[dakotado]

So here I have my Grandfather's radio. Overall it's in pretty good shape. As I am a woodworker, refinishing the cabinet seems to be the first logical step for me. I have a few questions for the experts....
1. What wood is the cabinet veneer? I think it's male, with walnut burl for the photofinish Is this correct?
2. What color toner is best to get back to the original look?
3. Does anyone sell replacement pushbuttons for the tuner?

I am going to strip the cabinet this weekend and dive in.....

Thanks in advance

[don'tdomelikethat]

Before you strip the cabinet PLEASE realize that the original photofinish where the ''PHILCO" decal is, and on the sides of the speaker area in front will be gone forever!!!

[Ron Ramirez]

Hello and welcome.

The cabinet would have walnut veneer overall, with photofinish just below the control panel (on the panel with the PHILCO decal), and on either side of the speaker grille. As don'tdomelikethat has said, you will lose this photofinish if you strip the cabinet.

Some cabinet refinishers use a cabinet scraper to scrape off the old finish. This can be done without harming the veneer, if you do so carefully. Since you say you are a woodworker, I am sure you are probably already familiar with this technique.

The cabinet should be Medium Walnut overall, with Medium Dark Walnut toner on the bottom trim.

Reproduction pushbuttons are readily available from Radio Daze and Antique Radio Knobs (Larry Bordonaro):

http://www.radiodaze.com/
http://www.antiqueradioknobs.com/

[dakotado]

I thought about using a card scraper on the flats, but rally wanted to get into the grooves and be able get the cabinet to a consistent finish in all the countours - I may start there as it will probably be less damaging overall.

As to the photofinish - unfortunately it's long gone...Looks like water damage from a plant kept on top[attachment=2]