Restoring a receiver front panel

[DanielF]

I recently purchased a used (but working) NAD T757, with a front panel in poor condition (see photo).

I knew is was disfigured before I bought it, and am willing to 'live with it' if it can't be improved. But I'm looking for tips from people experienced at restoring AV equipment on how I can, at least partially, reduce the visibility of the scratches and scuffs.

The display front panel and metal area below that are largely 'scuffed', not right down to bare metal. There are other (smaller) areas (e.g. to the left of the display) where the scratches do go to bare metal.

Any advice much appreciated!

Daniel

 

[TLS Guy]

I recently purchased a used (but working) NAD T757, with a front panel in poor condition (see photo).
View attachment 74039

I knew is was disfigured before I bought it, and am willing to 'live with it' if it can't be improved. But I'm looking for tips from people experienced at restoring AV equipment on how I can, at least partially, reduce the visibility of the scratches and scuffs.

The display front panel and metal area below that are largely 'scuffed', not right down to bare metal. There are other (smaller) areas (e.g. to the left of the display) where the scratches do go to bare metal.

Any advice much appreciated!

Daniel

You won't fix that. You would have to totally disassemble the unit, then sand down the whole unit and get the scratches out and then professionally spray paint it. Then reassemble the unit and hope it still works. Unless you are very experienced it won't. There is nothing you can do with the perspex panel.

If you conclude that I'm telling you to leave it alone, you are correct.

 

[Eppie]

I recently purchased a used (but working) NAD T757, with a front panel in poor condition (see photo).
View attachment 74039

I knew is was disfigured before I bought it, and am willing to 'live with it' if it can't be improved. But I'm looking for tips from people experienced at restoring AV equipment on how I can, at least partially, reduce the visibility of the scratches and scuffs.

The display front panel and metal area below that are largely 'scuffed', not right down to bare metal. There are other (smaller) areas (e.g. to the left of the display) where the scratches do go to bare metal.

Any advice much appreciated!

Daniel

There are some simple things you can try without going through a complete repainting of the face (which requires re-stenciling the lettering). Scratches can be touched up with a fine black marker but the marker will generally be a darker shade of black than the face. Have some isopropyl alcohol on hand to wipe off the marker if you don't like the result. Be careful to keep the marker in the scratch and not on the face or it can end up looking worse. It won't eliminate the scratch but it can tone it down. Darker marks tend to be less visible than lighter ones as light marks tend to attract the eye.

The perspex is tricky stuff. You need an extremely fine polish to avoid creating a haze on the surface. Fine automotive polish (like McGuires #09 or #03) can work. The chart below lists the aggressiveness of polishes and you want the least aggressive for final polish. I would mask off the display and leave just the top 1/2" exposed and try the polish on just the top 1/2". If it leaves a haze, then it's only on a thin strip across the top. If it works ok, you can then do the entire display.

http://imgur.com/w9h02xu