[Geoff]

I finally finished the final wipe down of the cabinet with lacquer thinner and then proceeded with trying to steam out some of the dents. I watched several videos on YouTube that show the process. Some use an iron and others use a soldering iron. I used a soldering iron. Basically, I placed a few drops of water on the dent I was attempting to remove. I then used an old t-shirt and soaked an edge in water. Then I placed the wet edge of the t-shirt on top of the dent and then placed the hot tip of the soldering iron on top of the wet edge. I had mixed results. This set of before and after photos show one dent that steamed out perfectly:

[Image: http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/main.ph...alNumber=2]

[Image: http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/main.ph...alNumber=2]

However, this before and after set show where I was not able to fully get the dent out, no matter how many times I steamed it:

[Image: http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/main.ph...alNumber=2]

[Image: http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/main.ph...alNumber=2]

I then went over the rest of the cabinet and steamed out whatever dents I could. There were a LOT of small little dents that would really show up on the final finish that needed to be taken care of. Again, I had mixed results with steaming them out. Luckily, all the small dents that were on the front face steamed out nicely. The front face will eventually be finished with a dye based lacquer so any type of wood filler on it would not do as it would easily show up. I’m less worried about the top and sides since I will be using a pigment based lacquer that will be opaque and hide things.

Once done I then moved on to applying wood filler in the nail holes and areas where there were bigger dents that could not be steamed out. I also had to refill the edge where the veneer on top meets up with the front edge of the cabinet. The stripping process removed what was originally there. Here are some photos of the cabinet with wood filler applied:

[Image: http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/main.ph...alNumber=2]

[Image: http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/main.ph...alNumber=2]

I used DAP Plastic Wood (Walnut color). I’ve use this stuff before on other projects and have been pretty happy with it. Down side is it dries quickly so you have to move fast. I used a putty knife on the flat sections and had to use my fingers on curved areas and areas where the putty knife was not feasible. I applied it last night and checked it this morning and it set up nicely. Next step is to sand it down. I plan on using 220 grit paper since that is what I have on hand. It is labeled as “for light sanding”. I have 80 and 100 grit paper but I think that would be to aggressive and I don’t want to sand through the veneer. If anyone has any other suggestions on which grit to use, I'm open.

I’ll be doing the sanding over the next few nights. I want to take my time get it right.

- Geoff