[adamrobertg]

I thought I'd post about this project I'm working on.  I decided to put the slightly daunting re-wiring of my Philco 39-40 on hold for poorer weather, and since it's finally spring, try and figure out how to refinish cabinets.  

I got a model 38-8 for free not long ago, and it... looked like it spent the past 50 years in a damp basement.  The veneer was all present and in good shape, but the finish had mostly peeled off.  I'm also missing the center tuning knob unfortunately.  It's a very small console- and I figured since it's not particularly desirable, it could be a good place to start.

So far I've mostly got the old finish off with lacquer thinner, but ran out of both it and steel wool and still need to take the finish off the grill bars.  It was a pleasant surprise to see the nice inlay down the front of the cabinet.  I'm assuming walnut veneer?  I started sanding the front panel with 600 grit sandpaper, but... it started not looking so great so I stopped.  I might go back over that a bit more lightly with finer sandpaper...  I also have some grain filler on order right now.

It appears that the trim- grill bars, and around the top and bottom of the cabinet, were a darker brown than the rest of the cabinet.  I am debating using the same extra dark walnut color toner as for the sides and top of my Philco 640 (which is my next cabinet project), on this trim on the 38-8.  Probably darker than original, but it might look nice?

For replacement grill cloth, I know Radio Daze sells a reproduction of the tan chevron cloth... but I saw a darker reproduction for sale on eBay.  I was thinking of using this instead.  Link is here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Radio-Sp...XQxKxSDb-j

Yes, my radio and my preference and all that... but... kind of was hoping for other opinions as well.  Part of me wants to keep it 'just like' the original, but I also feel like it's not a rare or valuable radio so I should 'make it my own' to an extent.

I know this is the cabinet section, but I briefly looked at the chassis, and tested the transformer windings, shadow meter and audio transformer and everything seemed ok.  All but one resistors are still ok.  Speaker looks new.  There's one capacitor partially disconnected (which I can't seem to find on the schematic- that's a question for the electronic restoration section here!), so I bet that came off way back when and someone put it in the basement to 'fix it someday'.  I'm hoping if I can get it working, performance will be similar to my 610- I only have a 3ft antenna on it and there isn't a blank spot on the dial!

[Tgace459]

I'm starting the cabinet on my 37-650 myself...

[Image: https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.28...0736_n.jpg]

With such similar cabinets I will be following this thread closely. ;)

[adamrobertg]

Did a little bit more today.  Removed the rest of the finish, sanded again and used grain filler.  Thinned it out with mineral spirits and brushed it on across the grain of the wood... 

   
   

Then I used a card to scrape it off.

   

After that I rubbed it off with a cloth.  Looks pretty good.  There were a few spots I noticed where I didn't remove all of the old finish.  They were at the top of the radio, so I sanded with 800 grit sandpaper to remove them.  

   

The only thing I came across that I wasn't too sure about was this small dent or chip in the veneer.  Friend of mine says leave it alone, don't fill it, because it's a bit of 'age and character'.  I'm not sure.  I have some wood filler I can use, but I'm undecided about that.  

   

[Tgace459]

I have those on mine too. I'm going to sand the case then take some of the sawdust and mix it with slightly thinned wood glue and use that to fill.

[adamrobertg]

Latest update:  I ended up filling those 2 chips/dings whatever they are, with timber mate wood filler.  Read good things about it, that it would take toner well.  Tgace459, that is a very creative solution using sawdust and glue... next cabinet I will give that a try.

   

Then I masked it off.

   

And did the trim first, in extra dark walnut.  Put 2 coats on it so far.  

   

It looks almost black in the photos, but up close it's dark but you can still see the grain a little bit below it.  Really looks nice, but I think I will do one more coat when it all dries well, just to make sure it's even.

[adamrobertg]

So I finished the trim... and now did the lighter brown toner for the rest of the cabinet.  

   

One thing I figured out- the blue tape tends to pull some of the finish off when you remove it.  Ended up having to touch up some of the dark trim.  I think it looks nice, it's definitely striking with the dark trim and the rest of the cabinet being lighter.  

Once this dries I will put on a coat of clear.  I do not have a replacement logo yet, so, will probably leave the second coat of clear off the front panel until I can get one.

[klondike98]

One thing I figured out- the blue tape tends to pull some of the finish off when you remove it.  

Green Frog tape is your friend...

[Arran]

Yes, use the green or the old fashioned Manilla/beige masking tape, the blue tape does not work well with lacquer.
Regards
Arran

[adamrobertg]

Yeah... I did get some of the green tape for the next project I'm working on.  Seemed to work a lot better.  

This is the cabinet right now, did 2 coats of clear and put the dial back on.  Eventually I'll get around to getting a decal for it.  The grill cloth just arrived, so will be putting that in soon...

   

[Ron Ramirez]

Let me give you a tip for next time. The next time you refinish a radio, apply the PHILCO decal right after toning and right before you begin applying clear. The decal will then become one with the clear coats and the lines of the decal will be nearly invisible...just as the originals were from the factory. I learned that when I did ny 38-624T "Big Bullet" cabinet last fall (it has a 37-640 chassis inside).

[adamrobertg]

Finally got this almost done.  

   

What I ended up doing with the decal was only putting one clear coat over the front, before I applied it.  I then put 2 more coats after I applied it.  Definitely right though, Ron, it would've been better if I had just waited.

   

I also managed to do something strange with the speaker cloth, I think I tightened the screws holding the board just a little too much.  I'm hoping if I turn back the screws it'll look a bit better.

Otherwise doesn't seem too bad for a first effort- it went from looking like something you'd throw out, to a beautiful conversation piece.  I did a bit of work on the electronics too, replacing the capacitors, frayed speaker wiring and power cord, but need to get myself a variac before I just plug it in for the first time in probably 50 years.

[morzh]

It even looks good enough for the second

[Kenneth F. Besso Jr.]

Beautiful Work,,,,expert workmanship