[Groundhog74]

Picked up a 14MX yesterday for 15 bucks. I really liked the Deco styling. This radio has some issues that go beyond my current knowledge and experience with repairing veneer and refinishing. The central portion of the cabinet, the part with the photo finish burl and black is in really good shape and I will probably just clean up. However the sides and top need more work.

Veneer damage left side facing radio.
[Image: http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t679...e3c480.jpg]

Front. Note missing trim at bottom edge.
[Image: http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t679...56d35d.jpg]

Right side, facing radio. Not too bad.
[Image: http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t679...8b5601.jpg]

Top. Again, not real bad.

[Image: http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t679...a22fec.jpg]

I want to make this one as authentic looking as possible so I guess my main questions would be:
What is the thin layer of wood underneath the veneer called? Cabinet grade plywood maybe? If I know the right terminology, it'll help when I'm shopping for it. In the photo of the left side, you can see where it is damaged and needs repaired/replaced.

The top and front center sections appear black. I suspect though it may have been a very dark brown originally. Is this correct?

I assume the veneer is walnut?

What color toning lacquers should I use on the sides, front panels and top?

This radio originally had a fiberboard "echo reducer" in the back. Basically a cover with several holes. Does anyone make repros?

Does any one reproduce the scalloped trim as is missing at the bottom edges?

Thanks guys. Any help/advice will be greatly appreciated

[Art Hoch]

Front looks like mahogany in your picture. Can you give us a closeup so we can see grain?

[Bob Andersen]

I just picked up a 118MX which has some of the same cabinet issues. My top and trim looks solid black and I found an original ad which states black trim too. I quote "A distinctive cabinet, with the patented Inclined Sounding Board, of rich brown mahogany with black trim and myrtle burl center panel".
[Image: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8278/89049...92c3_o.png]


I used Mohawk's Medium Brown Walnut toner on my 60MX with similar color scheme. Brown Mahogany toner was too red.

After studying the scalloped trim, I came up with a notion to bore holes into some hardwood stock spaced accordingly then slice it in half to produce two pieces of trim. That seems a lot easier that trying to use a router.

Here's a closeup of that trim and the fiberboard back material.
[Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7385/89049...f8c2_c.jpg]

[Radioroslyn]

I have a model 14X which is the same set with 9 tubes and the same cabinet. Mine is missing the trim around the bottom and a few pieces on the top. I to like the streamlined cabinet and hope to get this set all back together. I did drop Steve a note about the trim and he said he thought he could replicate it but I need to send him a piece of it to get sizing correct. But I haven't gotten a round to it.
Terry

[Arran]

That cabinet damage is pretty severe, that was probably why the set was bargain priced, the previous owner just didn't want to deal with it. My guess is that the laminations of veneer were already loose from moisture damage and something snagged that back corner and the veneer was ripped off and lost.
The good news is that I think it is repairable, but the first step will be to remove the top layer of mahogany (or whatever species it actually is), and patch and glue the layers underneath. One thing I will suggest is that you invest in a large collection of bar clamps and a larger hypodermic needle and syringe for glue injection. The wood underneath was likely a type of plywood composed of layers of a cheap hardwood veneer like birch, beech or maple, it is usually fairly inexpensive and easy to find from various sources including fleabay.
The only close substitute for this hardwood plywood is Baltic birch plywood, but unless the side is totally disintegrating and falling off I think repairing what's there, as opposed to trying to make a replacement, would be the best solution. Taking a cabinet apart that isn't already coming apart is not something you want to try unless you've had a lot of experience with cabinet repair. As for trying to reproduce cabinet parts I would say the same thing, it can be very infuriating trying to mate a new panel into an old cabinet sometimes.
Regards
Arran

[Arran]

As for reproducing the fluted molding, I don't think that using a drill to reproduce it will be too successful. If you look at the radius of each flute it makes up maybe 1/3 of a circle, so to reproduce that with a drill means that each hole would overlap, so at the very least you would need a thicker board. It also looks like each flute is parallel to the grain, and quite frankly it's a real pain trying to drill a perfectly straight old through the endgrain of a board. My guess is that by cutting the flutes parallel to the grain they could avoid the cutter, likely a shaper or some sort of molding head cutter, tearing the grain out, it also makes a cleaner cut as opposed to going across the grain.
What they likely did to make this molding is they ran an entire board through a machine, similar to a thickness planer, to cut the profile, maybe 8 or 10 inches wide, then they cut that board across the grain into 1-1/2 inch strips as needed for the set. If someone wanted to reproduce it likely a router and a jig would be the simplest and least dangerous method, or a molding head cutter in a tablesaw, which is a lot more dangerous.
Regards
Arran

[Groundhog74]

I' m sure I can get the trim made, that's no real worry. I found the same ad and saw where it said black trim. I have a bigger problem though. While looking it over, I noticed that the side panels have warped. If I put a straightedge across them and there is a concave bow to them of about 1/8" on one side and a little more on the other. I have the sides strapped and clamped as flat as I can get them for now and I'll leave them for several days in the hope the panels will flatten out somewhat. If not I may have to put some sort of bracing, possibly like oak or hickory, and screw them to the inside to pull them flat, or get new panels made by someone who is a professional cabinet maker. The bracing would detract from the originality of course.

[Arran]

A bow to them? You mean that they are warped from top to bottom and not back to front? Sometimes you can fix that by moistening the concave side and then clamping it with a jig to hold it straight, but the sides in this set are likely laminated so I'm not sure if it would work. If the warp is from top to bottom I think it's likely that the braces on the inside at the back are also bowed so that probably has not helped matters.
Regards
Arran

[Groundhog74]

Front to back bow. This morning after 24 hours of clamping the bow is noticeable better. I hope the wood will take a new "set" after a few days and not spring back after I take the clamps off. It's been very humid here, don't know if that will help or hurt.

Clamps
[Image: http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t679...717fe3.jpg]
[Image: http://i1319.photobucket.com/albums/t679...923cb6.jpg]
Bow, after 24 hours. Much better...for now.

[Art Hoch]

IF it's not better after your work, you might try spritzing the inside of the cabinet and reclamp.

[Arran]

That form of warp is called a cup, if it were curved from top to bottom it would be a bow. In any even the inside of the panels is the part that has absorbed moisture, the convex side, so to correct that you would have to dampen the outside or find some way of getting the moisture out of the panels on the inside.
Regards
Arran

[Groundhog74]

After leaving it clamped up for about 2 days, the cup is a little better, but not great. I have thought about wetting the outside, but the only way that would work (I think) is if I could wet the wood comprising the main body of the panel...the stuff under the veneer. I'd have to peel off all the old veneer to do that. I also thought about placing a temporary brace inside, centered on the warped areas that would push out on the center of the panel, while I clamped the front and rear to create a "reversed cup" and see if the wood would re-set. I'm worried about cracking the panel though. The cup is not really THAT noticeable unless you have a straightedge, or better eyes than me. But I'd still like to get the panels as straight as possible. The seams between the side panels and the front panel have opened up from the cupping, about the thickness of a piece of old veneer, creating a noticeable gap there too.
In everyone's opinion what is best?...keep the original panels even though they are not straight in order to preserve as much originality as possible? (same for the veneer, keep as much as possible or replace?), insert permanent bracing inside to pull the panels straighter even though that would detract from originality as well?, or possibly look into getting new panels made? If I keep the original panels, what is the best way to fill the seams that have gapped without making it look like he**. How much should I really spend on this radio before I get into the realm of wasting time, money and effort?
Thanks guys, just want to make sure I don't "Bubba" up a nice piece of history any more than is necessary. This is a learning process for me.

[Arran]

I think that if you strip off the finish from the mahogany (or whatever lookalike species it is) veneer, and just dampen that, then some of that should work it's way to the structure underneath. You don't need to soak it you just need to get the moisture balance right between the inside and the outside of the panels, since the outside was sealed more then the inside, the inside absorbed the moisture from whatever damp basement it came out of. I think you are doing things the right way, although you will likely need more blocks and clamps, but you just have to be patient about it.
Just out of curiosity are the joints of the cabinet loose? Like could they be removed by undoing a few screws or whatever? Give it a week or two of the treatment, at worst you would have to make some replacement panels for it if it doesn't fix itself. Are the side panels made out of a plywood or are they made out of boards laminated with veneer on both faces?
If you are wondering whether it is worth the effort I think it probably is, if the production statistics are right the MX cabinets are not that common. Is it worth paying a pro to fix the cabinet I don't know because I usually do that sort of thing myself. Maybe you could farm out reproducing the side panels to someone else if you have to, but they would likely need the old ones to go by.
Regards
Arran

[Groundhog74]

Arran, thanks for the advice. While working on other projects I go back to the 14 MX and stare at it, ponder it, try to understand as much as I can about the structure of the cabinet and the wood. The side panel cores are made of some light colored board, perhaps beech?. I'm not a wood expert. The inside veneer, painted dark brown, has came unglued about about halfway back from the rear edge...probably due to the cupping...on both sides so I can see the surface of the core wood about halfway back. It is a light color, can't tell what. I really want to keep as much original wood as possible so I think (for now) here's the approach I'll take when I'm ready.
I will strip/sand the mahogany veneer on the outside and moisten the wood. (I moisten the board on the CONCAVE side correct?) Re glue all the joints. Then I'll clamp it again, maybe putting some sort of braces on the inside just slightly longer than a perfect fit, side to side, in order to very slightly "over bow" the boards in order to compensate for whatever "spring back" I may get. Then let it set for several days. Even thought of putting some sort of low level heat source inside to warm things up a bit. Maybe a 100 watt lamp or something. Cover it with a blanket to keep the heat in possibly. As for the gaps in the seams where the sides join to the front, One side is gapped enough so that a piece of the old veneer will slip snugly into it. The other side is slightly tighter. If they don't close up with the above procedure I thought of 2 options so far. First if they get real close to being closed up, complete the re-finish and fill them with a colored wax stick. If I feel the gap is still too wide to look right, prior to applying finish, maybe I can slip glue covered pieces of old veneer into the seam, and carefully sand it to a proper pointed seam. (If all that makes sense?) I want to be able to do this stuff myself, but alas, my current cabinetry skills and tool inventory are about the kindergarden level right now. I can do a fair strip/refinish job and I have been getting better with patching chipped veneer, but this is new territory for me. Would wetting the outside veneer cause issues with the original hide glue underneath?
Again thanks to everyone.

[Arran]

Wetting the outside could cause problems with the glue holding the veneer on the outside but you are not trying to soak it just wipe it with a wet cloth and let it dry on it's own. The idea isn't to swell anything up so much as to equalize the ratio of moisture between the inside and the outside of the board. I would ignore the cabinet joints for now, get the sides flat first.
Regards
Arran