[Ron Ramirez]

Just thought I'd share the results of something that began as a test on my "shelf queen" 32B tombstone this summer.

It had a decent - not perfect, but decent - front panel; but the Van Dyke Brown top, sides and left & right "columns" were badly worn.

Not wanting to lose the original decal on the 32B front panel, I experimented with "renewing" the dark toner by masking off the front panel and spraying only the dark areas with Mohawk Van Dyke Brown toning lacquer.

The results looked quite promising, so I tried it again on the last warm day of this season here, on a 16B tombstone.

This one's dark toner was BADLY worn, to the point that the wood showed through over most of the surface. The walnut panels in front were still in decent shape, though.

I masked off the walnut panels and carefully masked off the stripes in front. Then sprayed away with Van Dyke Brown.

The results amazed me; it turned out MUCH better than I expected it to; especially considering I sprayed this cabinet on a day when we had several severe storms in this area, including an F4 tornado 50 miles south of here, in Madisonville, Kentucky.

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

Because of the bad weather and high humidity, I had to follow each coat of Van Dyke Brown with a coat of No Blush Plus to get rid of the "blushing." That's the main reason why I'm surprised it turned out so well.

Really, all I need to do to this one is spray clear lacquer on those walnut panels, as they were scratched up, but the color was O.K. I have sanded them lightly in preparation for the clear lacquer, which will have to wait until it warms up. At the rate we're going, that may not be until next spring as highs here have been in the 30s with lows in the teens; and we're expecting our first snow of the season tomorrow.

Doug Houston tells me he did the same thing to a Model 650B. The front panel was basically good, but the top, sides and front "columns" were badly worn. He masked off the front panel and toned the rest of the cabinet; then sprayed clear on the front panel and polished it out.

Here is how Doug's cabinet looks now.

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...co650B.jpg]

Note that the "red" look is a result of the camera Doug was using; the set is not actually red.

Now, another Philco from Doug's collection. He had to completely strip and redo this one, as it had been painted white. The end result looks fantastic.

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...co118B.jpg]

So what about my 32B? Well, I test sprayed it in a hurry, and got some "orange peel" on the bottom front trim. I was too busy with other (customer's) radios at the time, and didn't have time to correct it before cold weather set in, so I'll take care of it next spring. Then, I will share a photo of it when done.