I have the Transoceanic 600 restored. I was using leather cleaner and
noticed the towlette was full of black. I immediately wiped the residue
off. 

Am I using the wrong kind of cleaner or could this restored
version have a coating that is not cleanable?
   
Let me know
Thanks
Dan

On the back case, I use Kiwi black shoe leather die. That seems to work
  well. Use a few coats.
  
  Paul P

http://shop.fiebing.com/c/leathercraft_dyes_leather-dye

Solvent-based black leather dye. Water-based dye likely will be pigmented and not aniline. Walmart used to carry the stuff. You can order it online. Check the ingredients. If it's solvent and not water, it's ok.

RANT WARNING     RANT WARNING     RANT WARNING

Some $%^&*( used shoe polish. Yes, "the book" suggests it, but it is a silly idea.

a) Shoe polish oxidizes over time, dries out and then turns into powder. Which is fine on shoes where the detritus lands on the ground somewhere. Not so fine on a radio where it lands on the table/shelf/whatever.
b) Shoe leather is normally a smooth surface without a lot of nooks and crannies. The polish goes on as a _very_ thin film. Stag is not smooth, and the wax goes on much as spackle over a dimple in the wall - with lots of dimples. So when it starts to fail, it fails in lumps.
c) Once treated with shoe polish, cleaning the stag becomes problematic into the indefinite future. And removing every last bit of polish is exceedingly difficult.
d) "Fresh" stag never really had much of a shine, more of a soft 'glow' - something closer to finished (Mercerized) cotton than rayon or silk. That effect may be achieved any of several ways without resorting to polish.

Alternatives include:
a) Armor-All - not the best, but infinitely better than shoe polish. There are various formula, but from the Armor-All page:

What are the ingredients in Armor All® Protectants? Do they include silicone, alcohol, ultraviolet inhibitors and petroleum distillates?
Armor All® Leather Care contains lanolin and natural moisturizers, and UV inhibitors. Armor All® Leather Care Protectant Spray and Leather Wipes contain water-based silicone emulsions, surfactants, and ultraviolet light inhibitors. Armor All® Original Shine Protectant contains water-based silicone emulsions, surfactants, and ultraviolet light inhibitors, humectants, dispersants and gloss enhancers. Armor All® Ultimate Clean Protectant contains water-based silicone emulsions, surfactants, ultraviolet light inhibitors and a fragrance.

This treatment will require maintenance depending on use and exposure, and if over-applied will be sloppy and ugly.

b) Polymer-based automotive polishes, the most well-known of which is Nu-Finish. MSDS here: http://www.nufinish.com.au/pdfs/MSDS%20Nu%20Finish%20Car%20Polish.pdf    Two applications about 48 hours apart seems to do the trick nicely. Oxidation does occur, but the material is clear, the 'flakes' much smaller, and the service-life far longer.

c) Various semi-permanent coatings and stains: After I clean a stag T/O I use a liberal coating of Feibing's Leather Dye (black):  http://www.fiebing.com/   , allow it to cure for 48 hours, then rub it down with a soft rag to a uniform color. *THIS IS OFTEN ENOUGH*. After which, model airplane 'dope' (clear) may be applied very lightly in gloss, semi-gloss or dull finishes to achieve whatever level of shine is desired.

But shoe polish - as just demonstrated by the OP is a wretched idea.

Peter W

I've used that before myself.  It's solvent-based.  I had to order it.  I put some of the black on a TO and it worked ok.  I also took and dissolved some table tennis balls (still made of nitrocellulose) in acetone and added the dye (brown) to make a patch material for the covering of a 7g605.  

That stuff they covered it with was typical of the suitcase covering material used back in the day, nitrocellulose.  It was common to make portable radios look like a piece of fine luggage.  

The 7G605 was covered with what I supposed to be simulated alligator. 
I don't know what kind of alcohol is used in the Fiebings, but it's not isopropyl.  Isopropyl will dissolve nitrocellulose; I put the NC directly into the dye and it got soft but didn't dissolve.  I added some acetone and the NC eventually dissolved.  I guess it's ethyl, but I reckon a person could look up the MSDS and find out for sure.

 Tack

I've used a black shoe dye made by Adcor, called Experts Choice, with the sponge blotter on the top of the bottle for my H500.  It's available at Rite-Aid.  That and an old towel.  Blot the dye onto the radio, then spread the dye around with the towel.  It took two coats on my radio to make it all even, and that was two years ago.  It still looks great, and it's a frequently used radio. (Trips to the beach, camping, etc...)  There is a matte glow to the finish.  Now if I could just find an H500 faceplate without a crack.

--- In thetransoceanicfanatic@yahoogroups.com, 
>
> My H500 is now almost perfect (for me) save that the escutcheon has that tell-tale center crack in the plastic.  Does anybody out here have one that they are willing to part with?  For a price of course.  I don't have anything for trade, but cash.
>

Before giving up on your existing faceplate, try this:

a) Remove the faceplate from the radio.
b) Clean it thoroughly. Use Windex on the outer face and great care on the inner face. Work the crack with distilled water or similar until it is as clean and dust-free as possible.
c) Using finger-pressure only, see if the crack 'sqeezes' together any so that it becomes less visible. If it is a true hairline, you are in great good luck.

Once clean and dry, use Scotch Brand (green label - accept no substitutes!) Magic Tape across the top edge of the faceplate to try and pull the crack as tightly closed as practical. Burnish the tape on the plastic with your thumbnail or similar (and don't forget to fold a little tab at one end for easy removal). Skip this step if the crack is truly hairline.

Then put another piece of the same tape over and along the length of the entire crack on the FRONT FACE, also burnishing it the same way, It should extend at least 1" beyond the crack if practical.

Using ULTRA THIN super-glue ( Zap brand - accept no substitutes:  http://www.supergluecorp.com/zap/zap-ca   fill the back of the crack. Try to fill the crack without slopping. If you wish, you may run a couple of pieces of tape along the crack on the back of the faceplate (if you are not near any printing) to prevent smearing.

Allow to dry for 72 hours in a coolish, dry area. Cool-dry greatly slows the curing of superglue, allowing bubbles to escape and preventing crazing during the cure process. So, about 60-65F is ideal.

You might be pleasantly surprised.

GENERAL NOTE: When a new 500/600 series comes across your threshold, back off the faceplate screws by 1/4 turn to a uniform even tension before you do ANYTHING else. 99-44/100ths of these cracks occur because those screws are too tight and normal thermal movement forces the crack. Some slippage/movement is critical for the long-term survival of the faceplate.

Peter