# 027 Switch Covers for 1121 switches



## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

I'm working on my 1121 switches, the covers over the motor are covered with what looks like white mildew. Has anyone seen this before? I washed it off with water and then polished the covers but I'm worried about it coming back. (It is nearly impossible to get out of leather and I'm hoping its not going to keep reappearing.) There is also tape residue - what looks like athletic tape and scotch tape and masking tape on different ones, and this reddish cement-like stuff that I can't get to budge.



















They have polished to a glassy smooth finish (except that red cement stuff), and look great now, but will it return?


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Looks like it is coated in plaster?
I hope one of those pictures is not of the polished one. 

I think bakelite can develop a disease. That looks like it is diseased.

If you can get some straight Ethanol it is good for removing tape glue residue.

I came home one day and my Old (young) lady was out there with half the kitchen cleaners trying to remove the glue off her bumper. The bumper sticker was old and most of it peeled off and she couldn't get the glue off.
I went into my garage and gave her some ethanol on a rag. It came off real easy she was amazed. She said she was sitting there for an hour rubbing the crap out of it and nothing worked.
She told me I should bottle it and sell it, she goes around now telling anyone who will listen about the amazing stuff I gave her to clean it off. 
I already gave a few of her girlfriends a sample bottle of it.:laugh:

Ed's snake oil. :smokin:


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

Nope, I know what plaster dust looks like, and that's not it. Mildew is all I can think of. I didn't take a picture of the inside, it looks like a sort of starburst pattern.

You can see in the second picture where I used my fingernail to scrape some of it off. 

I used rubbing alcohol on the tape residue, one of my migraine triggers is chemical smells and I was on the edge of one last night, so I didn't use my favorite - Goo Gone (or maybe Goof Off? I have had both, can't remember which I have right now.)

And no, that is not one of the polished ones.









I'll get one of those up when I get home.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

*Bakelite Switch Covers*

The inside, see how it's sort of a starburst pattern?









And one of the clean ones


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

I've never seen anything like that before. Looks pretty gross!

At least it seems to clean up well.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

*Bakelite Switch Covers*

It's just powdery, not slimy or anything. I just don't want it back!!


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

I would guess the mildew showed up because of how it was stored and is unlikely to come back unless you put the switch in a dark, damp place.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Dunk them in vinegar for a few hours and see if that doesn't fix them.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

What did you use for polish?
That is the bad one you showed after cleanup?
It came out great! :thumbsup:
I doubt if it will come back, like mentioned I think that they saw some moisture to make them like that.

Some don't like those switches I am running 6 of them and don't have a problem with them.
I wonder why speak some so poorly of those switches?
I guess because they are O/27? :smokin:


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Time will tell if it works. If it does vinegar or maybe alcohol. The polishing would be enough to get rid of it. You might have some creep back in corners so just watch them.
The old tape residue I scratch off with an Exacto knife or razor blade. Then polish it up. I could not tell if your polish is a wax or a grit compound. There is a difference and I prefer the rubbing car polish, or the coarser rubbing compound.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

*Bakelite Switch Covers*

The bad one is pre-cleanup. 

First I washed with water, then dried and hand polished with simichrome polish. It's the best thing I've used for Bakelite or plastic. It makes it look wet it's so glossy and shiny. 

I used my dremel in the corners. BIG mistake. Even at the lowest speed it melted. 

An electric toothbrush did a fantastic job though. 

I LOVE the 1121's. They are curvy and sleek. I'm very much a fan of deco, and they are just the right look.


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

The version with the plastic covers was postwar. Lionel also made another version of the 1121 that was all metal during the prewar era. I like the prewar version better, but they are not as easy to find.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

And the mystery is solved - the switch cover melted in the corners when I used the dremel and let the friction get too high.  But since bakelite doesn't melt, they are plastic covers, not bakelite. 

I still love them though.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

http://www.simichrome-polish.com/










I've had mine so long that I got it for $19.99. lol

It's unbelievable stuff, brings out an amazing gloss on plastic and bakelite. Of course, the surface needs to be relatively smooth to start with so if you have any gouges or deep scratches you'll need to start with a heavier polish, but this is my go-to for finishing on glass, metal and plastics.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

mnp13 said:


> And the mystery is solved - the switch cover melted in the corners when I used the dremel and let the friction get too high.  But since bakelite doesn't melt, they are plastic covers, not bakelite.
> 
> I still love them though.


Why did you label the thread Bakelite then? 

I thought they were plastic but others said Bakelite so I didn't argue. :smokin:

One way to see if it is Bakelite is to run it under hot water you will smell the formaldehyde that is used to make it. A very distinct oder. 
I used to haul that it and in the strength I hauled it will take your breath away and you can pass out if you get a good whiff of it, then you have a sore throat for a week too. 

One of the first chemical loads I hauled was a formaldehyde solution. I made the mistake of opening the dome with the wind blowing in my face, DUH. Good thing I had a good hold on the ladder. 

A little history on Bakelite a Copy & paste,

One of the ingredients in Phenolic Bakelite is formaldehyde. Bakelite was invented in 1907 and is formed by the reaction under heat and pressure of phenol and formaldehyde -- it is actually patented as a "phenolic resin' and a 'dense synthetic polymer'. Its molecules are closely linked together thereby making it much denser and heavier than plastic. 

Do you know that Simichrome polish that just happens to react to the formaldehyde in Bakelite. A positive test is where the Simichrome turns from pink to blue or from pink to yellowish brown -- use a white rag to be sure. This is a positive test and means it is Phenolic Bakelite.

Another chemical test for Bakelite is to use 409 Household Cleaner. Do not try to use Windex, or some other household cleaner. You must use 409! Here is how you do it. Spray some 409 on a q-tip and swab an area of the item, if the q-tip turns darkish yellow -- the shade often referred to as 'nicotine yellow' - this is ALSO a positive test for Bakelite. Be sure that the item is clean before performing this test so you do not accidentally mistake dirt for a positive result. Rinse the item off after testing to remove the chemical residue.


Also a Bakelite has a distinctive sound, they make an unmistakable 'thunking' sound when clicked together.
There is a weight test too, Bakelite is heavier because the molecules are closer together. Bakelite is denser than Lucite or old plastic and therefore it is heavier.
Another way to tell is how the piece is molded together.

By the way there is such a thing as Bakelite disease.
And I think it almost looks like that, most of the time they say to throw the piece away.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

*Bakelite Switch Covers*

Because I thought they were Bakelite, but I was wrong. Sometimes that happens. 

lol


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

I can help in the title.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

Thanks!!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

mnp13 said:


> Because I thought they were Bakelite, but I was wrong. Sometimes that happens.
> 
> lol


Maybe some of them are? I don't know. :dunno:



T-Man said:


> I can help in the title.


What.......do you think your a moderator? 


Oh wait a minute you are! 
First time I ever seen you in action T....good job!


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

I owned/ran a phpBB forum for six years. Sometimes I miss having phenomenal cosmic power... lol


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