Should I or should I not

[w4rtc]

Hi All
Here is the cabinet for my 39-116, the question is: should I do anything with the finish or leave it alone. It is not perfect, but can I with limited (and I mean limited) ability to refinish it, I am thinking I will leave it as is. the front and sides look pretty good but top is not too good. Also the speaker grill cloth is faded but is o k. So all comments are welcome. Joe

[Dave]

Looks good as is. I would just give it a rub down with a little bit of Howard Restor-a-finish.

[PHILLYPHILCO]

I think It looks great the way it is. I always thought an item was worth more in it's original state, yet I go on the bay and radio's that are given freakish Steinway finishes are fetching good money....go figure....

[37silverstreak]

Hi Joe,
The finish on your set looks to be in pretty good shape. I wouldn't try to refinish it. Like Motorola man mentioned, I would try Howard Restore A Finish on it. I've used it on a couple of sets in my collection where the finish was old but okay, and I was very happy with the results ! It's also very easy to use. I found it at my local home improvement store and I believe that Home Depot carries it as well. Good luck with it!

[Ron Ramirez]

I'll ditto the comments above; it looks nice in the photos. Try some Howard Restore-A-Finish in Walnut, and see how it looks then.

[Paul Philco322]

I agree with the gang, Howards is pretty good stuff, I just made a crummy looking cabinet very respectable with a good cleaning, one application of Howards, and the some Orange Bee's wax. Polish well with a soft cloth, voila!

Paul

[TA Forbes]

Fine looking set. Bringing back the original finish is always preferable to restoration unless the cabinet is just too far gone.

[Chuck Schwark]

Looks great!

Follow Ron's suggestions. You never find them that good, generally, depending on previous owner(s).

Chuck

[AI2V]

Another finish restoring method which I use on all of those thick gloss finishes is a rub down with liquid medium to coarse automotive paint compound followed by a paste wax. This method cleans the junk off, and restores a spectacular original gloss finish.

Although it sounds outrageous, after the compounding I wipe over any scratches and crevices (or the entire radio) with a dilute solution of walnut wood stain. It doesn't stain the wood or lacquer but permanently eliminates the minute and major scratches and wear. Just wipe it off with a rag before waxing.

[DeckApe]

Adding my two cents' worth to the above, I concur. Go with the minimalist approach. It looks pretty doggone good from where I sit.

[w4rtc]

Hi all
oK I am going to clean it and leave it as is. Thanks to all who commented. Your input is valuable. Joe