Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
Phlogiston - 10-19-2016
First - Sorry again. I have been working on the pile of radios on the floor of my shop (SEE: Blog posts for story). I am down to about 4 that need to be restored - one is a Philco 65 in the tall-boy console (I think, really haven't done more than lift the lid and I like it. I also think it is pictured in the "haul" photo). It should be a good example of radios from Phlico that DO NOT apply to my distaste for Philco photofinish. I have 3 more table radios completed and should post them soon. One is a Packard Bell 51 that appears to be one of a kind - I'd like to hear otherwise.
Anyway, the victim here is a 620. Shown below "as found". Like so many of these table radios, I suspect that somebody started a refinish without noticing the photofinish or simply hoping that what was underneath was good-enough. IT ISN'T.
Now, I have posted pictures of this radio before, but it has been years ago and I don't even remember where, though it is in my blog - way back. Since I believe this is a common issue for both experienced and novice collectors, I feel it is worth a post here.
Short story - This was part of a collection from Sand Point ID from which I acquired about 10 radios and parts from the daughter of the collector on his passing (RIP). It was obviously a parts radio, but it had a nice chassis and speaker which I removed, restored and stored waiting for a cabinet. I don't know why, but I put the cabinet in the parts shed. Though this was several years ago, as I recall it was during a slack time (not many of those) and I had reached the point that I was needing to "purge" the less desireable items from the shed or face the "Great Garbage Avalanche" of 2013. Just as it was about to become part of a marshmallow roast - I like my food to taste like old glue and acquire a patina - well, I felt sorry for it.
I have done several radios since that needed a refinish that included a lot of photofinish. I have developed a process to recreate that finish. The difficult part was in preparing the proper lacquer colors and sequence where the application is actually the easy part (pictures on my blog). But this was prior to that.
I did not even try to go with the 620 pattern as I liked the look of the 610 cathedral better. And, in the same shed resided a few book-matched pieces of walnut burl and birds-eye maple. So WHY NOT!
Now, this is the only radio in my display that is a "resto-mod" and one day I might try the photo-finish replacement process on one of these, but, hold your breath, I don't really care for the look of Philco's late-1930s photofinish anyway. It is just too yellow, even with the yellowed top-coat removed. So without further delay, here is the way I believe that Philco should have finished these cabinets:
The additional graphics were added with custom toned lacquer. The radio has all period correct, Philco branded toobs.
Well - back to work.
RE: Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
morzh - 10-19-2016
This looks awesome, Russ!
Is this also a photo phinish or did you veneer it over?
RE: Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
Phlogiston - 10-19-2016
(10-19-2016, 01:29 PM)morzh Wrote: This looks awesome, Russ!
Is this also a photo phinish or did you veneer it over?
Real veneer.
RE: Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
klondike98 - 10-19-2016
beautiful Russ!!!!
RE: Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
Fred Taylor - 11-13-2016
Great job Russ, what type of glue did you use for the veneer? I'm trying to stay away from 3m,s spray contact adhesive. Hide glue?
RE: Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
Phlogiston - 11-13-2016
(11-13-2016, 08:54 AM)Frederick W. Taylor Wrote: Great job Russ, what type of glue did you use for the veneer? I'm trying to stay away from 3m,s spray contact adhesive. Hide glue?
If you are a real masochist or much more devoted to originality than I am (and I am pretty bad) then you could use hide glue. As I understand it - it can be applied or at least evened up with the hot-iron method.
I use the old-style white Elmer's glue and often use the hot iron method of application. Caution to all reading this! Swelling - shrinking - sliding - bubbling veneers
can will be encountered until you figure this method out. Spray glue is way easier but also way easier to come loose around curves plus other issues that can develop over time.
Just as a side note, did you know that spray glue can continue to eat into paint/other finishes long after it appears to be dry? I use the stuff to attach grill cloth, but that is about it.
RE: Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
KCMike - 11-13-2016
Very nice job Russ.
![Icon_thumbup Icon_thumbup](https://philcoradio.com/phorum/images/smilies/icon_thumbup.gif)
I did a Philco 620 just like yours with the photo finish water slide decal. It came out just okay, and I had trouble with the edges coming loose. While not original, I definitely like yours better.
RE: Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
Radioroslyn - 11-13-2016
I did a quick electronic repair to to 37-620 that had a replacement decal applied to it. Was not very impressed with it. The color was too red, detail was muddy, and as mentioned it was loosening at the edges. I guess it's better than the base wood. I've a 37-602 one of those double side pf table top set that is beat with only about 30 percent of the original left. The decals for it fairly pricey at $42. May try my hand at some veneer magic.
Like yours much better! colors are much brighter and the detail is sharp. Like it better than the original.
http://www.philcoradio.com/gallery/1937a.htm#ab
RE: Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
Ron Ramirez - 11-13-2016
Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
Of course you know why Philco resorted to photofinishes: to save $$$$. Had they built their 37-620B the way you restored yours, Russ, they would have cost more when new, and they might have lost their edge as the number one radio manufacturer at the time.
RE: Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
Phlogiston - 11-13-2016
Yeah, it's just so sad that they have a good chassis and a less than average cabinet. Especially after the 20, 70, 71, 90 and 91.
RE: Total Loss - Philco Photo Finish - Options -
Arran - 11-14-2016
(11-13-2016, 04:06 PM)Ron Ramirez Wrote: Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
![Icon_thumbup Icon_thumbup](https://philcoradio.com/phorum/images/smilies/icon_thumbup.gif)
Of course you know why Philco resorted to photofinishes: to save $$$$. Had they built their 37-620B the way you restored yours, Russ, they would have cost more when new, and they might have lost their edge as the number one radio manufacturer at the time.
Ron;
We may never know for sure but I have had the thought that even Philco themselves wasn't too pleased with their their faux finished cabinets. I noticed that they went all in for them in 1937, and then paired down the number of models with it for 1938, and even more so for 1939. I've noticed that by 1941 all but the cheapest of Philco cabinets had switched to real veneer, other then for things like speaker grille bars. Maybe they were having complaints about it the durability, or maybe people didn't like the way it looked. I don't know how closely the Canadian sets followed this, I can't remember the last time I saw one, I think maybe one of the late model 84s perhaps.
Regards
Arran