Sealer is not necessary, but fills grain and is more easily sandable than a first coat of finish lacquer. You can fill the grain with sanding sealer or even gloss lacquer. Doing so is much more work and time consuming - which is why we use grain filler.
Well it's been a while but I have to say that this was the most difficult project I have attempted and I applaud all the folks in the forum that make it look so easy. Thanks to everyone's posts and advice I'm making good progress and learning a lot. The arch that Steve made for me worked perfectly although I did have to widen the slot in the front panel a bit and make a new arch support for the rear since the curve came out a little different than the original. I also replaced the plywood base since the original was in bad shape. I felt a little bad about replacing so many of the original cabinet parts but since this is my first restore I definitely plan to keep it for myself. The outside has been grain filled (not perfect but I learned a lot) and sprayed with about 6 coats of clear satin. Next will be the toner to match the new arch to the front, decal on the front and finish clear coats. The front bottom veneer is a little beat up but the trim will take care of that. I'll post again after the next steps. Couldn't have done it without the Phorum. The "after" photos are a little warmer looking than actual.
Can anyone recommend what type of masking tape to use on lacquer finishes? I see some blue painters tape says right on the label "not for lacquer". I'm looking for something that won't pull off the finish (or veneer) when removed.
I got a set of repro labels for my 89 and I know that the chassis layout pix goes on the inside left of the arch but does anyone know where the "patent numbers" label goes? Mine was missing from day one. Anybody got a photo?
I have had EXCELLENT success with the yellow Frog tape which says it is for "delicate surfaces"... I have never had it pull up fresh finish(I always let my cabinets sit for a week between steps to let the lacquar cure), and I have never had it bleed through... It sticks very well and is easy to use because is is about half the thickness of regular painters tape... Would recommend it to anyone...
When my pals were reading comic books
I was down in the basement in my dad's
workshop. Perusing his Sam's Photofoacts
Vol 1-50 admiring the old set and trying to
figure out what all those squiggly meant.
Circa 1966
Now I think I've got!
Thanks Terry. This solves the missing label mystery. My 89 didn't have a "patent" label on the rear of the chassis. Instead it has the gold (or what's left of it) label under the antenna/ground clips and nothing by the power cord. It seems like the placement varied during production.
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