift. Should be able to touch it up again later. Still, it looks a whole lot better.

There should be enough ink in the pen to do quite a few touch ups.

If you can, try to do a single continuous line without stopping. If you stop and go back over it in patches, there will be a spotty build up of ink that looks a bit uneven. The odd looking silver patches towards the bottom reflects this due to the light, but the calculator looks fine.

cheers

Tony

[toml_12953]

(04-08-2020 04:51 AM)teenix Wrote:  Hi all,

I got the Molotow Liquid Chrome pen today with a 2mm tip.

Results on an old HP-45 shown below. Sorry, the light was a bit dull.

Good shiny silver result.

Looks so much better. Good job!

[Paul Dale]

Guess who purchased the 4mm tip by mistake
It's not suitable for a neat finish but rubs off with just a tissue while wet.


Pauli

[teenix]

(04-09-2020 02:20 AM)Paul Dale Wrote:  Guess who purchased the 4mm tip by mistake
It's not suitable for a neat finish but rubs off with just a tissue while wet.


Pauli

Maybe you could cut the tip down with a sharp blade. I think it would work quite well and be more controllable with a chisel tip instead of the rounded one.

cheers

Tony

[Paul Dale]

It's easy to purchase a narrower tip


Pauli

[Ignatz]

So, I finally took the plunge... those Krylons aren't available here and shipping from the U.S. was mega-expensive. Now, masking wasn't really an option for me, so I bought a 0.8mm UniPaint leafing pen and, with a steady(ish) hand...



The two from the photo in my OP...



I probably need to pay a bit more attention to the left-hand side of that one, but not bad for a few quid in outlay...