[PhilcoMike]

I have a Model 118H specifically in mind but this is a general cabinet question.

With a deteriorated finish from age that is checked, peeling, darkened, etc. how can a person tell what was the original Philco wood finish. Walnut? Oak????

Also I have a problem with a 118H legs, looks to be laminated wood that was stained. Could the base wood have been poplar? If not what other wood?

Thanks,

Mike

Note from site admin: Sorry, but the photo which was attached to this post is no longer available.

[Arran]

The cabinet usually used one or more species of walnut veneer in one or more different cuts. The solid parts like the legs and moldings were often made out of a more expensive wood like tulip poplar, maple, beech, alder, sometimes ash, that were covered with tinted laquers, sometimes with varying shades just for effect. Sometimes they would use paint like around a speaker grill cutout or a cabinet base on a table set. If the finish is badly faded and deteriorated to the piint where you can't figure out the original colour palet the best thing to do is to study pictures of the same set or a set in a similar cabinet in a better condition.
If the legs on your set are in bad shape with chunks missing reproductions can be made, or a better cabinet could be found, I'm not sure whether Steve Davis does wood turning or no but he can reproduce a lot of Philco cabinet parts if needed. There is a swap meet in Pensylvania called Kuntztown where they burn empty cabinets, a leg doner or an empty cabinet may come up there or at a more local swap meet. The 118 was a popular set in a highboy cabinet and there were other models that shared that same cabinet so it would not be impossible to find one, then again it may make more sense to find a better example and use your current set for parts it it's really rought.
Regards
Arran

[PhilcoMike]

Arran,

Thanks for the reply, that helps a lot. Cabinet photo attached. Sentimental reasons I want to update this cabinet if possible.

I have an email into another member that may have a cabinet for parts.

Thanks,

Mike

[Arran]

The colour of that cabinet is pretty close to what it should be even if it is a bit banged up, the one in the photo gallery has been refinished improperly as it's all monochrome. That 118L in the other thread should be good as a guide. Do you have some of the missing pieces from the legs or are they gone altogether?
Regards
Arran

[PhilcoMike]

The colour of that cabinet is pretty close to what it should be even if it is a bit banged up, the one in the photo gallery has been refinished improperly as it's all monochrome. That 118L in the other thread should be good as a guide. Do you have some of the missing pieces from the legs or are they gone altogether?
Regards
Arran

Thanks Arran for the input. I am checking for the missing pieces to see where I may have stored them several years ago, wish me luck. I have a plan B for a donor cabinet in the works as well.
Can I as what you mean by monochromatic? Did the 118H have areas that were walnut venier and other areas toned darker? Please advise.

Mike

[Arran]

The colour of that cabinet is pretty close to what it should be even if it is a bit banged up, the one in the photo gallery has been refinished improperly as it's all monochrome. That 118L in the other thread should be good as a guide. Do you have some of the missing pieces from the legs or are they gone altogether?
Regards
Arran

Thanks Arran for the input. I am checking for the missing pieces to see where I may have stored them several years ago, wish me luck. I have a plan B for a donor cabinet in the works as well.
Can I as what you mean by monochromatic? Did the 118H have areas that were walnut venier and other areas toned darker? Please advise.

Mike

What I mean is that the 118H in tha gallery was finished in a sort of one tone red colour when the cabinet had shaded portions to cover up the cheap wood parts and to make it look sort of antiqued. Like the legs for example, they would be dark in the concave areas but lighter on the convex areas to mimick the sort of worn look that you would get on an antique chair, table, or cabinet with spindles, it's sort of hard to describe. The veneered areas would have a closer to natural finish to them, although sometimes tinted slightly just to even out the colour, because they wanted to show off the grain.
Regards
Arran

[codefox1]

Even back then they would not take a piece of ebony that would otherwise make an Oboe and use it for a cabinet leg.

[PhilcoMike]

Arran,

Thanks again. I think I am getting a better idea of the original finishes/wood. I found the attached photo from a 118H being auctioned some time back that certainly looks original in its finish.

This is not my radio which is seen at the start of this thread.

From the photo of the auction radio it looks like the top, dial board and front lower center were walnut venier and the rest cheaper wood toned to look similar. Is that what you are seeing in the photo?

Thanks,
Mike

Note from site admin: Sorry, but the photo which was attached to this post is no longer available.

[Ron Ramirez]

The colour of that cabinet is pretty close to what it should be even if it is a bit banged up, the one in the photo gallery has been refinished improperly as it's all monochrome. That 118L in the other thread should be good as a guide.

I rely on the good folks who allow their photos to be used in the Gallery. Yes, some of the photos are less than ideal, but would you rather have no photos at all?

I know there are better looking examples than some of the sets shown in the Gallery. But I can't use them until someone submits photos of sets from their collections, and gives me permission to use them.

Remember, folks, everything on Philcoradio.com is completely free of charge.

Collectors are free to share their photos with whichever website they wish, of course. But yes, I do wish that more people would help me out with the Gallery project. I'm not profiting from this...

[Arran]

The colour of that cabinet is pretty close to what it should be even if it is a bit banged up, the one in the photo gallery has been refinished improperly as it's all monochrome. That 118L in the other thread should be good as a guide.

I rely on the good folks who allow their photos to be used in the Gallery. Yes, some of the photos are less than ideal, but would you rather have no photos at all?

I know there are better looking examples than some of the sets shown in the Gallery. But I can't use them until someone submits photos of sets from their collections, and gives me permission to use them.

Remember, folks, everything on Philcoradio.com is completely free of charge.

Collectors are free to share their photos with whichever website they wish, of course. But yes, I do wish that more people would help me out with the Gallery project. I'm not profiting from this...

I know Ron, I wasn't pointing out the shortcomings of the gallery just that the example of a 118H in the gallery was not an example of a original factory finish.
Regards
Arran

[Arran]

Arran,

Thanks again. I think I am getting a better idea of the original finishes/wood. I found the attached photo from a 118H being auctioned some time back that certainly looks original in its finish.

This is not my radio which is seen at the start of this thread.

From the photo of the auction radio it looks like the top, dial board and front lower center were walnut venier and the rest cheaper wood toned to look similar. Is that what you are seeing in the photo?

I think that would be fairly representative of how the original finish of a 118H used to look. You may also notice that there are some areas that are toned in extra dark walnut as highlights, like the area around the center tuning knob.
Regards
Arran

[PhilcoMike]

Ron,

Great site and appreciate all you do! If I can find the original source of the other 118H photo I added I will contact them for permission. Best I can remember it was some radios at an auction someone was looking at to buy.

Arran,

I am learning a bunch about cabinets, I see the added dark toning around the tuning knob.

Thanks,

Mike

[Ron Ramirez]

GlennPR has a 118H that he bought from me. The cabinet was nicely restored with the proper toning before I acquired it, but the chassis needed a complete overhaul. Glenn is working on it now, and he said he would provide a photo when it is finished. It will look much better than the photo currently in the Gallery.

My original plan was to restore the chassis myself, add cloth and photograph it, but then I found a 91D that I liked better. With very limited space at our house, when the 91D came in, another console had to go and that happened to be the 118H.