I was surfing through YouTube and came accross a 3 part series called "Refinishing Without Stripping". Looks like a good option for an old tired finish. I think I'm going to try this on a Zenith console I'm currently working on. Anyways, just wanted to post the link so others could view it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLqDgJRsY5Y

Regards,
Geoff

Who is that guy? Ya always know it's him because he always starts out with "Hey guys..." heh. He has a lot of very good/excellent videos on YouTube detailing radio repairs. I really like his stuff.

Say "hi!"

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=11681

Yes, that would be me I forgot to say "hey guys" in a few videos and actually got complaints

I used the same technique with great success on a Philco 39-30 I just wrapped up last week.

It's not always possible. It really depends on the condition on the existing finish. Also if there's any silicone, polyurethane, or other contaminants the new lacquer might not take very well. i.e. fisheyes

Wow, fantastic work! I also just finished watching your series on the Admiral 24A12. I love watching these fully documented restorations. Either radio or TV so hats off to you for taking the time to upload these. Talking about this stuff on the forums is one thing but like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Good stuff!!!

I also watched your series on the 24A12 tuneup. I was able to find Admiral 24A12 tuneup p1o6 all the way up to p5o6 but could not find p6o6. Is that video still posted on YouTube?

- Geoff

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy them. The 24A12 is one of my favorite sets and I had fun restoring it.
Funny you should mention that video. YouTube recently blocked it because I showed some copyrighted material playing on the set at the very end
I'll have to edit that out to get the block lifted.

That looks great! I have a 39-30 chassis on the bench right now... cabinet
is next. How are you planning to put the station tags in the windows over
the pushbuttons? On mine, it looks like they placed the call letters, then
soldered the retainer closed on the back side.
Nelson

Thanks! I do have some of the original labels. They are little rectangles of heavy stock that can be slipped in and out of the pushbutton frame from behind. I plan on printing out some new ones once I settle on the preset stations.

I've used your technique of repeatedly brushing lacquer into bare spots and sanding it down, eventually followed by spray coats. It works very well, but can be fairly tedious. If found that it can be a PITA to sand away the brushed on lacquer that inevitably finds its way from edge of the bare areas onto existing finish. I'm wondering if using repeated coats of a high-solids spray lacquer followed by sanding after each application might work better. I bought some but I haven't had the opportunity to try it.

Bob

I use Deft sanding sealer which seems to have a higher solids content. Even so, yes it's tedious. Lacquer will continue to shrink for some time so it may take weeks to completely level a damaged surface.
Shellac sticks also work well on damaged areas.

Your You Tube series is always fun to watch ... I had know idea it was you , thanks .

I have been a YouTube subscriber for a while too. Great videos.
I had not seen this little series yet.
I just bought a Philco 610D I'm expecting soon from Fedex and based on the pictures I was trying to think of a way to spruce up the finish without a complete stripping because it is in good shape except for some scratches and dings and this looks like the perfect way to do it.

I'm facing this exact question myself. I've just finished up my Philco 37-630 and it is working like a champ, only the cabinet is unfortunately much less of a champ.

So looking for some advice from the experts to see if my cabinet is in such condition that might benefit from this technique or if I need to do a full refinish?

Too much crazing and missing lacquer, do a total strip.

You probably could use the technique described in this thread, but it would be a *lot* of work. I'd recommend checking out some of old threads that discuss removing brittle old finish using a mechanical scraper. That way you don't lose as much material from the pores as you would if you use a chemical stripper.

Bob

I just finished one of those. The photo finish was good and the lacquer was cracked like yours. I lightly wiped it down with acetone and #0000 steel wool, wiping with a rag as it lifted until the lacquer was gone and reshot it. It looks great now. It didn't harm the photo finish. I used a light touch.

The one thing I don't think I quite got is how to remove the alligatoring at first? Is that just by doing a dry sand with 400 grit paper or something such?

Yes, I lightly sand with 400 grit then start applying lacquer sanding sealer to fill in any voids. As pointed out above, this technique really doesn't work very well when there is finish loss. While you certainly can replace that loss with new clear lacquer, the original was likely toned and it will turn out looking funky.

Thanks! Yeah, the finish is pretty gnarly overall and there's a good amount of bare wood exposed so I'm managing my own expectations as to how it might turn out.





Also, the wood base has delaminated and broken, and there's a pretty big piece missing on the corner. Wonder if the thing to do would be to try to just get a whole lot of wood glue in there, or just try to fashion a new baseboard.





Still, I'll keep plugging and report back with progress.

FK

I started lightly sanding the old lacquer with 400 grit, but in some of the parts where it was very thin it came right off down to wood quickly in large spots. Eventually it just became apparent that I would at least need to sand down the rest of the surface the same way to match. However, after doing a good section of the top it turns out that it looks really nice -- almost no visible blemishes and it has a really great (albeit slightly lighter) color still.

My question is, would I be best to just keep carefully sanding the rest of the cabinet this way, rather than try a lacquer thinner that might remove color from the wood? If so, once the lacquer is sanded off, should I just continue with Restore-A-Finish, followed by sealing lacquer, clear wood finish, etc? Or perhaps doing a finer sand (800+) and apply toner lacquer, then clear wood finish, etc?