Who knows what kind of finish is used on vintage Crown equipment?

[David Dryden]

Just received my Crown VFX-2A crossovers today and am going through them and giving them a good going over. The aluminum surfaces are a bit grungy, and have what appears to be a little black overspray in several areas. The knobs also have some slight corrosion. All relatively minor, but I want them to look as good as they'll sound! Anybody know if the finish is anodized, or clear-coat, or . I am using some Spray Nine and it seems to be taking most of the grunge off, but the overspray and the knobs could use more "persuasion". Any help would be appreciated!

BTW, in case you're wondering... I AM taking the time to run some contact cleaner/lubricant into all the pots and switches.

Thanks!!!

[dancing-dave]

There's some stuff you can get from airplane supply sellers, and paint suppliers called "Aircraft Remover" by Klean Strip. This cleaner is no joke and will burn your skin. It's made to strip of EVERYTHING from an airplane surface. I use it regularly to strip lettering from anodized surfaces and it keeps the anodized finish intact. Get the canned version instead of the aerosol one, so you will have more control and less clean up.

[David Dryden]

That may be a little stronger than I need. I used to have a can of that and it ate through the can before I used it all! I've been working on the panel for a little while now, and have it looking pretty good (LOTS of elbow grease), but the knobs may need more help. BTW, is that a Rockwell drill press that the can is sitting on? Looks alot like mine from what I can see... Thanks for the suggestion!

[dancing-dave]

Yes, that's an old Rockwell Delta drill press. Back when Delta tools had integrity.

Maybe you could just get by with some new aluminum knobs. I've got a few sitting around by Apem that are solid aluminum.

[David Dryden]

Yeah, I wouldn't trade mine for anything. It was made in 1969. Got it from my grandfather before he passed away. Built like a tank!

BTW, I got one of the crossovers all cleaned up last night. From what I can tell, the front panel and trim is anodized aluminum and the knobs are raw aluminum. I used a plastic dish sponge and a little Bon Ami (very carefully around the lettering!) to clean the front panel and trim. The knobs cleaned up with a soft wire brush and some Spray Nine. Turned out pretty nice! Took it upstairs to the music room, installed in the rack and fired 'er up. Works great! The only hitch was a broken power switch that I fixed with a temporary replacement. I need to call Crown and see if they still carry the part. If not, I'll have to start digging around.

[dancing-dave]

Looks like a real solid state gem from what I've seen. You know most audio geeks boast about bi/tri/quad-amping, but there really aren't many manufacturers building active crossovers for the hi fi market.



I'll have to keep my eyes out for the old Crowns as I build up my system this year.

[scott fitlin]

To clean the aluminum knobs you can go to an auto supply store and get some aluminum wheel cleaner. The kind that foams up. Of course you should take the knobs off the unit before doing the cleaning!

I did this with my bullet tweeter phase plugs and horn assemblies 2 years ago and it works well.

Right in any sink, just spray the wheel cleaner on the knobs, let it sit for a few minutes, rinse, dry, and PRESTO, new looking aluminum knobs!

[scott fitlin]

If you know a good tech, you can have four small output level attenuators added to the front panel which would allow you to adjust the levels from the crossover instead of using the level controls on the amplifiers. I have one this way, it works very well, and in my opinion, is preferable to lowering the controls on your amp!

I own 3 VFX-2A,s and they are still superb sounding units.

[David Dryden]

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely try that on the knobs. They are raw aluminum and should respond well to the treatment.