[Geoff]

I taped off the top, sides, and columns last night. I ended up using the green tape around the edges and blue tape on the newspaper. Here is a photo after taping everything off:

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

I then laid the cabinet on its back, applied two coats of Mohawk Medium Brown (M100-0207) about 20 minutes apart, and let it dry overnight. I sprayed the first coat in a top to bottom direction, at a slight angle, overlapping each pass. I then rotated the cabinet 180 degrees and applied in a bottom to top direction, overlapping each pass. This morning I removed the tape. I did not see any tape residue so maybe I got lucky. Here is a photo taken in the same location as the one above:

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

Here it is on the kitchen counter with no flash:

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

Here it is on the kitchen counter with the flash on:

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

Here it is back in the garage with the flash on:

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

And without the flash:

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

It turned out to be a bit darker than I had expected. Under high light conditions it looks pretty good but in lower light conditions it looks pretty dark. Oh well, it is what it is. I’m happy enough with it that I don’t think it warrants a strip of the front and trying a lighter color brown.

The only problem I see with the finish is a small “goober” that got stuck in the finish on the lower front. Here is a close-up:

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

What should I do to try and get rid of this?

Next step will be to mask the front and spray the top, sides, columns, and rear arch support with Mohawk Extra Dark Walnut (M101-0209).

Should I spray a coat of clear over the front and let it dry prior to masking it off? I’ve seen this done before in other restoration examples but I’m not sure if it is really needed.

- Geoff