37-60B - Photo finish cleaned up nicely - Printable Version

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37-60B - Photo finish cleaned up nicely - mbhdesign - 01-21-2023

Hi gang,

I wanted to share this surprising clean-up job on a Philco 37-60B cabinet. This is one of those cabinets with a "photo finish" - as opposed to an actual wood veneer.

The wood grain effect was applied at the factory as a very thin ink-printed layer of paper onto a cheaper base wood — typically white poplar, I think. Then the whole cabinet would be sealed with a light varnish.

Here are a few photos of the cabinet before any attempt to clean it:
   
   

As you can imagine, I approached this job with some trepidation. But, I had read a lot on this Phorum (thanks everybody!) about "photo finish" cabinets and decided that if I made a horrible mistake, it might still work out ok.

Removing the bezel revealed the original colors and brightness of the "photo finish" underneath decades of dirt and grime.
   

Then I went over the whole cabinet with warm water and a few drops of liquid dish soap. Applied with cotton rags to minimize the chance of scratching the surface. Light pressure. Repeated three times.

   
   
   

Cleaned up pretty well!

   
   

Even the Philco badge is a "photo finish"
   

See all those holes?
Now, could it have been baseball cards or radio star pics that somebody tacked onto this radio back in the day? Hm...

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