[FStephenMasek]

This radio model has quite a nice cabinet design by a famous designer. 
I found this one just a few miles from our house.   Unfortunately, the top veneer had been destroyed by a house plant, and somebody had hacked-in a cheap PM speaker.  It was sold as non-working.  Somebody had also-hacked-in new capacitors without disconnecting the old ones in the bakelite blocks.
 [Image: http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/...0found.jpg]
I removed the old veneer by wetting a terry cloth towel, placing it on the top, then using an old iron and a sharp scraper.  It came right off.
This is my first top re-veneering job, and I'm delighted with the outcome.
I stopped at Austin Hardwoods the other day and noticed some nice 1/16" thick walnut veneer.  The original top had been one wide piece of veneer, but such wide veneer is not easy to find.  Rima and I think this book-matched veneer looks just right on this radio, as it complements the book-matched front side panels.  The edges of the veneer pieces were not straight, so I carefully marked overlapped the pieces, marked with a pencil, the shaved the edge of one piece with a small hand-held plane and sandpaper in a rubber block.  
 
I applied the veneer using the brown Better Bond Cold Press Veneer Adhesive, a thick glue filled with pecan shell powder, and applied by pouring and spreading with a glue roller.
Here it is with some Pecan and Provencial oil=based stain, then clear lacquer sanding sealer:
[Image: http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/...veneer.jpg]
[Image: http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj77/...veneer.jpg]
Even with the sanding sealer, the grain filler will somewhat darken the finish, and I'll adjust with more stain if needed. 
I also clamped over-sized patches of veneer on four small dings, then sanded the down to leave flush patches in those locations.