{"id":16013,"date":"2015-12-06T08:50:52","date_gmt":"2015-12-06T12:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=16013"},"modified":"2015-12-06T08:50:52","modified_gmt":"2015-12-06T12:50:52","slug":"best-solution-to-restore-a-vintage-plastic-radio-chassis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/best-solution-to-restore-a-vintage-plastic-radio-chassis\/","title":{"rendered":"Best solution to restore a vintage plastic radio chassis?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sony-ICF550W-Front\"<\/a>Friday, I brought home an untested, slightly<\/em> grimy, Sony ICF-5500W. I purchased it through Goodwill for $20.<\/p>\n

\"Sony-ICF550W-Right\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I crossed my fingers as I put three C cells in the radio and turned it on. Fortunately, I was rewarded with brilliant audio. I tuned the ‘5500W on AM\/mediumwave and heard CFZM,\u00a0 500 miles to my north, and Radio Reloj, 860 miles to my south. A quick scan on the FM dial revealed that I could also hear all of my local benchmarks. Whew!<\/p>\n

Other than the dial needing a little calibration, and DeOxit on a few pots, it’s in excellent mechanical shape.<\/p>\n

\"Sony-ICF550W-Left\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I started cleaning the radio last night using Q-tip cotton swabs and a vinegar\/water solution.<\/p>\n

I’d like to restore the hard plastic chassis’ original shine, though.<\/p>\n

I was tempted to reach for some Armor All<\/a>, but stopped myself short. I know it would give the ICF-5500W a nice shine, but would it cause any long-term damage to the black plastic or clear dial cover?<\/p>\n

I know there are vintage radio restorers among the SWLing Post<\/em> readership. Can someone offer advice on what’s the best product to use (or not use!) on my ICF-5500W?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have experience, please comment!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friday, I brought home an untested, slightly grimy, Sony ICF-5500W. I purchased it through Goodwill for $20. I crossed my fingers as I put three C cells in the radio and turned it on. Fortunately, I was rewarded with brilliant audio. I tuned the ‘5500W on AM\/mediumwave and heard CFZM,\u00a0 500 miles to my north, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[373,8,627,433,3,139,26],"tags":[4482,4132,495,4481,681],"class_list":["post-16013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-articles","category-how-to","category-mediumwave","category-news","category-radio-modifications","category-radios","tag-icf-5500w","tag-radio-restoration","tag-sony","tag-sony-icf-5500w","tag-vintage-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-4ah","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20577,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/the-sony-icf-5500w-my-morning-companion\/","url_meta":{"origin":16013,"position":0},"title":"The Sony ICF-5500W: My morning companion","author":"Thomas","date":"August 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I spent this morning doing a lot of work around our property. When it was time for a break, I turned on my trust Sony ICF-5500W and tuned to WTZQ: one of my favorite regional AM braodcasters. Though WTZQ is over 30 miles from my home, any good AM radio,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sony-ICF-550W-RadCom","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sony-ICF-550W-RadCom.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sony-ICF-550W-RadCom.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sony-ICF-550W-RadCom.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sony-ICF-550W-RadCom.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":42535,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/i-should-be-working-but-instead-im-playing-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":16013,"position":1},"title":"I should be working, but instead I’m playing radio…","author":"Thomas","date":"March 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ever had one of those days where you should be catching up on work, correspondence, and projects, but instead you find yourself outside, in front of a radio and just enjoying a long listening session? Yeah, that's me and that's today. How did it all happen? Well, this morning I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Sony-ICF-5500W-photo1-762x1024.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Sony-ICF-5500W-photo1-762x1024.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Sony-ICF-5500W-photo1-762x1024.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31361,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/interval-signals-radio-astronomy-bliss\/","url_meta":{"origin":16013,"position":2},"title":"Interval Signals + Radio Astronomy = Bliss","author":"Thomas","date":"March 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, I spent part of the better part of the day at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI): a place that has begun to feel like a home away from home. As you might imagine, radio astronomy observatories are places with very low levels of radio frequency interference. Since I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mediumwave"","block_context":{"text":"Mediumwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/mediumwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/PARI-Radio-Telescope-Dish-Astronomy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/PARI-Radio-Telescope-Dish-Astronomy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/PARI-Radio-Telescope-Dish-Astronomy.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/PARI-Radio-Telescope-Dish-Astronomy.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31166,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/guest-post-radios-i-have-known-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":16013,"position":3},"title":"Guest Post: Radios I Have Known #2","author":"Thomas","date":"March 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Neil Goldstein, who shares the following guest post which originally appeared on his blog, Fofio: Radios I Have Known #2 The old, the new, and the Select-A-Tenna by\u00a0Neil Goldstein After promising this series a year and a half ago, I finally have started digging through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Neil-Radios-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Neil-Radios-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Neil-Radios-1024x768.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35841,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/03\/quality-morning-time-with-the-panasonic-rf-2200\/","url_meta":{"origin":16013,"position":4},"title":"Mornings with the Panasonic RF-2200","author":"Thomas Witherspoon","date":"March 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"It's been a busy winter season here at SWLing Post HQ. Many of you might have noticed a slow response time if you've tried to contact me. I'm in the midst of a rather involved investment property renovation that's consumed nearly all of my spare time. Still, I'm keeping up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Panasonic-RF-2200-Dial.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41119,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/the-sony-icf-7600a-continues-to-impress\/","url_meta":{"origin":16013,"position":5},"title":"The Sony ICF-7600A continues to impress","author":"Thomas","date":"December 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I mentioned in a previous post that SWLing Post contributor, Ed Earps, recently gifted me his Sony ICF-7600A. I've been having a field day with this radio! Well, many field days, in fact. Early on, I packed the '7600A in my Red Oxx Hound EDC pack--it fits in the Hound's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Sony-ICF-7600A-beach.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Sony-ICF-7600A-beach.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Sony-ICF-7600A-beach.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Sony-ICF-7600A-beach.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16013\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}