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Heathkit IG-42 Signal Generator Restoration – Part 4

 

Heathkit IG-42 Signal Generator Restoration – Part 4

Filed in Heathkit IG-42 on Oct.02, 2018

Cabinet Repair

 
Front Panel

Now the the IG-42 was in good electrical order, it was time to move on to the cabinet repair.

As you may recall the cabinet was in a pretty sorry state when I received it.

 
Cabinet Top – Start

 
Front Panel – Start

I removed all hardware from the cabinet and washed it with soap and water.  Then I used a small ball pean hammer to knock out the dent in the corner to some extent (I’m no body man…)  This was followed by a light sanding with wet/dry sandpaper and water.

I then applied a coat of primer to the cabinet and let it dry overnight.  The next day, I found that the primer did not stick very well to the existing paint.  I don’t know if it was the original rough finish, or some remaining grease, or just a mismatch in paint types.

I sanded the area again lightly, as before and applied a second coat of primer.  This was a little better, but still not good enough to have confidence.  So I repeated the process a third time.  This time, the primer had pretty good coverage, so I finished with a last sanding session before applying two coats of grey paint, using the same sanding procedure each time.  After drying for a week or so, the finish looks pretty good.  I think it retains most of its original character with the slightly rough finish, but looks fresh with the new paint.

 
Cabinet Top finished

 
Right Side

 
Left Side

 
Cabinet Back

 
Cabinet Bottom

For the front panel, I used goo-gone and a few more cleaners to try to remove the permanent marker writing above the meter, but could not get it all removed.  I also did not attempt to repair the mark to the left of the tuning scale.  I’m not confident that I could make it better, given my limited skills, so I pretty much just cleaned the front panel and applied a coat of wax to protect it.

I removed all of the knobs and cleaned with soap and water, then reattached them.

 
Front_Panel

So that completes this restoration of the IG-42 Signal Generator.  I believe it works as well as it ever did, and should last another 70 years or so before the next rebuild.  I’ll return it to its owner at the next opportunity.

Stay tuned for my next project! 73…

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