OK So I know as far as refinishing my radio cabinet goes Polyurathane is out of the question and so is Varnish (basically the same thing as Polyurathane).
So now I'm wondering what is the difference between Shellac and Lacquer? And could I use either one? I know Shellac was very commonly used as a top coat on radio cabinets during the 1930s and 1940s by some radio manufacturers like Zenith and RCA, but could it also be used on a Philco as well or would it bge more correct to use Lacquer on a Philco Cabinet, or does it matter?
would any of these stains work for staining the parts of the radio cabinet that was tinted darker than the rest of the cabinet?
They are oil based stains and they are both ebony colored stains, which is a very close match color wise to the orginal finish on the cabinet on the darker parts of the cabinet.
(This post was last modified: 12-17-2019, 08:54 PM by captainclock1988.)
Actually I'm doing the electrical restore first then the cabinet, I was just trying to get some opinions on what would be good to use on the cabinet to refinish it when I get to that stage of the project (which won't be happening until spring as I don't have access to a heated, ventilated garage.)
I did split the thread so the cabinet question and discussion are in the cabinet section. Lacquer was used on the Philcos of this era and a lacquer toner was often the choice for color. Here's a thread discussing some of the color issues. https://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthrea...light=116B
Also where would I find lacquer toner? I don't see anything like that at Ace Hardware, and I would prefer not having to special order anything online if I don't have to because shipping costs are killer when it comes to stuff like that.
Toner Which is pigment based and a bit more opaque than Ulraclassic which is dye based are available but usually you need to have it shipped to you unless you have a local source like a woodworking shop. https://woodrepairproducts.com/product-c...k-aerosol/
Stains could be used but I do not know which are compatible with the clear lacquer finish that goes over them, have never used them. I use Deft Gloss Spray lacquer that is available at most hardware stores As the clear coat. Maybe some other folks have some experience with stains. I would assume Minwax spray lacquer, which I have seen at Home Depot, would be compatible with Minwax stains.
Would the Lacquer Toner Spray in the link above work for replacing the missing lacqer toner on my cabinet?
When I was looking at my cabinet carefully I realized that my cabinet would be fairly easy to refinish as the areas that don't need the lacquer sprayed onto it (the front of the cabinet) can be easily masked off with some news paper and painters tape and then spray on the lacquer Toner and then use some gloss clear-coat lacquer ontop to give it a factory look, and then refinish the front of the cabinet separately with regular stain and lacquer clear-coat on top (which I would put the new Philco water slide decal on before putting the clear-coat on, and the clear-coat would then protect the new Philco water slide decal).
Does this sound like a good plan of attack for my cabinet?
You want Extra Dark Walnut Ultra Classic for the dark portions of the cabinet; Medium Walnut Tone Finish for the front panel. Yes, the front panel needs toner also; don't leave it bare. It won't look right if you do.
Woodshop Products carries the complete Mohawk line, a bit cheaper than Radio Daze also.
Don't go by the color samples in those links - they are way off from how the toners will look on your radio.
Now, the trick to the Extra Dark Walnut Ultra Classic is to not apply too many coats. You want to darken the wood but not obliterate the wood grain, and also not get it too dark.
Van Dyke Brown has a greenish cast in certain light, and for that reason I prefer not to use it. Extra Dark Walnut does not.
Edit: The Fan Spray nozzles are a very worthwhile investment when you buy spray toners. With these, you will achieve a much better spray pattern than with the standard conical pattern of the nozzles supplied with the toners. https://www.woodshopproducts.com/product-p/m115-sh.htm
One way you can get exactly the depth of darkness that you want is to buy a small can of medium dark solvent based "wiping stain" and tint your spray lacquer with it for doing just the trim. By creating an "almost dark enough" lacquer and applying two or three layers you can get precisely the desired darkness, depth and opaqueness. This also eliminates the need for separate aerosol cans of different tints.
Remember that if your final coats (those being the lacquer) are also tinted, you may want your initial trim colour depth to be sightly light, knowing that the final lacquer coat will darken it slightly.
Quote:I know Shellac was very commonly used as a top coat on radio cabinets during the 1930s and 1940s by some radio manufacturers like Zenith and RCA,
To the best of my knowledge, and I am very happy to be corrected, the only cabinet finish used on mass production radio cabinets for the general population was lacquer, and shellac wasn't used at all after the mid-late 1920's.
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