[Ron Ramirez]

Thursday, October 21.

First, I sealed the main body of the cabinet with shellac to seal in the oil stain that was used.

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...44_013.jpg]

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...44_015.jpg]

Next, I turned to the front panel. Having stained the piece of veneer that did not match the rest of the panel yesterday, I sprayed toner again - and the color came out evenly! I think the panel has a bit too much toner now, but the color is nice and even. It appears that the Mohawk Medium Dark Walnut has a lot more pigment than the Medium Walnut has. Lesson learned for next time - apply the Medium Dark Walnut very sparingly.

After the toner dried on the front panel, I lightly sanded it and then gave it three coats of clear Deft.

Here's how the front panel looks now:

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...44_022.jpg]

I will have to redrill the holes for the lower speaker screws in the grillebars once the refinishing is complete.

The next move was to give the cabinet a very light sanding to prepare it for Medium Walnut toner. This was followed by the actual application of Medium Walnut toner. I had forgotten my spray technique as it has been at least two years since I sprayed any lacquer on a cabinet, and I caused a couple of runs on the first coat. So I let the cabinet dry, and sanded the runs out. I then gave the whole thing another coat of toner. Unlike the Medium Dark Walnut, the Medium Walnut does not have a lot of pigment, so you can apply more coats without losing the woodgrain.

I ended up putting two coats of Medium Walnut toner on the front, and four on the top/sides as this part was still lighter than the front due to the new veneer. The sides look really nice now, and the front looks pretty good also.

The cabinet body after application of toner:

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...44_020.jpg]

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...44_021.jpg]

These photos make the cabinet look much redder than it really is.

My plan is to lightly sand the front panel tomorrow, then spray one coat of clear. I will then apply the PHILCO decal, and follow that with two more coats of clear. The front panel will then be finished. I will also put the bottom molding back on the sides of the cabinet body tomorrow, or Saturday before I begin spraying it again.

On Saturday, I will mask off the cabinet body and apply Extra Dark Walnut to the cabinet trim. Once that dries, I will remove the masking and begin spraying clear.

By Saturday evening, I hope to have the cabinet all finished.

I've enjoyed this so far. It's been a learning (and re-learning) experience.