supermaticjames
Well-known member
Hi all,
Some of you are aware that I acquired this very lovely but tired looking machine last week and throughout the week I have been painstakingly restoring it. Being mechanically and electrically sound, most of the work was cosmetic due to the infamous 'brittle plastic syndrome' associated with Hotpoints of this era. Furthermore, with this being a Polar White machine, I had the task of trying the get the various bits of trim to tie in together so that the machine didn't look like a Picasso.
The biggest job was the reconstruction of the lid. Being top of the range, this model had a decorative chipboard lid or 'worktop' that I think was also an attempt to add some soundproofing. The plastic trim that goes around the lid was cracked in numerous places and was also partially missing at the top righthand corner. Having successfully done a similar repair to my Hoover Conquest 507 cylinder cleaner I patched the lid up with Isopon car body filler and spray painted the trim with a suitable shade of white matched at my local Halfords. I'm very pleased that the lid turned out well because the I'm not able to hide it under a work surface.
Having had no luck so far finding a replacement dispenser handle or dispenser handle insert I set about replicating a replacement with the help of CJ. The end result is fantastic and serves its purpose perfectly!
Taking advice from Paul, both of the sidestrips were painted in the same shade of white and reversed so that the obligatory chips and cracks were hidden. I also replaced the kickstrip resulting in a complete cosmetic overhaul of the machine.
I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to own such a lovely machine since it's one more dream machine ticked off my list. So, I'm really chuffed with it despite having my work cut out for me. Thanks everyone who helped me and offered me their advice.
James
Some of you are aware that I acquired this very lovely but tired looking machine last week and throughout the week I have been painstakingly restoring it. Being mechanically and electrically sound, most of the work was cosmetic due to the infamous 'brittle plastic syndrome' associated with Hotpoints of this era. Furthermore, with this being a Polar White machine, I had the task of trying the get the various bits of trim to tie in together so that the machine didn't look like a Picasso.
The biggest job was the reconstruction of the lid. Being top of the range, this model had a decorative chipboard lid or 'worktop' that I think was also an attempt to add some soundproofing. The plastic trim that goes around the lid was cracked in numerous places and was also partially missing at the top righthand corner. Having successfully done a similar repair to my Hoover Conquest 507 cylinder cleaner I patched the lid up with Isopon car body filler and spray painted the trim with a suitable shade of white matched at my local Halfords. I'm very pleased that the lid turned out well because the I'm not able to hide it under a work surface.
Having had no luck so far finding a replacement dispenser handle or dispenser handle insert I set about replicating a replacement with the help of CJ. The end result is fantastic and serves its purpose perfectly!
Taking advice from Paul, both of the sidestrips were painted in the same shade of white and reversed so that the obligatory chips and cracks were hidden. I also replaced the kickstrip resulting in a complete cosmetic overhaul of the machine.
I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to own such a lovely machine since it's one more dream machine ticked off my list. So, I'm really chuffed with it despite having my work cut out for me. Thanks everyone who helped me and offered me their advice.
James
