Started on the Roberts Bestone

[Lah Ca]

I am working on cleaning up the reproducer today (while various screws sit in rust remover and leather continues to soak up neetsfoot oil).

The housing of the reproducer seems to be plated brass. If I peer down into the screw holes it looks like brass, and it is heavier and has a different feel than pot metal. It has a plate welded or soldered to its base to mount the needle bar. Two small holes go through the body and the plate, and two brass pins cut to rough knife-edge pivot points are driven into the holes so that the knife-edges protrude from the plate.

As implied above, the needle bar is not a pin-pivot type but a knife-edge rocker type. There are two small leaf springs that hold the needle bar in place.

Screenshot from 2024-01-29 14-49-27.png (250.69 KiB) Viewed 1079 times

Some thick,, dark brownish substance has been applied to the leaf springs where they make contact with the needle bar so that there is no direct metal contact between the springs and needle bar. It does not seem to be wax; it is too hard. Perhaps it is thick shellac? Any ideas?

[JerryVan]

They were small pads of rubber, now degraded and hardened. Other brands used the same technique.

[Lah Ca]

They were small pads of rubber, now degraded and hardened. Other brands used the same technique.

Thank you.

If these were meant as mechanical dampeners, they will no longer have much effect.

So I guess I should replace them with something. They are not (and probably were not ever) very thick. Thin silicone cut to size and affixed with contact cement? Or even just multiple thin coats of contact cement?

[JerryVan]

They were small pads of rubber, now degraded and hardened. Other brands used the same technique.

Thank you.

If these were meant as mechanical dampeners, they will no longer have much effect.

So I guess I should replace them with something. They are not (and probably were not ever) very thick. Thin silicone cut to size and affixed with contact cement? Or even just multiple thin coats of contact cement?

I would think that the spring pressure alone should hold them in place. Otherwise, maybe just a small dot of shellac. My guess on thickness would be about 1/32". Too thin and the spring pressure may "bottom out" the rubber, giving no real dampening effect.

[Lah Ca]

I would think that the spring pressure alone should hold them in place. Otherwise, maybe just a small dot of shellac. My guess on thickness would be about 1/32". Too thin and the spring pressure may "bottom out" the rubber, giving no real dampening effect.

I found a roll of 3M silicone weather stripping in a drawer. One side is self adhesive. I could cut small pieces off it.

It is a bit too thick, I think, at about 2/32", but I could try sanding it thinner.

The roll is propped up on my Dollar Store plastic strainer for small parts rust remover baths.

[Lah Ca]

The reproducer's back flange which was quite rusty has gone through a rust remover bath. It had to stay over night.

It has been touched up with a bit of fine steel wool. The inside which was very rusty had never been plated. I had initially thought about painting the flange with aluminium rust paint, but I don't think that will be necessary. I may just give in a couple of coats of palm wax to protect it and then leave it alone.

The back plate is a different story, however.

The face cleaned up nicely with a bit of steel wool. I may or may not take a bit of aluminium rust paint on the tip of a pin and do some micro touch up to small rust spots.

The back is more badly damaged. I have gone after the rusty areas with steel wool. I would like to give the whole thing a rust remover bath, but the paper label on the front of the plate worries me. I may gamble and lay it on its back in a container with a few sheets of paper towel under it and then trickle in the rust remover until it comes up level with the back of the plate. If it comes up clean, I might just do the kids's bicycle chrome handle bar restoration hack (rub it with aluminium foil) and then wax or clear coat it. We shall see.

[JerryVan]

Before you try anything potentially risky with the back plate, I would take some high-resolution scans of it... just in case.

[Lah Ca]

Before you try anything potentially risky with the back plate, I would take some high-resolution scans of it... just in case.

Excellent advice. Thank you.

It is not like I am ever going to find another Roberts Celebrity reproducer or back plate.

Also, if I have a scan, it might be something useful to others later.

[Lah Ca]

A (low-res) screenshot taken from a 50 Mb 1200 DPI scan of the back plate. If anyone needs a copy of the 1200 DPI scan .....

[Lah Ca]

Pondering what to do about the rusted back plate, I decided to take a wander into the world of automobile restoration and see what ideas might be found there. In the process of wandering, I found two products that might have some use. They are from a Canadian company, Dominion Sure Seal. Both are inexpensive and are readily available in smaller non-spray bottles.

The first is Rust Check Rust Converter. It stabilises rust (preventing further corrosion) and converts it to a paintable surface. It requires pre-prep, which is already done. It is not harmful to non-rusted areas. It does require rinsing which could be problematic. But application with a small brush or q-tips and rinsing repeatedly with a damp cloth could probably be done safely if done cautiously.

https://dominionsureseal.com/product/ru ... convertor/


The second is Gelled Rust Remover. The gel gives greater control of application as it doesn't run. It also seems to have a secondary function as a converter. Being a corrosive, tt is more aggressive than the product above, and it will harm surrounding finished areas. And it probably requires more extensive rinsing than the converter. The corrosiveness and the need for extensive rinsing make it the more potentially hazardous choice of the two options here. However, it could be applied in micro-spots using the tip of a pin.

https://dominionsureseal.com/product/ru ... convertor/

I may go out today and look at the product on store shelves and read the labels fully.