[Terry Judkins]

I am restoring a Philco 16B code 125. The photos that I find on the internet all seem to show the body of the radio cabinet being black. My radio definitely did not apppear black. Very dark but not black. I did not strip it but feathered the damaged areas and blended the new finish over the old. I used a dark mahogany toner on the body and clear lacquer on the front accents. The dark mahogany is a tiny bit lighter than the original finish but I thought it might have darkened over the years. Was I wrong and the original finish was black?

Also anyone have any suggestions as to putting the gold accent stripes back in the grooves on the front? I tried using gold paint and a artist brush and had poor results. Too shakey....

Also was there ever any decals on the controls? The only decal on mine was the Philco logo above the dial.

[49Stude63]

Terry I have the 16B and when I asked Ron and he suggested dark walnut or Van Dyke brown. He added that in some lighting conditions the Van Dyke brown had a green cast to it. On the gold accents, can you get automotive masking tape and a small razor knife and then cover the the insets with tape (maybe one layer) and then use the razor knife to cut out the inset area and use gold spray lacquer. I would think as long as you mask the front off after you have the insets cut that would prevent any overspray issues. He definitely stated "don't use black".

[Terry Judkins]

Thanks stud.
Here is the finished radio. Dark walnut might have been better but it looks OK to me...

[Image: http://home.comcast.net/~suptjud/Philco165.jpg]

[Bill Hutchinson]

Terry,

VERY NICE! With the lighter color, it brings out the grain and yields a terrific look. I'd go with it just like this! Two thumbs up! 8)

Bill