I have been doing radio restorations for early cars (Packard, Pierce Arrow, etc... from the mid 30's) and have found something interesting about the color of the wrinkle paint on the Philco sets (some of the sets were Atwater Kent) . I would swear the original paint was black but on very close inspection, the actual color is very dark brown as shown when removing some of the trim parts (like the Manufacturer's name plate). The paint must oxidize over time and turn darker making the dark brown turn black. Most of the time it is best to STRIP the original paint, but if you do, you will need to apply metal primer so the final color coat will stay on the part. MSC Industrial Supply supplies the correct color of wrinkle paint in 12oz Aerosol cans. The MFG number is 80860. Their catalog number is 89773899. UPC is 024821808607. The website is www.mscdirect.com. You can call them at 800-645-7270.

Also, you can re-use original grille cloth (if it is in decent shape) by misting the cloth with a spray paint that closely matches the original color. Be sure to LIGHTLY coat the cloth so you don't clog the fabric. I sometimes washed the cloth prior to painting but some of the time the cloth would fall apart. Be careful not to ruin the cloth.

Hey. I made a startling discovery about the Kennedy wrinkle paint for early Philco auto radios I posted in an earlier message. IT DOES NOT WRINKLE even though it states so in the description. I painted some on a 1938 Packard radio and now I have to do it over. The correct paint to use is from HURON INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY. It is original Kennedy Tool Box paint. The part number is 1-823-80860. You can call Huron Industrial Supply at 1-800-800-4967. Cost looks to be about $25.80 a can. John

John, did you ever try to bake a part painted with the Kennedy paint @ 200F to see if it would wrinkle? Just curious.

Been a while, but I had a real bad chassis and wanted to experiment on it. So I drilled out all the old stuff, fit and drilled for new stuff, ground out the rust, applied primer inside and out. Had a few extra tube holes, filled them with those plugs used by electricians and also for inspection holes.

Then I brushed on some white Rustoleum on the outside, let it set and get tacky then misted with alternately brown and black spray enamel Acrylic enamel, and as it started to wrinkle and set , dabbed the surfaces lightly in a random manner with a fine sponge (like a sea sponge.) Yo, looked good, then sprayed a clear coat of Rustoleum and set it on top of the furnace and left it there for a week. Funky finishes take time to cure.

It looked ,,, strange. When I got everyting mounted and finished the set (yes, Geetar Amp from a Hammond Organ special) I kind of liked it. Didn't snap a picture of it, but somebody came over to try it out, and would not leave the house without it. Worse, he played it through the original Rola field coil speaker without baffle, and it did not quit either. I no longer play, but sounded pretty good to me. Lost touch with person and amp, but have a few more corpses to duplicate.