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Originally Posted by cbenham
I just need to find out what the best glue is for bakelite and what sort of cleaner
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I successfully repaired the Bakelite case on a Colonial Globe radio with gel-type cyanoacrylate -- "Zap-a-Gap" type super glue, in other words.
http://antiqueradio.org/col01.htm
Some radio people prefer epoxy. Either way, running a bead of epoxy along the inside of the break may strengthen the repair.
Don't use Gorilla Glue. It expands when curing, and might bubble up out of the crack. This happened when I used it to reglue a wooden cabinet, and it was a real mess.
If you're going to clamp the pieces, I would practice my clamping scheme beforehand, to make sure you get it right the first time. These glues won't give you a second chance.
Warm soapy water will clean Bakelite.
Be careful if you polish it. The shiny outer layer of Bakelite is thin. Under it is a pulpy layer containing wood flour, which is impossible to polish with any product. (In fact, the more you polish, the flatter and streakier it may get.)
I have used Novus Plastic Polish #2 -- gently -- to polish a few Bakelite cabinets. Even a mild abrasive like that may take away the outer layer if you get carried away. If your polishing cloth comes away with brown or reddish color, you are taking away Bakelite.
Some people use oily stuff like WD-40 or Glayzit to make Bakelite look shiny. I don't recommend that. Oils are temporary and tend to attract dirt.
Other folks use a good quality carnauba wax to make it look shiny. I guess that does no harm, although wax, too, is temporary.
If your cabinet is already very weathered and you can't stand the unpolished appearance, I have heard of people who used spray lacquer to make it look shiny again. There are even some kooks on eBay who take cabinets to auto body shops to have them painted in garish, un-original colors, so I guess anything's possible, if you don't care about authenticity.
Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html