[conroyp]

Hey gang, i am in the middle of a 38-2 restoration. everything is coming along nicely, now i need to redo the cabinet.  the veneer is in good shape, but there is some kind of old clear coat on it. its flaking off and wrinkly. Is this old tung oil or shellac flaking up.  My plan is to take a small vibratory sander to it to get that old stuff off.
   

   

[Radioroslyn]

Hi and wellcome to the Phorum,

Wouldn't use a sander for a number of reasons. Sanding against the grain damages the look of the grain. Difficult to get into tight places with the sander. If not very careful can easily sand thru the veneer (not good).

Chemical striping is a bit more messy but yields a better results. Something like Citrus Strip to strip and oms to clean afterwards works. Some uses lacquer thinner but VERY VOLATILE and the fumes will knock you out so work in a well ventilated area. Gloves are good too.

[RodB]

If you use Citrus Strip it works much better if you leave it on the surface for a couple hours and keep it wet.

[Chas]

The flaking is the deteriorated lacquer...

There is good grain filler underneath, as can be seen in the excellent closeup photos. If a stripper is used the is a good chance of extracting some if not most of the filler. Then more filler several coats of lacquer will be needed to build up and rub off to get a smooth finish.

A re-amalgamator product would be a better choice like Howard's. It will soften and re-flow the original finish. Choose the correct color of the product... Often a one step process... chas

[Arran]

Refinisher, like Formby's, is snake oil, all it is is a concoction of solvents that melt the original lacquer, and swirl it around, making a muddy looking mess, I have a 1929 Canadian Westinghouse where someone did that to it and it looks like someone did a bad job of stripping the cabinet. The original finish was lacquer, though it is possible that someone could have coated over it with shellac, if so alcohol will remove the shellac. Stripping the cabinet, with chemical strippers, will leave most of the grain fill intact, even if it doesn't you can still get grain filler such as Chrystalac and go over it again, that isn't the only one of course. Don't try duplicating the effect with excessive coats of lacquer, the thicker it is the more susceptible it is to cracking, and other damage. Another method is to sand the original lacquer with a fine grit of paper, or steel wool, and coat over it with fresh lacquer, results may very of course.
Regards
Arran

[John Bartley]

With lacquer that has separated from the base to that degree, often a cabinet scraper will remove it very effectively.

[fenbach]

anyone have experience with Howard's Restore-a-Finish [ = snake oil? ] or Feed-n-Wax on bare wood?  and have good reasons to prefer them over lacquer or polyurethane? or not.

[Ron Ramirez]

NO! Do not use that stuff on bare wood! If the cabinet needs to be refinished, do it right and refinish it using sanding sealer, grain filler, toning lacquer, and clear lacquer.

[conroyp]

i tried a spot with the restore a finish. it would not soften the old stuff, but i can dissolve it with alcohol. im gonna take my time and either scrape or sand that old stuff off and apply a new coat of lacquer, its not that much surface area anyway.

[Phlogiston]

I know by now, some people are asking why Russ isn't posting here. There is a simple answer and it applies to all other sites as well. I have decided that I will no longer will bother posting advise when it seems that a person has already made up his mind - after all ,what is in it for me - or him/her?

I do feel bad when I see a rare radio damaged, knowing that this may lead to its eventual destruction (Your heirs might throw it away, if you don't).

But(!) I wrecked a few radios - more than a few. It was a learning process. Some people will forge on and get better at it - some won't. We all have to start somewhere.

I know also that some people (speaking for myself) drag their heels when they feel that someone is talking down to them (even if they asked the question). I will say here that Ron has probably wrecked a few radios as well - sorry Ron. I also know that some of my responses seem too abrasive (like 80 grit paper), but that is because I usually (not in this case) try to make answers as short as possible.

For conroyp's radio, it isn't valuable. Go ahead with your plans. See how it turns out. But observe these things:

Is the finish even - everywhere - cracks and seams included?

Has any of the veneer been damaged (sanding or scraping scratches and other visible damage)?

Is the grain filled (is the finish rough - even if it is "even")?

Is the finish the original color - or the color that you want it to be?

Is the gloss level correct?

Runs drips errors?

Is the material used correct - or at least yielding the result that you expect (this is a subset of Use Lacquer or not (?)?

What will happen to this finish over time - is it serviceable?

There are more questions to ask like what tools to use and, in what form should the material be applied (cans, sprayer or brush) Yes I use a brush for some things - not the topcoat, but some people do.

There is a lot to learn and nobody is good at it right out of the box (unless they have related experience - yeah, I painted a few cars). So go ahead, but take notes and pictures - my only advise at this point - take pictures before you start (I know you have but I am trying to be as generic as possible).

Visit my site - I think I have some opinions that nobody likes, but you can still learn from them - I hope ( I have been told that I assume too much. The sky is blue - right? No today it is grey ).

[Ron Ramirez]

Oy...the skies have been gray here for too many days in a row!

But anyway....Russ is absolutely right. You folks would do well to heed his advice; he definitely knows what he is talking about and is one of the best at what he does.

For me, it is a continual learning process. I think I'm pretty good at the electronic restorations, but have a way to go when it comes to cabinet refinishing. Yep, I've wrecked a few radios too (no need to apologize, Russ). Some I've been able to rescue later. My Philco model 604 is one of those. I initially botched its electronic restoration, only to come back a few years later and get it right.

I have opinions that some folks do not like, also. Don't we all?

[conroyp]

ok I get it....and I got a chuckle out of this, imagine, ill get out that old rockwell sander with 80 grit and some fast dry poly.........
Its in good enough shape, i want to keep the woodwork to a minimum, and had thought about only doing spots. i know i cant sand around the speaker grille area. if i do end up chemically stripping off the old lacquer, ill do the whole cabinet. Ive been taking my time with this one, almost two years and im just now powering it up. there will be some warm enough days next month to wheel it outside.

[Arran]

I would see if you can locate a tool called a cabinet scraper, you can make them as well but I would not try that. It's basically a piece of still with a square edge, that's used for touching up woodwork without sanding, but you can take flaky finishes off with them as well. I don't think that they are that expensive. You work by drawing, or pulling the blade towards you, not pushing, best to practice on some flat surface like the top, or sides. I'm sure that there are videos of people using them. If it doesn't work in some places you can always o back to chemical stripper.
Regards
Arran

[RodB]

I use a 1-1/4 inch chisel blade and draw it on the surface toward me. It must be as sharp and true as possible. Makes quick work of the finish and no stripper mess.