Hello I’ve got this old pie pan Constellation dial, and was wondering if there’s any chance to save it? I’ve examined it with a loupe and it looks like most of the surface issues appear to be mold or something else superficial. Will any chemical bring it up without ruining the original finish, or will it be too pitted for use?

Thanks in advance.

 

Play Taps.......or just experiment and post results.
Mold should be liftable with extremely diluted acid.

and it was a straight leg “M” with “re” and crosshairs, sad.

 

Needs a lemon juice bath

 

Vinegar with a drop of dish soap?

 

I've used heavily diluted vinegar or lemon on experimental dials - pretty convincing results. On a sixties Constellation dial I'd be more confident, but I would definitely try it on that one too.

 

Thanks to all. Heavily diluted vinegar means 4 parts water 1 part vinegar? Or more diluted? Less? I’ll give it a try and post up results here.

 

I think there are threads on this subject buried here somewhere. Take it slowly and be meticulous as there is no going back!

 

Just don't rub it at all!
Or touch it!
Not with anything! No Q-tips....If a single part of a single letter or the crosshairs go, you are done for, basically.
Rinse carefully and thoroughly with distilled water.
If the chem bath works, a hair dryer on cold air only at a very very low speed to dry evenly without spotting.

 

What he said!

I used heavily diluted vinegar/lemon juice. Much, much more diluted that 4:1 vinegar:water. More like 20:1.

 

Maybe just try hot water first and see how you get on.

 

Isn't there some sort of dial dip?

 

use the hair dryer only on the back of the dial ! kind regards. achim

 

Do I dip it and leave it submerged?

 

Very interested in learning how to clean dials too.

 

You would do best to give it to someone who regularly cleans these as it could be a very nice dial. When you clean them with some acidic solution, you'll remove the old lacquer and then you'll need to reapply it. There's no guarantee that you won't lose details as the lacquer might lift the text. There's also no guarantee of a 100% success rate for people who do this but it is much lower if it's your first attempt.

Cheers, Chris

 

OK, it's going into the bath tonight. What I've gathered from you fine folks:

1) dish of warm water with few drops of vinegar, maybe 20+:1
2) let soak for one hour
3) remove but don't dry it

Seems pretty straight forward. Thoughts?

 

Do you know anyone who can re-apply lacquer in a clean manner?

 

Best of luck!

 

For the tough stains, direct clorox and steel wool works great...

I cannot wait to see the results. Good luck, that plan sounds pretty good to me.

 

I was under the impression that a sturdy brush, like those wire brushes used on outdoor grills, worked the best?