Repainting silver trim on a 35?

[tim m.]

Hello all. I just bought an HP-35 from the original owner, complete with a horde of documentation. The only real sign of wear on the calc is some missing silver trim near the power switch. I was thinking of touching it up with some paint, but am not sure where to get something with enough of a metallic reflective sheen. Has anyone looked into this before?

Thanks,

Tim

[Dan W]

Here's a good discussion on it:

link to HP forum thread

[tim m.]

Thanks for that; I should've used the search function to uncover that link. However, it seems that none of the brush-on or spray silver paints exactly replicate what was used on the originals.

-Tim

[Geoff Quickfall]

Hello Tim,

Unfortunately, unless you vacuum plate them as originally done at the HP facilities you can't get that extremely shiny metal look.

The process is the same as used on car dashes.

People here have experimented with:

1  spray paint.

2  brushed paint.

3  silver gilt which requires sizing first.

4  1 and 2 with a coating of gloss clear coat (for plastic).

Cheers, Geoff