I'd like to restore the cone shaped knob on the end of the gear shift lever on my '48 Kaiser. Many were broken off, but mine is in good shape, structurally. But the half of it where the sun beat down for 70 years has surface degradation. Looked like it had crystalized and was powdery to the touch. I very lightly sanded that and seems sound again. But the appearance is different from the half that was not exposed to the sun. It is smooth and shiny. Looks polished, almost as if it had a coat of shiny varnish (sure it isn't varnished, just looks that way), and smooth. The degraded half is now rough to the touch and appears dull and crystalized. Does any one know how I can restore the finish? Any product or procedure in particular? Has anyone addressed this issue in the past? What is this material? I thought maybe bakelite, but researching that on line it seems most of that is black, whereas this is a tan or cream color.
Carl Eidsness
Montana
48 K Special