The PHILCO Phorum

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

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

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....

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!

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.

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

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

Looks great!

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

Chuck

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.

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

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