TJ_Mossman
Experienced Member
Hi All,
One of the items I saved from the scrapper in Utah was a PDP-8/e.
When I first saw the pics of it (showing a snapped and bent bezel), I'd assumed that the front panel had been cracked too. When it arrived however, I could see that the panel itself wasn't in that bad shape. There's a few gouges near the edges, but nothing that wouldn't be covered up by the bezel once I've found a replacement.
One thing that's odd though, is that there's what looks like a clearcoat or an extra layer of plastic/cellophane that's peeling off. In the areas that it's flaked off, it seems to have left the graphics intact.
Whenever I've seen pictures of other damaged panels where the paint is peeling off, it looks like the painted surface is the outermost layer. I've checked the finish against my lab8/e however and the finish looks about the same as this one.
I'm tempted to peel the rest off, touch up the few parts where the graphics are damaged, and find something suitable to re-apply to protect the graphics, but I don't want to risk ruining things if I can help it. One thing I'm not sure about is how easily the aluminium stickers will come off. I'd like to preserve those too if possible.
Has anyone else encountered the same type of peeling, or been able to restore it?
One of the items I saved from the scrapper in Utah was a PDP-8/e.
When I first saw the pics of it (showing a snapped and bent bezel), I'd assumed that the front panel had been cracked too. When it arrived however, I could see that the panel itself wasn't in that bad shape. There's a few gouges near the edges, but nothing that wouldn't be covered up by the bezel once I've found a replacement.
One thing that's odd though, is that there's what looks like a clearcoat or an extra layer of plastic/cellophane that's peeling off. In the areas that it's flaked off, it seems to have left the graphics intact.
Whenever I've seen pictures of other damaged panels where the paint is peeling off, it looks like the painted surface is the outermost layer. I've checked the finish against my lab8/e however and the finish looks about the same as this one.
I'm tempted to peel the rest off, touch up the few parts where the graphics are damaged, and find something suitable to re-apply to protect the graphics, but I don't want to risk ruining things if I can help it. One thing I'm not sure about is how easily the aluminium stickers will come off. I'd like to preserve those too if possible.
Has anyone else encountered the same type of peeling, or been able to restore it?
