[David Dunlop]

All the putty fill work and sanding are now done on the green Spare Parts Case I am restoring as part of the 52-Set Project. All the metal corner guards have also now been put back in place. The next step for it will be getting all the metal hardware primed. The first photo shows its present state. Note the remains of the large block of yellow/tan paint on the front of the case. This is where the runs on the inside lip of the case came from and it appears the application of this colour of paint was a military thing in the twilight years of operation for the 52-Set, and possibly other signals equipment. It was meant to cover over years of accumulated variations of ID stencils on the front of the item so a brand new ID Stencil could be applied in black paint using the new NATO stock number system and identification. If you look closely, you can still just see the first line of the original factory stencil from Canadian Marconi Company. It is centred between the lower section of the two latches and reads. ‘CASE SPARES’.

I was initially thinking of moving straight to the restoration of the last remaining wooden case I have for the Remote Receiver, just to get all three wooden boxes/cases done, but I have now decided to get the second, grey, Spare Parts Case ready for painting and finish the two of them off at once. The second photo is the grey case in its current condition. It has lost a lot of the putty fill in the screw holes on the bottom of it and has one huge swollen seam across the bottom of it from a good water soak at one point. I will be working with 80 to 120 grit sand paper with this case to get that seam filled and the wood trimmed down to a flat finish. The other two photos here give a pretty good indication of the damage to the Kimpak padding in the right side compartment. Clearly, valves were not stored here in its civilian life.


David