It looks like the front panel should be able to be taken off and refinished separately? It seems like that might be easier than masking off everything. Any thoughts on disassembly vs. masking things off?
If disassembly isn't a crazy idea... how does this thing come apart? I've removed all of the screws that appear to hold the front panel on. I thought it might be glued so I tried heating it from the backside with a heat gun. That did seem to loosen it a bit but it's still stuck.
There are a few wood blocks in the bottom inside the cabinet right?
They have screws behind them.
At least they were in mikes 90 cabinet. Yes there is some glue so watch out for veneer peeling.
You can see in my pic that it peeled some of the inside wood but not the face.
You can also see the 2 holes that held screws behind the wood blocks.
Use a plastic credit card from the outside it if you have a razor scraper for carpentry that will be thinner and stronger...
Times I have been electrocuted in 2021
As of 1/01/2021
AC: 4 DC: 1
Last year: 6
(This post was last modified: 06-13-2017, 08:43 AM by OldRestorer.)
Nathan, sometimes the panels are stuck a little. Try using a hammer and a block of wood. Carefully tap around the edge. The panel should come out without too much effort.
...sometimes they are stuck A LOT. The front panel of the 19B I refinished a few years ago was glued on fairly well. I was able to remove it, but some of the face veneer stayed in the cabinet. Fortunately, none of the visible veneer was affected, just the hidden part where it was glued at the factory.
Yes, sometimes they can be very stubborn, but it will come out. As Ron said, sometimes the veneer will stick to the cabinet. The main thing is, make sure your block of wood is held all the way to the edge, tight against arch, when you tap with a hammer. This should keep the visible veneer from being lifted from the panel. As Kirk said, some cabinets have bumper blocks glued near the bottom of the panel. These sometimes cover a screw, make sure these are removed.
Careful tapping around the perimeter using a hammer and block of wood as Steve described did the trick.
FWIW, there weren't any screws behind wood blocks on this 19B.
Thank you all for your encouragement to use a bit more (careful) 'persuasion'. And thanks for the link to your 19B refinish Ron - that is really going to come in handy!
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