To all the restoration gurus out there. Just bought an aprrox '73-'74 Michael Peterson on the weekend. The problem - the bottom has been skined to the rail edge, not sure how much foam has been taken off untill I can compare it to another. It has been in this state for a while, consequently the foam is very dirty. Q1)Is there a way of cleaning the foam without sanding more foam away? Maybe some form of bleaching process. Q2)Can the bottom be reglassed in a way that the join in the rail laps are not visible so it looks as original as possible? Q3)What is the best way to colour match a tint? Cheers guys.
Naki: I think your questions are not being answered quickly because they are difficult. Perhaps you should re-post but use the subject box to direct the questions to one of the experts who post here. In thinking about your questions I can only come up with the following: 1.I can’t think of a cleaning agent that would not have a reaction or leave a residue. 2.Re-glassing to match the fade or yellowing of the orginal glass might be accomplished by using a boat resin that contains more solids, say higher levels of cobalt. 3. When matching tints I start with white pigment and slowly add the darker tone until the desired shade is reached. Only minor adjustments can be made after the pigments are added to the resin. Interesting questions. I hope someone who really knows answers. Good luck. Patrick
For really dirty/dusty foam I`ve had good results (but never 100%) with compressed air blown across the surface, and then shop vacs or those powerful hand vacuums commonly used by auto detailers. Be sure to use them with an attachment that runs across flush to the surface, but soft enough not to scratch into the foam.