[Crist Rigotti]

Wow...look at the speed of you. Leaves rest of us in the dust.

The guy's an animal!

[Fred Taylor]

I have been working full time on my radios and some customer radios as well, I have all the tools and know how. I don't sit still for very long, I stay busy most every day doing something and that includes looking for full time job because im unemployed other than some radios to work on which doesn't pay a whole lot. I need to get back at a full time job at least for 5 more years till I can draw on the big SS. I figure that the radios I restore for myself will be sold at some point and will recoup my labor.

[morzh]

This Wakton will. considering you got it almost free and it sells for big bicks. For the rest of'em, I don't know, the margin might be slim to none. Though considering inflation, years from now...possible.

[Paul Philco322]

Good luck with the find, I find RCA AA5'S!

Looks like you are on the way...

Paul

[Fred Taylor]

Started on cabinet today, the plywood base needed replacement (done) stripped to bone (done) now I can sand and repair any defects on the wood. The cabinet is very solid (tight) and there are very little veneer problems. The chassis has new battery cables leads and authentic clamps that Jim Sargent gave me as a gift for being a vet. Sargent himself is a vet as he once flown C-130 Hercules aircraft for the U.S AIR FORCE .I found brown power cord that's period correct for the Walton. Still a ways off from completion , if any of you guys have a picture of what the correct color of cabinet, I know there are 100,S of choices that are close, I guess no one cabinet is the same, but I would like to here from others for there input. You can please some of the people some of the time but not all the people all the time   I will get it right, I don't what to do it twice, escution is not finished yet, nobs on the way, glass gasket and cloth got today, its getting there.

[Fred Taylor]

A few updates on cabinet ,completely repaired and sanded, grain filled, then resanded to remove all grain filler, stain and toned to desired color and then sanding sealer applied. Tomorrow I will sand down sealer a bit then top coat with semi gloss lacquer, then the inside cabinet will get fresh coat of zenith blue. chassis is still being worked on

[Crist Rigotti]

Looks good Fred!

[KCMike]

A few updates on cabinet ,completely repaired and sanded, grain filled, then resanded to remove all grain filler, stain and toned to desired color and then sanding sealer applied. Tomorrow I will sand down sealer a bit then top coat with semi gloss lacquer, then the inside cabinet will get fresh coat of zenith blue. chassis is still being worked on

Fred thats coming along nicely. Just a question.
You said you resanded to to remove all grain filler.
Are you meaning just the leftover excess or did you want it all out? If so could you explain why. Still trying to learn the right way to do this grain filling. Thanks

[Fred Taylor]

Done with cabinet, by looking at other Waltons on internet  there are no 2 alike but I do get the general idea on what it should look like from factory, after experimenting with my toners I have come up with this very close to factory looking Walton cabinet, not to light or dark and  the shading I came up with blending the colors and 4 coats of 75% gloss level makes this a wonderful example of a high end refinish job, inside the cabinet was painted in a factory matt blue finish with 4 new gum washer chassis mounts like factory. Bottom is coated with matt black and new stainless hardware for chassis and over sized felt pads for protection of other furniture that it may be sitting on. The radio still needs work and has been test fitted to cabinet and to see how it looks in cabinet and for these pictures.   I need to find coupler to extend shaft on new volume control. The grill cloth is from radio daze and pleased with it. I do have wood nobs for this Walton except for the large tuning nob, when I find one I will install those nobs later I will post when finished. The dial is a decal that I applied but I think its to yellow, that's from tinting the bright white color in came in, I wanted it to match the yellowing from age. I may redo it?  (note ) To question before this post , when you apply grain filler on the wood it leaves a film which I remove by sanding with 240 or higher grit sandpaper, all that's left remains in the grain or pores of the wood. Then you stain and or tone , once your color is the way you want it then spray your sanding sealer. That's using Mohawk products only.

[Fred Taylor]

Pictures of walton

[Paul Philco322]

Good night John Boy, nite Mary Ellen......................

Beutiful Fred.

Paul

[morzh]

Fred, you should stop right there, don't redo anything.
This is good.

[Eliot Ness]

Very nice Fred     

How do you sand the small areas between the bars on the top of the cabinet?  I have a cabinet I started on a few years ago but still need to add a few more coats of lacquer and address those areas between the bars.

I see what you mean about the dial, but what about toning what is now whiter to match?  I don't imaging applying those decals was too much fun, but you sure did a very nice job in a pretty short period of time..... even the chassis looks great!

[Crist Rigotti]

Fred,
That cabinet is very beautiful! I really like the toner and the sheen of the topcoat. 75% gloss looks to be my favorite! The inside looks perfect too. Amazing job you've done.

[Fred Taylor]

Very nice Fred     

How do you sand the small areas between the bars on the top of the cabinet?  I have a cabinet I started on a few years ago but still need to add a few more coats of lacquer and address those areas between the bars.

I see what you mean about the dial, but what about toning what is now whiter to match?  I don't imaging applying those decals was too much fun, but you sure did a very nice job in a pretty short period of time..... even the chassis looks great!

The new  decals are pure white but the other band dials have yellowed abit from age so I shot a couple of light coats of light golden oak over the new decal to try and match other untouched dials, but I went to far. I may order new decal set for standard band and redo it and back off a little on toner so its not so goldesh, it can be done. If you lighly sand with 320 grit or higher, you can go against the grain without scratching the grain. I also use a razor blade going with grain to scrape smooth next to molding, you can scrape the corners on cabinet also without sanding. Those decals are a bi ch to put on !