[Jamie]

There you go - Everyone has different techniques. I never spray clear before I spray toner, and I never sand the toner. The finish is always as smooth as glass. Steve's technique is correct too. It's the best thing about radios - it's your radio to do as you please.

[Arran]

I usually use some sort of penetrating dye on the junk wood portions, just to darken them up, I only do this to conserve tone spray but it isn't necessary. Oil based stain is useless on anything with a closed grain, you may have noticed that the samples shown in the stores are always on an open grained wood like oak or ash, and even on those it does not work consistently. It's also impossible to hide any areas that have blemishes or have been sanded through, like what your are dealing with.
Regards
Arran

[Geoff]

Thanks for the tips Arran. BTW, those lighter areas aren't totally sanded through the veneer. When I was removing filler I lightly used 120 grit to knock down the filler and followed it up with 220 grit. This just ended up removing some of the last remaining traces of color that the lacquer thinner didn't take out, leaving a lighter spot. The lighting in some of the pictures makes it look worse than it really is. There's still plenty of veneer there.

- Geoff

[Ron Ramirez]

This is the one I use... I use the smaller decals on the sheet..

http://www.radiodaze.com/product/6048.aspx

No, no, no! That is not the authentic replacement for a 1936 Philco. This is:

http://www.radiodaze.com/product/6049.aspx

DCL-PH8. Correct for 1932-1936 and early production 1937 Philco sets.

[Jamie]

Well, I apologize for linking the wrong decal. I measured the one that was on mine before I ordered and it was 3/8". Perhaps it had the wrong one when I got it, or maybe it's a different model. Thanks for the correction.

[Ron Ramirez]

Going only by measurement is a big mistake. You want to match the font of the old to the new, which is more important. Of course, you want the length to be the same, or as close as possible.

As many of you know, for a long time Radio Daze was selling decals that looked wrong, wrong, wrong. While many people gleefully bought and used them, I was the "voice crying in the wilderness" for a few years, saying repeatedly that the fonts were wrong. I'm glad they finally listened and corrected most of them. DCL-PH9 still uses the wrong font, but the other PHILCO decals are now correct.

I still cringe every time I see one of those non-authentic PHILCO decals on a radio. Call me what you will, I really don't care. I feel as caretakers of these things, that we owe it to future generations to get the details right, or as much as possible.

[Geoff]

Thanks for the information Ron. I'll get the DCL-PH8 decal set.

I tried salvaging the label on the inside that lists the model number on it. You can see it in one of the pictures above. My plan was to try and gently lift the sections that were not adhering and get some glue underneath it. Unfortunately, the label was so brittle that those pieces just broke off. So instead I just removed the flaking pieces and left the rest. What remains still lists the model number at least. I then proceeded to stain the inside of the cabinet with MinWax Ebony stain. I did this to try and make what was there look better and the MinWax label states that it seals the wood. It may not penetrate the existing finish that is there but I just wanted to freshen it up a bit. I’ll take some photos tonight and post them.

I have a day off on Friday and will probably fill the grain on the sides and top without a coat of sanding sealer first and see how it looks. The main reason I was thinking of using sanding sealer before applying the grain filler was mainly with the front face. I've read differing opinions about grain filler staining the wood. Some say if you seal it with sanding sealer first it will not stain the wood (or at least not as much as without it). I wanted to try and keep the front face as light as I could. I'll see how the top and sides go without sanding sealer. If it does not stain the wood too much then I won't use sanding sealer on the front.

I know on some radios I've owned it looks like the dark toning on trim pieces was done after the entire cabinet was sprayed brown. I think this because I've seen areas where the dark toning is flaking off and it is brown underneath just like the non-toned areas. I don't think that's the case with the 640. After looking at the way the glue residue is on the inside it looks like they made the cabinet, without the front piece, and then toned the entire piece dark (inside and out). I noticed the inside and bottom appears to be the same color as the top and sides, just not polished out. The front piece looks like it was done separately and then glued in after. I think this because the glue residue on the inside that holds the front piece in place sits on top of the finish inside.

[Ron Ramirez]

I am no expert on cabinet refinishing - in fact I still consider myself a rank amateur at this stuff - but here is why I spray sealer on a cabinet before applying grain filler: because oil-based products like Constantines wood filler (which is what Constantines calls their grain filler) will stain the wood unless you apply sealer first. I know this from personal experience. And as I prefer not to have a too-dark, muddy finish, I put on the sealer before filling the grain.

Of course, the top and sides will be getting toned very dark (I assume Extra Dark Walnut Ultra Classic?), so if the wood gets stained in these areas from the grain filler, it really does not matter. But you don't want your front panel too dark, this is true.

Hmmm...your assumption about the front panel possibly having been glued in after both it and the rest of the cabinet were toned makes sense; it would seem that it would be quicker that way in production, rather than taking the time to mask off the cabinet to achieve two different colors.

[Geoff]

Of course, the top and sides will be getting toned very dark (I assume Extra Dark Walnut Ultra Classic?), so if the wood gets stained in these areas from the grain filler, it really does not matter. But you don't want your front panel too dark, this is true.

Yes, I'll be using Mohawk Extra Dark Walnut #M101-0209. I'll skip the sanding sealer on the sides and top just for my own edification. If it stains then the extra dark walnut will cover it. I'll be using Mohawk Medium Walnut #M100-0207 for the front.

Hmmm...your assumption about the front panel possibly having been glued in after both it and the rest of the cabinet were toned makes sense; it would seem that it would be quicker that way in production, rather than taking the time to mask off the cabinet to achieve two different colors.

Yeh, again I assume this since the glue that holds it in place is sitting on top of the black finish on the inside of the cabinet and it does not appear to have been sprayed indicating it was done after toning the inside.

For the decal I was thinking about using Micro Set prior to applying it. Here is a video showing how it is used:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr5R9VCN...mZ&index=1

I've seen examples where the decal can stand proud after application and I'm hoping to avoid that and get it nice and flat. Anyone have any experience with this product?

- Geoff

[Geoff]

Here is a photo of the original decal that was there:

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

[Ron Ramirez]

Now compare that to DCL-PH8 - the font is the same. The only difference is that the original 1932-36 decals had a copper-ish hue while the new repros are gold. I know they are the same...because I am the person who redesigned that decal in Photoshop.

You're welcome.

I've never used Micro Set prior to applying a decal, but have tried Micro Sol afterwards. In my experience, I could not tell a difference between a decal with Micro Sol and one without; the decals still stood out a bit. I'm probably doing something wrong; maybe I should be using Micro Set prior to decal placement?

[Geoff]

Yes, I compared it and DCL-PH8 is the one I will go with.

From the videos I've seen it looks like you use the Micro Set first and then Micro Sol after. But Micro Sol is more for getting the decal to conform to irregular surfaces, not a flat surface like we are talking about. I'll probably try it anyway. Can't hurt.

And thanks for designing the new decals for Radio Daze!!!

- Geoff

[Geoff]

Here are some photos showing the interior of the cabinet after I stained it with MinWax Ebony oil stain. I think it looks a lot better than it did before:

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

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

Here are the two labels. As I mentioned before, I tried to save the label with the model number and chassis but it just flaked off on the loose areas when I tried to glue it back. I will probably hit this with clear lacquer to help preserve what is left. At least the model number is still visible. The other label that indicates run # (Run #1) was fine.

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

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

And here is a question. How do you guys go about adding color to the edges of the grill cutouts shown below? When I stripped the cabinet I noticed that there was definitely a dark color there. Probably the same color as the top and sides. Masking and spraying from the inside is one option but I wanted to know if you guys have any other suggestions.

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

- Geoff

[Geoff]

One other question I had about this radio is about one of the knobs. RenovatedRadios lists this knob as a bandswitch knob for the 640:

[Image: http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/main.ph...alNumber=1]

However, this picture of my radio shows that the bandswitch knob is round. It appears to be original.

[Image: http://antiqueradios.com/gallery/main.ph...alNumber=1]

After a Google search for the 640 I found that most pictures had a round knob but some had this switch knob. Which knob is accurate for the 640?

- Geoff

[Bob Andersen]

I paint the speaker cutout edges by hand with a small brush and artist acrylic paints. A mix of black and burnt sienna makes a nice dark brown.

It's water based and any excess is easily wiped off with a damp cloth.

Once it's dry, you can spray lacquer over it with no problems.

[Image: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/86816...e8d47b.jpg] [Image: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8545/86816...d542c3.jpg]

Here's another example.
[Image: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/70308...95b613.jpg]