I am working on a Motorola 65T21 with what looks to be a burled walnut photofinish. The areas that need to be replaced are 18.125 long.



I can only print a standard 8.5 X 11 sheet. Can you piece together two shorter pieces without seeing the seam? If not, what would you suggest to get a longer piece? Kinkos?

Can anyone suggest a source for this veneer or something close that I can scan or would anyone have a high res scan that I can work with?

My final option would be to strip and make the photofinish areas black laquer or replace with a thin flexible veneer with a different grain.

Thanks in advance for suggestions and advice.

Art,

You don't need to replace the whole thing. You need to touch up the spots and you need to do it with oil paint.

Others here will say to do it with acrylic paint, but I will say it flat out that no one in radio restoration has posted samples of their work that shows they can even come close to what I have demonstrated can be done with oil paints.

I know that may sound bad, but I'm 77 now and have no time for courtesy or silence that gives consequence to those that advocate using acrylic. Use acrylics and you'll find the paint is dry before you realize the color isn't right. Then you paint over it and pretty soon you have built up paint that you have to sand down leaving you with more damaged photofinish. Learn to use oil paint!!!!

Here is a picture of the brushes. You will need smaller and more pointed brushes than those on the left;

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2qau8oz&s=3

If you plan to stay in this hobby, get the oil paint and do some practice and you will have a skill that will serve you on many radios to come

MATERIALS-

I always use artists oil paint because the slow drying time is an asset when you have to wipe off color you're not satisfied with and it also allows you more time to blend colors.

Oil Paints- You can use the cheaper "student grade" oil colors. Most major oil paint suppliers put out a line of these and you can find them in art supply stores.

Oil based stains- You can mix them with the oil paints to adjust color.

Plastic drinking straws- Use them to keep the stain stirred and put a finger on the top to suction out small amounts.

Aluminum foil, wax paper, or plastic sheet to mix the paint on.

Paint thinner and rags- Lots of rags.

Brushes- You don't need all the brushes in the photo. One of each type will do and they don't have to be expensive brushes. On the left are examples of the the types of brushes for applying the paint. In the middle are blending brushes. They have to be soft brushes. I generally use a brush like the one on the left. The brushes women use for blending their makeup works well and I buy them in garage sales. On the right is the grainline brush. It has to have a fine point and should be no less than 3/4" long. Those short tiny brushes are useless because they don't hold enough paint.

METHOD-

The first step is to get the correct color of the wood. You mix the paint on the foil and apply a small amount on the wood. If you don't like the color, wipe it off with paint thinner and a rag. Adjust your color and apply some again. If it isn't right, wipe it off. There is no substitute for this and you repeat it until you have the correct color.

Next is the blending brush. You use it in a light flicking way so that only the very tips of the brush are doing the blending. Wipe the tips on a rag often so you keep them as dry as possible. The blending brush will smooth out your paint nice and even.

"dry brush" is a technique used by many artists. Essentially, the fine point brush is prepared so that it makes a fine line and the artist uses it like a sharpened color pencil.

The color coat should be dry to the touch before painting grainlines. To prepare the brush, mix your woodgrain color very fluid. Wrap a tissue around the ferrule and slide it up to absorb some of the fluid paint. Then lightly wipe the tip across the tissue and the brush will be ready to paint grainlines. For fuzzier, multiple grain lines you can splay out the tips. Splay them out some more and you can do little dots.

For touching up burls - Prepare the fine point brush for each color the same as you do for grainlines. Use short strokes to paint each color and use the blending brush with even lighter flicks of the tips.

Note - When you wet any brush and bend the bristles over, they should snap back in place when you release them. If they stay bent over, you don't have a brush, you have a mop. Don't use it.

If you decide to do this and have questions, e-mail me

genus123 at att dot net
.

Thank you Stewart. Very detailed explanation. Can you suggest a few colors to start with that I should look for?

What can you use to clean the photofinish before starting so you get the true color?

The lower portion has decals for volume, tone, etc. Should I just lay new decals over the old?

Thanks again for the help.

Hi Art,
I am happy that Stewart replied to this post. You really have a nice looking photofinish on that set, and in no way would I even think about replacing it. Unless it was flaked all the way off and as a last resort

Stewart may have a suggestion to clean off the finish before touching it up. Perhaps mineral spirits or something that will not attack the lacquer. Always test in a hidden place.

As for the decals, if the repro ones are exactly the same size you may be ok. If the original ones are flaking off, maybe you can finish removing them with a little help with a fingenail, if it doesn;t bother the burl.
If some of the photofinish is flaked off by the deacl you can add that area to be touched up.

I'd add the decals last, before applying a finish coat of clear, to protect the decals and your touched up areas.

I need to copy this thread to text because I can refer to it if I have to do a touch up , Stewart has always been very kind to pass on his methods and is always willing to help out in the areas of redoing photofinishing.

Good luck on the set.

Art,

The photos I e-mailed you were of veneer repair, but the materials and technique are the same for repairing photofinish.

There are two things you should understand before you embark on this;

1 - If you are going to spend money you must make the commitment that you are going to follow through with it, keeping in mind that the full payoff is down the line with other radios. Learn this and you will be able to restore other damaged radios and they will be cheaper to buy because others will pass on them.

2 - You must understand that this is not work that you can complete in one sitting. The slow drying time of the paint forces you to plan ahead. See the slow drying as an advantage because it allows you time for better color matching.

My other post was about the painting tecnique, but something else has to be covered for photofinish. I don't know what causes photofinish problems, but they leave indentations which should be filled. Do this;

Mix unthinned oil paint with talcum powder until it is very stiff. Dab it in the indentation with a brush and then squeegie across it with a plastic card like a credit card. Squeegie only past your work and then wipe carefully around to remove any excess.

The color should be close to the general color of the wood.The final color will be applied over this.

TIP - Cut one edge of the card about 1/4" or a little more and use it to lift the powder onto the paint and mix it in.

Materials;

Paint - Art,just for your radio you will need Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna. Burnt Sienna, and Burnt Umber so you might as well add Ivory Black and you'll have the colors that will do 90% of the radios you will encounter.

Buy the cheaper student grade paints.

Brushes - Walmart has brushes that are acceptable in their Arts and Crafts section and may have the fan shaped blender like in the photo I posted.

Brushes that women use to blend their makeup work fine as blending brushes.

If you go on the net, look up Dick Blick.

Then you need paint thinner, foil or plastic, and rags. Don't forget that oil based stains can be used to adjust the color of the oil paint.