best I can do to help

[~ Billy … Æsops .Tech ~]

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Vintage-BUSH-TYPE-DAC-10-Bakelite-Valve-Radio-G647/132488159607?hash=item1ed8e8e177:g:RWQAAOSwsABacJRI

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Vintage-BUSH-TYPE-DAC-10-Bakelite-Valve-Radio-G647/132488159607?hash=item1ed8e8e177:g:RWQAAOSwsABacJRI

[Terry S]

That's a potentially great deal, but I'd much prefer to just find the bezel.... Thanks!

[Nick]

Problem is is that the bezel is always the spare everyone wants - the fixing screws tend to get over-tightened so you nearly always get "star" cracking around them.

You are better off buying one like this where the bezel is good. I asked what this was made of on UKVRR 5 years ago - https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=92673 

We came to the conclusion that it was Catalin/Urea Formaldehyde.

Other problems to watch out with these is like a lot of radios of this era, the chassis is LIVE and the output/speaker transformer often overheats and fails, requiring a rewind..

I wrote up doing this a few years ago (for a DAC90A but it's the same on a DAC10) - madly fiddly thing to do - https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=87213 

Nick

[John Smout]

For British radio spares you could also contact the British Vintage Wireless Society - www.bvws.org.uk - their full colour glossy magazine is well worth having also.

John S

[Nick]

This is true - I am also a BVWS member - their monthly magazine, The Bulletin, is a beautiful publication with excellent production standards.

The BVWS do not sell spares for radios (they sort of do - they sell modern capacitors to replace those in valve radios & TVs). They do have a facility where members only can for free put in a For Sale/Wanted small add in the next copy of the Bulletin, but that takes weeks or months, has a limited readership and is members only.

The UKVRR site mentioned is by far the biggest & most active site of its type I know of in the UK - GVR (where I'm also a moderator) is far smaller but the folk there are very helpful too - most are members of both fora anyway. As the Bush radios are very common (250,000 Bush DAC 90As alone were made) and restoring them is popular, I would suggest UKVRR as the best bet.

Nick

[John Smout]

We came to the conclusion that it was Catalin/Urea Formaldehyde.

The magic potion for bringing DAC cases back to a showroom shine is Ballistol. It seems to actually feed the plastic and soak in. It’s great on any bakelite, AVO meter cases etc. It can also be used on leather, metal and wood. Jukebox restorers likewise swear by the stuff.

It’s available in the UK, I am not sure about the US. Comes as a spray or a liquid.

John S

[Nick]

On Monday, 5 February 2018 12:16:24 UTC+4, Nixcited delighted wrote:

We came to the conclusion that it was Catalin/Urea Formaldehyde.

The magic potion for bringing DAC cases back to a showroom shine is Ballistol.

Ah! In the vintage radio world, a lot of folk use the old BT "Polishing Paste #5" -  see http://www.greygate.com/product/paste-polishing-no-5/ . This is then finished with a light buffing with clear beeswax or Bison Black clear polish which adds an amazing lustre and feeds the Bakelite too. The photo below is of a DAC90A that was awful and scratched prior to polishing...

 

[Terry S]

You folks have much better options for bakelite care than we do. Finding an appropriate polish stateside has been difficult. 

Lately I've had some luck with some of the automotive formulations sold for polishing yellowed hazy headlights. 

I know there were some compounds sold for telephones, but Bake-O-Brite is hard to find these days. Believe it or not, some of my best results have been with ordinary shoe polish. It's a temporary shine, but seems to last for a few years anyway.

[Paul Andrews]

Are you on antiqueradios.com? I assume there might be more state-side relevant posts there? Like http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6886.

I've not had to polish bakelite (yet).