[scottwkurth]

I've recently decided to restore my grandfather's Philco 40-185 to its former glory. It has been collecting dust in a basement with a 41-295X for a very long time. My brother is going to attack the 41-295X after he sees how this project goes. The cabinet is in reasonably good shape but definitely needs work to spruce it up. I'm completely a novice at this, with only some minimal woodworking / finishing experience. I'm likely to have lots of questions and will appreciate any help that others can lend. This piece has a great deal of sentimental value and I don't want to screw it up!

I've got a couple key concerns:
1. Miscellaneous scratches all around the cabinet
2. Some chips from the veneer at edges or corners
3. A dark stain under the slats on the front
4. Final finish - currently it is very dull

For #1
After reading many of the other posts here in the forum and elsewhere, it seems that Howard's Restore-A-Finish seems to be recommended pretty regularly. I'm guessing that I'd need the Walnut color based on some of the other projects I've read about. Can someone confirm this?

I've also come across folks who recommend Mar-A-Way. Does anyone have experience with it or recommend it over the Howard's?

For #2
The chips are fairly small and seem to be just wear from rubbing against something as opposed to veneer breaking off in sheets. Given that, I'm guessing the best thing to do is use some form of stain/dye/lacquer to clean them up. The problem, however, is that I have no idea how to do that, especially without making a mess of the areas that aren't too bad off. I've read through many posts here but can't say I've read them all.

Can someone give me some tips on how to handle this or links to existing posts where it has already been covered?

For #3
If the treatment from #1 doesn't clear this up, I have no idea what to do. It looks like a stain but I suppose it is possible that it is just part of the grain. Any ideas?

For #4
Once I've cleaned up the chips, worked out the scratches / stains, and cleaned off the grime, how do I finish it off? Wax? Clear lacquer (which sounds scary to get right...)?

Thanks in advance for the help - I'm glad a forum like this exists!
Scott
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The full set of photos are here for the curious:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20...1e89aee475

[exray]

For easy nick hiding they sell magic markers in various wood colors. The one I have is by Mohawk, their p/n M267-0209. Shouldn't be hard to find one or a similar product.

If it were me I'd use a good coat of paste wax as a followup to the Howard's. I wouldn't want to try to refresh anything on that nice a cabinet with a spray can of lacquer.

As for that blemish on the bottom. It looks like a bad ding in the photo but fortunately its in a location that really doesn't detract from the radio. I think you'll get used to it

[radiorich]

Hello Scott,
I agree with exray that sure is beautiful cabinet .
another maker of those touchup makers is minwax I use them regularly on touching up antique furniture.

Myself I've never used Howards Restore-A-Finish this summer there's bunch of items to test it on .

good luck.

Sincerely Rich

[codefox1]

I use a very thin spotting brush like photographers of old used to do to touch up negatives or prints. I have a few ancient tubes of artist's oils, and I try to fix up scars with alternate dashes of similar colors. Of course, if the surface is damaged, I'll cut out the bad parts, and fill it with a wood filler first. If a half-*ss repair has been attempted, yoou must get this out too. Now, under some molding on the older sets exists veneer that you can harvest and transplant to worn areas. Not always perfect, but nobody will ever know you did it. Scrape, bleach, fill, paint, and finish. Tinted lacquer will hid a multiple of sins. Just give all the previous steps a couple of weeks to dry out and neutralize before the final attack with Mohawk.

You can always finish up a small area with "French Polish", I believe they call it, it is shellac and linseed oil if I recall, and it is daubed on and rubbed until the repair is invisable. Oh if I could only remember the details, but I do remember seeing an expert fixing a few flaws on a piano many years ago. Amazing. Of course this wouldn't do for the place just above the keyboard on the right side where the glass or mug rests. But anywhere else on the instrument, I think it would be OK.

In the end, it doesn't have to look perfect. I mean, which of us antiques looks better than an old Philco?

[scottwkurth]

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day in Chicago - perfect for working on the cabinet outside. I spent a few hours going over the whole thing with Howard's Restore-A-Finish with 0000 steel wool, some old clothes, and dozens of q-tips. I finished it off with a good coat of Howard's Feed-N-Wax on to shine it up and protect it. Overall, I'm very happy with the difference it made.

On the veneer chips I used a combination of Min-Wax Stain Markers and Blend-Fil Pencils. These didn't work nearly as well as I'd hoped. I know the right way to handle this is to replace with new veneer. Unfortunately, this is beyond my current skill level. Fortunately, the chips are hidden in corners where they will most likely never be seen in the lighting conditions I have in my living room. I'll leave them be for now and someday perhaps I'll revisit them once I am a little more skilled at these things.

Thank you all for the advice - I really appreciate the tips!
Scott

Here is the cleaned up cabinet:
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[exray]

Looks very nice!

[DeckApe]

Scott, may I observe that now, looking at the photos, is the perfect time to stop working on the cabinet? It's beautiful in pictures and, frankly, I'd be suspicious of a 70-year-old radio that was pristine.

[scottwkurth]

Scott, may I observe that now, looking at the photos, is the perfect time to stop working on the cabinet? It's beautiful in pictures and, frankly, I'd be suspicious of a 70-year-old radio that was pristine.

Thank you, and I totally agree. I'm at the point where anything more I try to do will likely do more harm than good. I'm calling it good enough and focusing on the electronics now. I'm likely to upset some purists but I'm going to make some changes to the interior to make this into a usable entertainment device for our home.

[scottwkurth]

My new grill cloth arrived this week so I spent the morning ironing, starching, and spray mounting. It is safe to say that I will never be able to make a living doing this.

I managed to get wax build-up from the starch, which I successfully removed. Then my stretching skills seemed to be at odds with anything resembling a straight line. Again, I think I mostly fixed that issue but there is still some subtle waviness to the pattern if one looks closely. Finally, despite my careful photo record during disassembly (which I failed to reference), I managed to put the grill in upside-down on the first attempt. In the course of removing the staples to flip it I realized that the backing board had managed to stay pristine for 70 years only to have some bonehead take several chips out of it in a morning.

I was amazed at the amount of grime and fading in the original cloth (assuming that the reproduction is true to the original). I wouldn't have even guessed the correct color!
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And, here is the installed result:
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I think I've done enough damage for one day!

[denver]

You have done a out standing job
Kent.

[Ron Ramirez]

Beautiful. Great job.

[reptileink]

I know it's an old post, but you have given me some hope in my new project. Would love to see if you've gotten any further.

[scottwkurth]

I know it's an old post, but you have given me some hope in my new project. Would love to see if you've gotten any further.

Well, the cabinet continues to sit in my living room with a Bose SoundDock hidden inside it. We at least have something to listen to in the living room while the guts are resting on my workbench in the basement. I've finally made time to get into the electronics and, thanks to Ron, I'm ordering parts this morning to get started again.