I have a few melamine dials that have begun to surface crack but aren't yet a total loss. Has anyone ever "coated" or painted over the melamine with a clear coat or shellac? -Spray on of course.

It could possibly seal and prevent further cracking and also add back a high luster shine. There are many multi part paints that are used for various hobbies that could be utilized. Maybe even some single stage spray cans. Has anyone attempted? I was thinking about performing some experiments on some old dials...

Joe, that sounds like a plan. Sure would not hurt to try. Just shipping these things in the mail can cause them to crack.

agree 100% Phil. I'll spray an old dial this week and do a before after to evaluate the shine, clarity etc and post back the results. I was hoping someone could recommend product they've used in the past. I only have experience with automotive paints.

I bet we can figure out something.

Got my attention Joe,but not to shiney...WAITING!

Would poly euro thane work?

Lindell, I totally agree with what you're saying. But from a preservation standpoint should we do something?

I'm not advocating to take any pristine 23j dials and coat them. For the dials that are still half way presentable and will decay quickly now that the process has started, it seems like we should try to save them.

I tried "baking" one that had a few checks and cracks in it, hoping the "turned up" areas just might lie back down and meld back......

That don't work

All it did was blister up like "moon craters", zits or volcanoes all over the surface

regards,
bb

There are grades of acrylic with UV absorber. If one could buy or make a "crystal" out of such a plastic, perhaps it would help presever a melamine dial. This would be reversible, since one could always replace the crystal.

I would like to recommend that you get in touch with Target Coatings at www.targetcoatings.com. They manufacturer some very high-quality water-based finishes and if you ask them about your specific application of topcoating melamine, they will be able to tell you which coatings would be best as they have excellent technical support. I have used their EM9000 interior polyurethane before on prefinished furniture that almost nothing else would "stick" to with excellent results. They also have an EM9300 exterior polycarbonate urethane that is very tough. The best feature is, these are all water-based finishes and you would not have to worry about a solvent-based finish potentially etching or dissolving the melamine dial. Unfortunately, they do not make ready-to-use spray cans, but you could get a small amount and use a hobby airbrush setup. And it all cleans up with water!

AS YOU SAID automotive paints--25 yrs ago I did a chelsea #3 clock dial that was flaking with automotive laquar and wa-la no more flaking and no extra kuster try it

Has anyone ever seen a melamine dial that has cracked thru the numbers? If so, since the numbers are actually a coating on the dial would it be possible to say that this is a clue that the problem is starting deeper and maybe even a coating would not even help the ageing process.I would like to hear some thoughts.

Sealing it would do a few things, since melamine is plastic if the coating has UV inhibitors it would protect it from further UV damage. It would also seal it and protect it from oxidation/ozone damage. I would try something like what was mentioned (Testors for model cars) spay a sample first on something to check the gloss level, most times clears are available in gloss and semi-gloss.