Brought home a Philco 40-180 console, and the guy that I bought it from lived in a trailer.
He was a heavy smoker, so the radio really stinks of cigs.
It has a really nice original finish, so I really just need to clean it good to remove the smell.
Removed the speaker cloth and threw that away.
How about something like murphy oil soap?
I am always leary about using water on these old cabinets.Some of the older ones lose the veneer when they get wet.
I will have to scrub the inside down as well.
Suggestions?
murf
This is going to sound really dumb, but I've had radios that reeked of smoke and, out of desperation, resorted to Lysol lemon scented room deodorizer, spraying a mist inside the cabinet once the chassis was removed. It wasn't a cure all by no means, but it at least masked the smell for a while. And lemons smell better than ciggy smoke!
I would agree with OldRestorer's link.. Looks good.
I was about to suggest baking soda.....
Will try the vinegar and oil soap and see how it works.
Thanks guy's
I'm starting to restore a Philco 47-1227 and ran into the same issue with smoke. On the outside I used Goop (GoJo can be used as well). Rub it on, let it work for a minute then wipe it off with a terrycloth or cotton rag. The nicotine film will absolutely destroy the cloth so have a a bunch handy. I used a toothbrush to get into corners, etc. After you are done the first time do a few more until the wiping cloth is stain free. I've already done the outside of mine twice and I can still see some tint on the wiping cloth. I guess that's what 65+ years of smoking will do. After the outside is done I'll tackle the inside. That should be fun!
As a former smoker, agree that vinegar and/or ammonia as a one-two approach can work out OK for cabinets. A little old fashiond shellac on the inside can be helpful, and of course, on the outside should you need to get going on the finish. The innerds usully stink of vermin, horrible capacitors, dust, and whatever fumes drifted up above the refrigerator where the suspect sat for decades or not. Otherwise , once the set heats up and is fixed, you or someone in the shop might identify the scent.
Inserting some crushed charcoal briquets worked wonders on an old AK console cabinet for me...after cleaning the inside as best I could with a damp rag and some detergent. Let it set (in my case 30 days) for a while. Presto...wowso...the mouse odor was gone!