Refinishing scuffed HT antennas

[Number 6]

Those of us who are anal about keeping our antennas looking minty fresh would be interesting in hearing about your experiences with removing scuffs. Black dye perhaps?

 

[CARC383]

I straighten mine out by heating gently with a heat gun or hair dryer then sometimes give them a coat of Armor All or other rubber protectant. That makes them jet black again and hides some scuffs. You want to keep them fresh to avoid the dreaded and highly contagious "Aerial Disease".

 

[Number 6]

Tried that but mine has some “cloudy” blotches that might need black dye.

 

[CARC383]

Tried that but mine has some “cloudy” blotches that might need black dye.

I've used RIT cloth dye on some plastics like Nylon with great results. I used to dye white structural parts on RC cars black and the dye penetrated really well but you have to boil the dye solution in water then dip the parts in. If the duckie is waterproof along the rubber parts you might be able to dye it up to the metal connector or stud.

 

[ppcradioman]

Pledge furniture polish covers many sins. Apply to a soft cloth and then rub the affected item to an almost like new appearance.

 

[EM36]

TIRE SHINE

 

[Number 6]

TIRE SHINE

Tried that already. Not working. Comes right off.

 

[Number 6]

Pledge furniture polish covers many sins. Apply to a soft cloth and then rub the affected item to an almost like new appearance.

I tried "Old English" but it rubbed off. Now I'm thinking about something like a "black again" product for cars.

 

[Notarola]

The antennas are usually coated in latex or similar plastic. to get the skuff mark off the easiest way is to replace the antenna. However thats not the topic here. What I have done in the past is used a non residue cleaner (contact cleaner) to rub out the worst of the mark then to restore the shine. I have used shoe polish for that. Its resilient and designed to be subjected to abrasion and keep its shine.

 

[EM36]

Tried that already. Not working. Comes right off.

Wow! How about armorall? That's a great product to make radios look new again never tried antennas though.

Post automatically merged: Jan 11, 2021

Black permanent marker?

 

[trbo90]

Mink Oil has been my go to to product.

 

[Number 6]

Wow! How about armorall? That's a great product to make radios look new again never tried antennas though.

Post automatically merged: Jan 11, 2021

Black permanent marker?

Tried it on a test spot. That might work. It’s close to black but seems to be a little on the purple side when applied. Might just be my marker.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

ArmorALL?

 

[gMan1971]

Motor oil.

 

[ndp]

I use a little Lincoln Stain Wax shoe polish (which I also highly recommend for boots, should your job require them). It covers most light scuffs pretty well and masks the deeper ones OK too.

I also have tried some of the interior dressing products I have for my car but they just made the antenna shiny and didn't help much with the scuffs.

 

[Number 6]

I use a little Lincoln Stain Wax shoe polish (which I also highly recommend for boots, should your job require them). It covers most light scuffs pretty well and masks the deeper ones OK too.

I also have tried some of the interior dressing products I have for my car but they just made the antenna shiny and didn't help much with the scuffs.

I was thinking about the liquid that is used on the edge of shoe soles. Something like a dye. Maybe I will ask my shoe repair guy what he uses on rubber soles.