Bakelite Restoration

[railsplitter]

Whats the best method to restore an old worn bakelite stock ? Cleaners, solvents, finishes ?

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

I've used a cloth wheel that has a very fine rouge which is meant for plastics to polish bakelite. It restores the luster and darkens the appearance. Often the glaze surface of bakelite gets abraded and scratched. A spare MP-40 forearm guard sold to me in "as-new" condition turned out to be coated with a glossy lacquer, which really made it look nice but reveals itself if it gets scratched. After removing the lacquer with acetone, I polished the bakelite on the rouge wheel and the texture is a swirled mix of glossy and dull. Bakelite should have a texture noticable to the touch, since it is just a mix of paper pulp and phenolic resin. The paper acts as a filler so they don't have to use as much resin to make a part, and causes the rough spots in the texture at the surface.