Fairlight-CMI

--- In Fairlight-CMI@yahoogroups.com, feldmann@x wrote:
> >Philip:> These machines are now more than 20 years old - so they
> > will have a few 'knocks' each. I think it's unlikely you'd find 
> > one that has *no* marks - that hasn't been restored in the past!
> 
> No *prominently visible* marks, original paint.

What a shame - you have my commiserations - BUT - if the rest of the
system is minty fresh then scratches to the keyboard shouldn't drag
down the value apart from the cost of repairing the keyboard. The fact
that the paint won't be 'original' shouldn't matter as long as it
colour and texture matches.

Items of MUCH greater importance are things like:

1) documentation - this is quite hard to find in it's original form
2) lightpen - if damaged they're virtually irreplaceable I'm told
3) monitor condition - does the image waver? Lightpen pick up ok?
4) drive condition - these are $250 to recondition - each!
5) sound library - this makes the machine more desirable.

What I'm trying to say is - scratches to the keyboard won't affect the
value of a system anywhere as much as things like the above - if it's
a minty fresh, well cared for machine in perfect working order with a
comprehensive sound library then I wouldn't worry too much about
scratches on the keyboard that can be repaired - after all - it's the
easiest bit to sort out!

> > priming first) and paint with the correct colour it shouldn't cost
> 
> Would you know the correct color number and make ?

No - but having looked at several Series II's it appears the colour
hue changed very slightly over the years.

Most car / auto body finishers will have a 'paint mix scheme' -
Glasurit, PPG, Max Meyer ICI for example all provide swatches of paint
colours (thousands of them!) which the body shop can then use to mix
up on site and get a precise match - BUT - you need the 'crinkle'
finish... there is a technique for this but I can't remember the name
for it - if you ever look at the bottom of the sill plates on say a
Porsche 911 they have a textured 'stone chipping' surface that's the
same finish. Any good bodyshop should be able to mix the colour to
match and 'blow in' the finish to suit.


> >Philip: > Not sure where you are geographically - but in the UK we 
> > have a paint called 'Hammerite' which gives the tempered / 
> > hammered finish
>
> I am aware of hammerite, but I doubt white will give the original
> white paint effect on wood as Hammerite seems to be metal paint.

It can be used on any surface with the appropriate primer - the
'brown' colour your seeing underneath the white exterior paint is the
Fairlight original primer they appear to have used (when the original
keyboard with one of my II's got smashed, I was able to see *exactly*
how they'd been made!).

With a primer on the wood hammerite can be applied.

> > repair the monitor shroud and repaint it with black Hammerite - it
> > looks like new now :-)
> 
> Lucky you :)

I was severely upset when the courier delivered mine damaged so I can
sympathise - but you should be able to get this sorted out.


> The scratch seems to run to the wood, it is a brownish color on the 
> top cover of the music keyboard.

This brownish colour is the primer - the wood is actually cheap MDF /
chipboard :-)  Well, $80,000 when new kind of cheap!

Good luck




Philip