[klondike98]

Thx Arran. I’ve used wax paper as well. The packing tape I used in the case works fine, I just carelessly put the caul wrong side down.

[klondike98]

Back to it again. Doing a few odds and ends on the table and radio. I cleaned up the very dusty speaker and patched the tears in the cone. I think it should be ok but won't know until the set is back in action. I use diluted PVA wood glue and coffee filters. Cut the filter paper to fit, soak in the PVA sauce, place on the cone and using a small soft paint brush smooth out the filter. Let it dry and you can stop there although in this case I added a patch on the back side of the cone as well and painted the filter paper black for cosmetics.

           

I was planning on taking the table apart to strip it but after starting I realized Kiel put it together pretty solidly, screws, dowels, and glue blocks. I decided it would be more efficient to strip it without a complete dismantle. I did take out screws so I could soak in Metal Rescue to de-rust them. The AK55C-Kiel table has two sets of wires running down inside the back legs; power and antenna/ground. As I looked closely at the power cord I realized that the insulation was cracking so it had to come out and be replaced. I'll also take out the antenna/ground wire and receptical which will give me a chance to de-rust the metal housings and make the stripping around those areas on the table legs easier.

   

The front panel door had a hinge screw hole that had previously blown out and been repaired by someone but the repair had failed. I reglued the portion where the wood was still present and filled the gap where wood was missing with epoxy wood putty. It still needs to get colored but I think it should hold.

   

Lastly, I've been working on the table top. The underside had a finish that was actually not too bad, certainly not perfect but for a table that's almost 100 not bad. I tried a Howards Walnut Restore-A-Finish refresh, mostly as an experiment. Rub on with 0000 steel wool for about 15 minutes, not vigorously but simply slowly going over the finish, wipe it all off and let it dry for an hour or so and then repeat. Here's the before and after treatment....

       

The top was largely already stripped when I got the table. I've finished along the edges, repaired some veneer chips, sanded to 220 and put two coats of sanding sealer, and resanded to 220. Next will be grain filler. This time I'll be trying out a new product for me, Aqua Coat clear grain filler. I've watched a few guys use it on guitars and it seems to work well. More next time....

   

[klondike98]

Some more progress on the Kiel Table. As I mentioned earlier, the top was already stripped by someone so working on it was a "quick win."

The Aqua Coat grain filler went on easily. The process i used was to sand to 220, spread it on with a broad putty knife, scrape off as much excess as possible and let it dry for an hour. Resand with 320 and repeat the coating and drying. Repeat a 3rd time if necessary (I did). I'd say it was pretty well filled, only a few spots that I missed, much better than my Timbermate approach. This stuff is very spreadable and sands easily. There are numerous youTube videos available online.

After the final Aqua Coat dried over night, two coats of Deft spray Sanding Sealer, a light 320 sanding, then Mohawk Medium Brown Ultra Classic Toner until I get it to the color I want. Ultra Classic is the dye based toner which is more transparent than the pigment based Mohawk Finish Toner. Eventually I'll put down some Deft Gloss Lacquer but that will wait until the rest of the table is stripped, toned and ready for the clear. I'll also put a darker brown toner around the edges and at various places around the table, a bit more visible than the original but it worked well for me before. So far...

   

A bit of metal clean up of the brace that keeps the table top open, the left side has been cleaned with 0000 steel wool and a little WD40.

   

Most recently I've started the mind numbing, tedious task of stripping the table legs. I was planning on using Citristrip but realized it seems to scrape and sand off pretty well. That's a little slower but a lot less mess. I don't think I'll be able to scrape the sides (i've used a box cutter blade to do the scraping) but it may sand off OK; we'll see. The closest leg is mostly done, the right leg still needs the vertical grooves sanded. After that only 4 more legs, stretchers, and then the sides and upper rim portion of the table.

   

I did take the rusty metal feet off the legs, 3 came out whole and 3 had the nail portion break off. I could have polished them up but I think some plastic ones will be less risky for messing up rugs and scratching floors.    

[KCMike]

Nice job. Looking good

[Joe Rossi]

Looking great Bob.  Keep the photo's coming!  Joe