Bakelite cabinet grille rib rebuild

[Mark R]

Nice Job Robert, it looks original.

cheers Mark

[Retired]

Hi,

Wonderful Tony just wonderful. Thank you.

Kind regards, Col.

[Aerodyne]

Well... thanks for the encouragement, folks. That rib replacement of yours, Robert - very ingenious use of Balsa. I must admit that I wouldn't have thought of that lightweight and fragile wood for a rib, but as you've shown, it can be strengthened. Nice repair, thanks for sharing it with us.
Tony

[Joe]

Fantastic job, Robert. I don't think I'd have thought of using wood in a thousand years.

- Joe

[Yorkie]

When I built radio control model boats in the 70s and 80s, birch ply or a planked hull was invariably the method of construction. However, nowadays, if not GRP kits, hulls are mostly built of balsa. When I first discovered that, I thought it odd as weight isn't such an issue with boats as it is with 'planes, but strength is. However, Balsa - especially when treated with dope, diluted PVA or paint - is surprisingly tough and has found wide favour with model boat builders. Let's face it, in Robert's Ekco, the original Bakelite spars didn't wear too well. The only way the balsa spars are likely to come to grief is by accident or abuse, which would be just as fatal for Bakelite. A nice bit of lateral thinking to use materials which wouldn't ordinarily come to mind. - it wouldn't have occurred to me - I'd have probably have opted for beech, ash, iroko etc, which may well have needed steaming to get it to flex. When it comes to circular Ekcos, I'm content to defer to Robert's experience with many such sets.

[Robert Darwent]

However, Balsa - especially when treated with dope, diluted PVA or paint - is surprisingly tough and has found wide favour with model boat builders.

Thanks for all the kind comments, much appreciated.

As David says, balsa is surprisingly strong after being treated with dilute PVA and even more so with a few drops of superglue added. It also seals the porous surface to a smooth finish, ideal for painting over. I found it hardened the balsa to something approaching the strength of the remaining original bakelite spar on my AD75.

Obviously it couldn't withstand trying to lift the set by the spars, but then again neither would the original bakelite I believe. Which is probably why two of the spars were missing from the set in the first place.

I came up with the idea of using balsa because it is so flexible and easy to bend under tension to make the curved spar I required. Plus it is extremely easy to shape with fine sandpaper and trim with a sharp knife. Then when you've got everything to your liking the 'doping' coat sets the shape more or less permanently.

I would say though that Tony's method is the preferred way to go where you are extending a broken section, as in his video. But with my AD75 virtually the entire length of the spars was missing and it was probably simpler to use a length of balsa than shape a metal armature and cover with Milliput or similar.

Both methods are useful ways to restore bakelite cabinets that might otherwise be considered beyond hope. It just depends on the specific area and type of damage as to which method is the simpler to use to effect a satisfactory repair.

Regards

[Radio Fixer]

Great job Robert. I simply would not have thought of using balsa wood.

Gary