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Amber radio dial experiment


Figure 1

I have an old radio console that I am restoring and the amber colored paper that diffuses the light behind the dial glass is brittle and falling apart. I tried using parchment paper in a previous repair and after a few years it developed wrinkles that caused the pointer on the sliding scale to hang up. I had an idea to replace the paper with a thin sheet of nylon 6/6 dyed to the proper color. My trials on choosing a proper color are given below.


Out of curiosity I decided to try dyeing some nylon. I grabbed a bottle of Tangerine Orange RIT dye and without much thought on proportion mixed it one part dye to one part white vinegar. I had some decent sized nylon washers lying about and I soaked them in the solution for about 20 minutes at a low simmer. The color might match well for some radios with a darker dial but in my case Ill go with a lighter orange and maybe mix with yellow to get a lighter amber tint. The picture looks lighter than what they are for real. I could also reduce the soak time with what I have and see if its lighter. So I think I can get what I need if I buy some thin nylon 6/6 sheet.

Figure 1
Figure 1 - First attempt

I tried again with other shades of orange and yellow. The center one is about right but the camera picture makes it look lighter than what it is. To get it I used 1 tbsp of RIT Golden Yellow, 1/2 tbsp of Sunshine Orange and 1/2 cup of white vinegar. The washer on the right was just 1 tbsp Golden Yellow to 1/2 cup white vinegar. Now I just need to order some thin Nylon 6/6 sheet and make the dial background.

Figure 2
Figure 2 - Second attempt