[baspas]

I have a 40-190 that needs refinished and need some help with toned lacquer color selection. The lacquer on the solid (non-veneered) sections is slightly opaque. Does anyone know what Mohawk lacquers to use? Has anyone ever put together a color chart for old radios? Thanks

[Ron Ramirez]

Every 40-190 I have ever seen has been toned Medium Walnut overall.

http://www.philcoradio.com/gallery/1940a.htm#ae

The photo in my site's Gallery shows a 40-190 with an excellent original finish. The wavy appearance on the right side was just a reflection.

Has anyone ever put together a color chart for old radios?

There are way too many vintage radio cabinets out there for any one person to take on such a monumental task. Someone, or a group of people, would have to be independently wealthy to tackle something like that because it would take years of daily work to research and complete.

[exray]

Just my 2 cents worth.
Mohawk sells two different lines of toners. One is a dye type that is good for general translucent shading and the other is a pigment type that is fairly opaque. That's the one you usually want for end or bottom pieces.
As for colors...well, you can imagine the problem since the colors have changed over the years even on a perfect set kept in a time capsule Generally the 'walnut' versions do the trick. Some people like Van Dyke Brown and/or Perfect Brown but I find them to be a bit TOO off color from walnut.