WTB/Copy MP-52 antenna mount (Pics added 30Nov11)

[Tapper02]

I've been looking high and low with no luck.  I've got several feelers out but so far I haven't turned up anything.  If anyone has one for sale or knows of one that I can get measurements off of to reproduce, please let me know.

Thanks, Tom

[iron bender]

I may have a really nice original. I'll have to check when I get home. Can't remember if I sold it already.

[Tapper02]

I may have a really nice original. I'll have to check when I get home. Can't remember if I sold it already.

Thanks!  Let me know....

-Tom

[Tapper02]

I may have a really nice original. I'll have to check when I get home. Can't remember if I sold it already.

Any luck?

[Tapper02]

Found one in France.  Euro to Dollar exchange sucks and the TVA is 19.6%!  But, it's the first one I've been able to locate in almost a year so I'm biting the bullet.  I actually need two so if I can't find another I'll end up having a repro made.

-Tom

[Tapper02]

(Posted on the G)
So I got the MP-52 in the mail about three weeks ago.  It was pretty grungy but had the original paint on it and parts of it were wrapped in some cosmoline impregnated gauze/canvas.  I decided to strip it down to bare metal and refinish it as there was some pretty good rust action on the base legs and a few other spots.  I sandblasted it, put about 3 good coats of primer and then about the same number of coats of WWII Semi-Gloss OD (RAPCO #23070, supposedly the closest match to SC equipment).  I also had to sandblast the metal parts of the three porcelain insulators that are in the inside as they were heavily rusted.  A few coats of clearcoat and they are well protected once again.  Some handpainting of the "MP-52" and reapplication of the SC inpection stamp and it's good as new!  Below are some pics...thought I'd share.  Enjoy.

Original condition


Closeup of the "MP-52"


Restored


New and improved "MP-52"


Top view (the smudges are from where I test fit the AB-15/GR antenna base)


I'm certainly glad I found an original as I think it would be a pain to try to repro.

-Tom

[col.halftrack]

 Great find on that piece. Where did you find the SC stamp? I am restoring M13/16 Ord # 1040 so just sixty+ units ahead of yours. Ord# 1106 would have been the third M16 down the line. Pretty cool.
 

[Outsider]

Nice work! I think it probably looks better now than when it came out of the factory new.

Steve

[Tapper02]

Great find on that piece. Where did you find the SC stamp? I am restoring M13/16 Ord # 1040 so just sixty+ units ahead of yours. Ord# 1106 would have been the third M16 down the line. Pretty cool.
 

I had the stamp made up by Simon Stamps for about $8, copied from the original.  Most stamp companies will only accept a black and white printout of your graphic, but I sent them a picture with the dimensions and they nailed it.  I still need to find the right paint to use.  The stamp you see in the pics was only temporary as I used an inkpad that was suggested from Hobby Lobby...it's meant for paper though and even after heat treating it to get it to set, it rubbed off easily.  I can't justify a half-pint from a hardware store, so I'll probably get a 1/2 oz bottle of red and 1/2 oz bottle of orange testors model paint and mix them until I get the correct SC color.  That will be permanent!

I've been documenting all the SC inspection stamps that I'm finding as I put together my SCR-508 and shared them with Kyle Ulrey (Signal_6 on the G503 forum).  He is producing several of them and has them for sale if you want some:

http://www.g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=199413

Nice work! I think it probably looks better now than when it came out of the factory new.

Steve

Thanks Steve...it was pretty fun.

-Tom