[ODPILOT]

11/16/12 I am in the process of restoring a Philco 53-1750 Radio Phonograph console --it has a Mahoganany finish. I've stripped off all the old varnish (or whatever they used to clear coat it with back then) and am going to sand it down, restain and then what do I clearcoat it with and how? I've read about Deft clear wood lacquer. Do I use Lacquer or varnish?? Gloss or flat texture?? Do I spray it on or use a brush? Thanks people,
Mike

[FXpert]

I always use spray gloss lacquer. Rubbing out with #000 steel wool after the 3rd 6th and 9th coats. If I want a really gloss finish I spray a final coat without the steel wool rub. That' the way I do it others will chime in. So you may want to wait for the consensus.

[codefox1]

Most original fihishes were done with sprayed tinted lacquer over filled (sometimes purposely tinted) and sealed base which may or not have received stain. Most casual restorers use rattle cans although this can get expensive for larger sets.

At the risk of being branded a Heritic, Polyurethane is a good choice for brush on and is also very durable if not entirely authentic. Don't think they had it way back when. Then again I remember Varnish a very long time ago, tinted or clear which yellowed with age.

If you have a compressor you can get a small spray gun and blast away with your gas mask on, and outdoors at appropriate temperatures and humidity levels. Major PIA to clean up paint guns, not to mention cost of solvents, so I like to do a couple of pieces at the same time.

Oh yeah, good old shellac works nicely as a sealer and you can usually do a couple of coats in an hour's time because it dries very quickly. Brushes or gun cleans up in a solution of Household ammonia, so you only need alcohol to cut shellac to desired strength. I think stock 3 pound solutions of brushing shellac are a bit thick for guns, but thin it out too much and it will surely run. I really like to use gravity to help out with settling in of finishing materials.

What ever, You can always reduce the gloss with pumice or very fine steel wool to get the look you want. Short of fatal veneer attacks with a belt sander, nearly everything is somewhat reversable.

There is tons of threads here on different ways to refinish, and the combinations and permutations of materials, as well as techniques and perils can make for many hours of reading. Heed manufacturers warnings about what cannot dependably be applied over what.

Finally if you haven't done any of this in a while, or ever, try taking a small less valuable piece to experiment on. Little tables, etc... can be had at a thrift store, or on the curb on trash night, or maybe in your cellar/attic.

[ODPILOT]

Holy cow !! So you give it 3 coats with the spray gloss lacquer - and you let each coat dry first?-- then steel wool rub down and then repeat that process up to 9 coats. Must come out really good. Thanks.

[FXpert]

Yes I get complements all the time. Here's an example:
http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com/upl...q9fC_c.jpg
Some times have to steel wool em to dull em down a tad. Actually lacquer can be re coated in 30 to 45 minutes and dries to touch in about an hour. Of course I'm down south and only have to worry about the humidity. Personally I'd stay away from the polyurethane, as well as brushes.

[ODPILOT]

THANKS Codefox1 and FXpert. I probably will experiment on some junk wood first. Holy cow -- didn't know what I was getting myself into when I took this console on to restore.. may have to quit my day job !!

[LedHed]

Just something else I have encountered while refinishing some old furniture for my mother in law. I used spray toner and clear lacquer and had the devil's own time with fisheyes everwhere! I think my MIL had used Pledge or something similar for years. The stuff had penetrated the finish and absorbed into the wood preventing the lacquer from adhering.

My solution was to lay on a couple coats of shellac and then lightly sand, blow off and tack cloth the finish. After that I was able to spray my toner and clear with one or two fisheyes instead of hundreds.

The shellac appears to be totally compatible with the lacquer and they still look good a year later.

[Alan Douglas]

I try not to sand. If you remove the original grain filler, you have to replace it to get a smooth finish. Also the surface wood will have aged to a uniform darker color, and if you remove some of it, you'll have to do it all.

Stains were rarely if ever used on mass-produced cabinets. Toner (basically tinted lacquer) dried much faster and was compatible with the lacquer topcoats. Toner can be dyed (transparent) or pigmented (opaque). Pigments obscure the wood grain, which is often a good thing.

It's all to easy to refinish a cabinet with eye-popping wood grain that looks nothing like the original finish.

[TheFightingHellfish]

Led Head,
If you apply the shellac with 220 or 320 wet/dry paper instead of a brush, lightly sanding it in, this sawdust/shellac slurry becomes a grain filler (similar to the 'french polish' tecnique).
After this dries hard, a light sanding with 320 will leave the slurry filling in the grain with the wood's own sawdust, which will then usually take a color coat smoothly.
I usually do this with Mahogany, Padauk, Oak, or other wood with large open grain with decent results, though sometimes it may take a coat or two to get the deepest filled in flush.

[codefox1]

Of course it depends. If you want to have contrast (darker or lighter,) the filler should be chosen appropriately. After sealing only the hue or chroma can be altered but not the relative value. Ya?

[LedHed]

Great tip! I will try it next time I do a cabinet! I haven't found a really good grain filler i like yet.

[ODPILOT]

I'm a bit confused now. I used paint stripper on my 1953 Radio Phonograph console (Model 53-1750) and when I scraped it, got this colored slurry of Mahogany color and paint stripper coming off with the scraper. Then, I sanded down the surfaces to a light wood color finish (was originally Mahogany color). So, let me get this straight - I was going to go to Home Depot to get a matching Mahogany stain to use on the newly sanded wood surfaces - but I'm not supposed to do this?? Am I supposed to use some kind of tinted Lacquer because that's how they did it back then?? Will using stain and then clear coat with Lacquer ruin the wood finish???

[LedHed]

Ok... Correct my if you have a better way. I am far from an expert... First step, strip all the old finish off. Next, repair veneer of necessary. That is another thread all it's own! Next prepare your surface by sanding and blending your repairs. Next I fill the grain. I haven't found a perfect answer yet. I have purchased Crystal-Lac but have not used it yet. I also have used a couple brush coats of shellac to build up and seal the wood. I have also tried Behlen Pore-O-Pac which I didn't care for much at all, and have done it with multiple coats of lacquer which I DON'T recommend. It takes forever and involves lots of sanding and more coats of lacquer than I care to count! Next I have sprayed a couple coats of clear lacquer, then toner (colored lacquer) then more clear. I have used Deft brand lacquer, which I thin with about a 50/50 ratio of thinner to lacquer from the can, and Behlen Qualalac) the Behlen product wasn't worth the premium in my opinion. I had problems with blushing because it is so cool and damp here in the northwest. The Deft is designed as a brushing lacquer, so it has retarders added to it already.
After about six coats of clear gloss, I block sand with water with 400 and 600 grit. I then spray another six coats or so and block sand again. Providing I am happy with the finish this far, I buff it out with 0000 steel wool and them polish it with Howards citrus furniture wax.
This gives me a nice smooth finish that isn't too glossy. Just a couple word of caution... Be careful with sanding! It is easy to go too hard and burn through your lacquer coats. Ask me how I know.... If you get into the toner, push the reset button and start over.

[LASJayhawk]

It was toned lacquer, not stain.


I'm having trouble matching my 53-1750. In the Mohawk line the Modern and Dark Red Mahogany are too red, I'm going to pick up a can of Brown Mahogany sometime this week and see if it is closer. Somehow I'm thinking I may need to use 2 different colors to get a good match

[ODPILOT]

Hey John (LASJayhawk) -- I noticed in looking at different pictures of 53-1750 on the internet, that the "Mahogany" ones have different shades depending on what picture you look. Ofcourse, the lighting conditions and camera flash (or lack there of) can also affect the way these pictures come out - but it seems that are likely variations of this production model. I've stripped and sanded the entire unit from front to back and bottom to top. The top cover and legs are made of some type of light wood. The sides and back are made of some darker grained wood (maybe it's Mahagony veneer ??). I'm going to stain it Mahagony and it won't be exactly like the original most likely .