The PHILCO Phorum
Philco 645K Refinish - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: Philco 645K Refinish (/showthread.php?tid=9111)


Philco 645K Refinish - Winky Dink - 03-24-2014

You guys are driving me nuts. Every time I think I've reached my best possible outcome, I find there's something better. It's not fair--you keep raising the bar!

Here's my finish on the 645K. The darker wood trim may not be authentic, but I first tried showing the wood grain with a lighter finish and I didn't like it at all. I simultaneous sprayed light and dark brown toner, and the result looks richer and deeper than a single opaque lacquer. In fact, it looks like Bakelite that's trying to look like wood.

[Image: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4GeMrGASAc8/Uy-15XcUpEI/AAAAAAAAMio/Ehn5mlqRCYg/s800/172%2520Philco%2520645.jpg]

This took weeks to finish with 6 to 12 lacquer coats with frequent 320-grit sanding between coats. The top two coats were sprayed on, leveled with 400, then 600 wet sanding, then rubbed with Novus 3, finally polished with Novus 2. Novus is one of Phil Nelson's favorites for plastic and Bakelite, but it seems to work well on lacquer.

[Image: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rPoTZanwy-8/Uy-13O6F-pI/AAAAAAAAMig/3Oi-NfUVDjo/s640/175%2520Philco%2520645.jpg]

The crowning touch is the decal. I've followed Ron's discussions about the authenticity decal fonts, sizes, and colors. Fortunately the original decal was unscathed. I kept it covered when stripping the old finish, then gave the decal area a few coats of lacquer for protection, and covered it again until the last few lacquer coats were applied.

[Image: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QIWwyRU5iwQ/Uy-14FWksDI/AAAAAAAAMic/yQVTY2HiN8A/s640/178%2520Phiilco%2520645.JPG]

There are a few flaws (my pride doesn't allow me to point them out), but overall it looks good and I've learned the benefits of hand-rubbing the finish. Now, I'm going to have to redo some of the finish on last year's Radiola 28 to meet the new standard.

Thanks to all who have shared their cabinet refinishing techniques on the Phorum.

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - OldRestorer - 03-24-2014

lovely cabinet,
It is always good to use new ideas when restoring.

great job

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - Ronin61 - 03-29-2014

Wow that came out absolutely beautiful, I have one of these that I haven't stripped and refinished yet and I really like how yours came out. Wow.

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - Jamie - 03-30-2014

You did an amazing job. That is something to be proud of!

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - Winky Dink - 04-07-2014

Here's the finished set. I managed to retain the original tube chart on the left , and I reproduced the red instruction card that I found somewhere inside the cabinet..

[Image: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3zuM-4BVVg0/U0MyivujlJI/AAAAAAAAMnQ/Qy9uamREMIA/s800/170%2520Philco%2520645.jpg]

[Image: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VjGgbDYpkHE/U0LTAV-Cw1I/AAAAAAAAMm8/BmNoUfA6AOc/s640/292%2520Philco%2520645.jpg]

I get carried away with graphics, even with those that may never be seen again. Here I tried to reproduce the over-inked rubber stamp on the shadow meter.

[Image: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fPsWnkCmcKY/U0LS_aPMuTI/AAAAAAAAMm0/5vweMDfPesA/s640/291%2520Philco%2520645.jpg]

I also did the part numbers for the tops of the electrolytic cans, but I couldn't reproduce the correct font for the numbers.

[Image: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MKwh2Q3d0Wg/U0LS9pejovI/AAAAAAAAMmk/8yK6eQvjjgY/s640/295%2520Philco%2520645.jpg]

I have no more space for consoles. I only have three, but they're all in my study, which is the only room that's cat-safe. There's a perfect spot for this set in the family room, but the cat would immediately claim it as a scratching post and shred the original grill cloth.

Overall an excellent result with Philco Phorum guidance.

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - OldRestorer - 04-08-2014

How did you reproduce the can graphics?

Looks amazing!

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - morzh - 04-08-2014

Sorry to rain on it a bit....

I like the quality of your finish and such but these dark sided just don't look right.
Actually sometimes I like non-authentic looks, but this particular color does not go well (in my opinion, of course) with the rest of it at all.

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - TA Forbes - 04-08-2014

Very nice work!!! Icon_thumbupIcon_waveIcon_clap

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - Winky Dink - 04-09-2014

Can Graphics: Print the graphics on clear adhesive label, apply the label, then spray clear acrylic to mask and secure the edges of the label. It only looks good if the edges of the graphic label coincide with existing edges. The shadow meter graphics were done the same way.

Morz: I agree 100% that the dark finish doesn't look right. I tried two finishes showing the wood grain (the authentic finish), and a lighter opaque brown. They all looked worse to me. But the deciding factor was that I can refinish it authentically whenever that's desired, so nothing is lost.

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - morzh - 04-09-2014

You are right, as long as you did not do anything super-permanent or nasty (like polyurethane) it is all correctable.
But kep in mind the saying: "No solution is more permanent than the temporary one" Icon_smile
You get accustomed to it and you live it in place, so if you truly intend to re-do it at some point, do it as soon as you can Icon_lol

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - Eliot Ness - 04-10-2014

Your graphics look very good. There was another thread where they devised a way to apply a stamp.... I vowed to keep track of that process but I lost track of what thread it was in Icon_e_confused

Edit: I found the tip on doing chassis stamps; it is post #20 of the following thread:

http://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=8715&page=2

Both methods can be useful depending on if the original was a crisp and clear marking or a slightly faded and blurred chassis stamp. Thanks for the tips guys!

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - gregb - 04-10-2014

Dont know that I am a fan of the cabinet colours but the job itself is fantastic!! You did an excellent job on all aspects that I can see. The level of detail is where I hope to be someday.
Keep up the great work.

Gregb

RE: Philco 645K Refinish - Winky Dink - 04-13-2014

Thanks for showing me the thread on chassis stamps. I've previously tried several unsuccessful ways to transfer inkjet print to metal chassis--even tried using fabric transfer paper. I didn't have any freezer paper, so I tried this with waxed paper. It makes a good facsimile of a rubber stamp.

[Image: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-klC5qMbJTRg/U0rqp9rwcFI/AAAAAAAAMok/LVb-0hH2dZs/s400/stamp%2520100.jpg]

I'm sure that with the right transfer paper, it could reproduce higher-quality print, such as the printed part numbers on top-of-chassis chassis components.

As for the dark-colored trim on the 645X cabinet: It looks better in real life than in the photos, but I feel that it still doesn't look right, and I'll redo it this fall.