[Joeztech]

Can someone tell me what cabinet stains were used on the 40-201? It may have been similar to the 40-195 and 40-200. The bottom trim or molding on mine is going to have to be replaced on one side. It appears to have been done with a darker stain than the rest of the cabinet. Would this have been the dark walnut stain there?

Joe

[Ron Ramirez]

Philco did not use stain originally; they used tinted lacquer.

Medium Walnut toning lacquer is a good match to the original color of a 40-201. The 40-201 I used to own had the same color on the trim as on the veneer. Maybe a shade just *slightly* lighter than Mohawk Medium Walnut, if you mix your own toners for spraying.

You will never achieve the depth of color with stain that you get with tinted lacquer; plus, the white wood used on the trim of radio cabinets will generally not take stain.

Even though I am generally not buying radios right now, I spotted an AM-only flat face 89B on eBay recently. I actually considered bidding on it, until I saw that it had been stripped, stained and refinished. That was a deal breaker for me. I do not want to deal with a cabinet that was incorrectly refinished, especially with stain.

[Joeztech]

Ron;

OK, glad to learn these details. I did not know they used tinted lacquer. Maybe I need to look at the cabinet in good outside lighting tomorrow. We are lucky now to have some warmer weather and most of the ice is gone now. I will go take a look at some of your refinishing comments. You may have a particular vendor you know has the closest color match.

Do you know what type of white wood was used? I am not sure what to look for locally. I see walnut, maple, oak and poplar. There is one cabinet shop only about three miles away. I could go to them to see if they have access to more types of wood if I don't find what is needed in stores like Home Depot or Lowe's. Otherwise I might have to order something on the internet.

Thanks once again!

Joe

[klondike98]

Ron mentioned "Mohawk" which is the company that sells the tinted lacquers he was referring to. See: http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_...?ictNbr=22

There are two versions, Tone Finish Toners and Ultra Classic Toners. The difference is that the Tone Finish Toners have pigments for the coloring and the Ultra Classic uses dyes. The pigmented toners tend to be a little more opaque and the dyes less so. Others with much more experience can offer more advice but that's the supplier. You can buy the Mohawk products from other suppliers as well and there are other brands of toners that some people use. Some folks buy the pigments or dyes and blend up their own and use a spray gun. I've only used the rattle cans so far and only on a couple radios.

[Joeztech]

klondike98;

It seems that the Ultra Classic type would be more transparent and let the wood grain show through better. Thanks for that explanation about the difference between the Tone Finish and the Ultra Classic types and the link to the manufacturer information.

Joe

[Joeztech]

I have been looking at different types of wood to use in repairing the base trim. White pine is usually rather fine grained, as is maple and some cherry wood is fine grained and lighter. Pine tends to be relatively soft, but of course is easier to work. Maple can be really hard and tough. There is also birch wood. Does anyone know what type of wood was used?

I removed a piece that was damaged by termites. This was the bottom-most piece along the left side where the termites did their worst damage. I used a putty knife and a rubber hammer and managed to separate it from the top piece. You could look closely at the trim and see where they had joined two pieces of this wood together to create one larger piece. If no one knows what kind of wood to use, maybe a local cabinet worker can look at this and tell me. I want to get an early start on locating the right wood and having it on hand to work with. The side piece I need is about 1 11/16 inches high X 14 1/2 inches long X 1 5/8 inches deep. A similar height piece will be needed at the left end of the front base trim only not as long. This bottom-most piece is thickest at its top where it joins the upper part of this base trim and thinnest at the bottom.

I do not have a planer, but do have a table saw plus several types of sanders. If I can find some fine grain white wood that is not too hard I can probably cut something close to the size needed, then sand it to shape. I can make a profile template from the good side of the cabinet to use in checking my work. It will be a slow process I am sure.

Joe

[Ron Ramirez]

I'm not 100% positive but I *think* Philco used white pine for the "white wood" trim. Arran?

[Steve Davis]

I'm not sure what type wood Philco used for the "white wood" trim parts but, I mostly use poplar to make trim pieces. Poplar has a straight, close grain and is easily shaped with machines or hand tools. It is very similar in appearances to maple but softer. Lowe's and Home Depot both stock poplar.

Steve

[Joeztech]

I was in Lowe's yesterday and looked at some of their cabinet quality wood. They do have poplar although not in solid stock as I would really like to have it. I could probably adapt a piece though. The type they have that I might be able to use is a piece that is about 2 X 2 X 24 inches long or so. It is made up of several layers of poplar about 1/2 inch thick that have been glued together. I would really like to find a solid piece to use so that there is no risk of it coming apart due to moisture over time. I have not looked at Home Depot yet.

Thanks for the information!

Joe

[Joeztech]

I managed to get the chassis reinstalled in the cabinet and replaced the original grill cloth that was hopeless. Since I could not get the original type, I decided to just satisfy myself as to appearance of the grill cloth. I found a brocade cloth that had some gold and green tones somewhat similar to those in the original cloth, but not as dark. I need to move the center grill slightly to one side to get the patten centered better. These pictures are of the front only with the lid open and closed. I still have to refinish the cabinet and the pictures have had some blemishes removed using Photoshop, but it shows about how it looks now. I hope to soon have a jewel for the pilot lamp.

Thanks to everyone for their help!.

Joe
   
   

[Eric T]

Where did you find that grill cloth, if you don't mind me asking?

[Joeztech]

I found it on Amazon.com with a supplier called FabricDrapery after doing a search for brocade fabric. It was their Montecarro Collection,color Sage 100 Jacquard Floral, Fabric By the Yard. The price was $7.95 a yard and I bought a full yard of it. Shipment was by ground USPS. Total was under $15. It is not normally used for grill cloth, but I figured it would not have much impact on the sound and it did not, at least to my ears. FabricDrapery has lots of cloth to pick from. I almost found something at Jo-Ann's Fabric Shop in Sherman, but I liked this better. Look in drapery materials. They often have a looser weave than other types of cloth.

Joe

[Joeztech]

I temporarily put a small flat washer with a piece of red electrical tape over the pilot lamp hole so that it provides a red pilot light. I hope to pick up a replacement jewel from a buddy in the Vintage Radio and Phonograph Society of DFW area this month when we have our January meeting. Then I can remove the washer and tape.

Joe

[Arran]

No it was not pine, pine is too soft and not strong enough, I think it was probably tulip poplar, birch, maple, or some other grainless hardwood they used for mill work and structural wood. Ive had cabinets that also used ash or elm for structural parts, but they switched to white wood for the millwork as it did not need to be filled and cut cleanly. I've used birch to replace cabinet parts before though tulip poplar would work as well, tulip poplar is one of the harder species of poplar.
Regards
Arran

[Ron Ramirez]

Yes, poplar. Thank you, Arran.