Radio Finishes
optsales
I have several old radios that need to be refinished. Any comments on the
best way to remove old finishes? Sand or Strip. If I sand I'm afraid I
may ruin some of the veneer, and if I strip I'm worried about delamination.
Any comments appreciated.
Regards,
Tim Kryman
--
OPT Industries...The Optimum Choice
tom...@aol.com
In article <01bc142e$240b4220$667a8ace@sales02>, "optsales" wrote:
>I have several old radios that need to be refinished. Any comments on
>the best way to remove old finishes? Sand or Strip. If I sand I'm
>afraid I may ruin some of the veneer, and if I strip I'm worried about
>delamination. Any comments appreciated.
Strip, don't sand. Sanding aggressively enough to remove all of the old
finish would undoubtedly result in veneer damage. Delamination won't be a
problem if you don't leave the stripper on the wood too long. After
stripping, you might want to go over the cabinet with 220 grit sandpaper
to smooth the grain.
Tommy Luckadoo
tom...@aol.com
Bill Wheeler
optsales wrote:
>
> I have several old radios that need to be refinished. Any comments on > the best way to remove old finishes? Sand or Strip. If I sand I'm > afraid I may ruin some of the veneer, and if I strip I'm worried about > delamination.
Tim -
Don't do it!
If there is any way you can avoid refinishing, try to, diminishes the
value, wrecks the patina (always wanted to use that word :-)) and so
on. Depending on condition, I have had luck just cleaning with mineral
spirits and waxing, occasionally Howard's Restore All and waxing, and
for the hard cases, Reamalgamate the finish, if Shellac, thin
commercially prepared shellac 4 to 1 with denatured alcohol, or if
laquer, thin the lacquer with lacquer thinner. I just finished doing
one with the Shellac, and it really came out beautiful. I am working on
one with the lacquer and it seems to work well too. To me at least, the
remaining nicks and blemishes are pretty cool, kind of a reminder that
it is a truly old radio and not a reproduction.
If the finish is really gone, then I've had luck with Formby's
refinisher, it removes the finish, but doesn't trash the wood as badly
as strippers. I have even used the formby's to reamalgamate a bad
finish by applying it lightly, wiping it off as quickly as possible and
washing with mineral spirits - if you try this, though you really have
to hustle and ignore any interuptions.
There are several good books on this subject, as well. Probably
available at your favorite bookstore. If you'd like e-mail me for the
titles and authors.
Hope it goes well,
Bill
Antique Radios Online
In article <01bc142e$240b4220$667a8ace@sales02>, "optsales"
> I have several old radios that need to be refinished. Any comments on the
> best way to remove old finishes? Sand or Strip. If I sand I'm afraid I
> may ruin some of the veneer, and if I strip I'm worried about delamination.
If stripping the finish with a chemical remover delaminates the veneer, it
wasn't glued well in the first place. If the finish really has to come
off, stripper is the best way for an amateur to remove it (on flat
surfaces, the other way is using a scraper--a flat rectangular piece of
carbon steel with a burnished edge).
I would recommend using "Cirti-Strip" remover. It's orange in color and
smell and will remove clear finishes easily (not so good in multi-layers
of paint). One advantage of this product is it's less caustic on skin.
Nevertheless, wear chemical resistant gloves (not dishwashing gloves), eye
protection, and a resperator with removable cartridges (not a dust mask).
Step one: unless the finish is really gone, I would recommend cleaning the
set with Naptha (from a paint store, you can substitute paint
thinner/mineral spirits) and some #0000 steel wool. Rub the naptha lightly
with the grain using the steel wool and wipe the excess up with paper
towels. Sometimes by just cleaning a set you will discover that
refinishing isn't really necessary. If you still think you need to strip,
find a stain color chip that looks close to the color of the wood. You can
use the chip later as a reference to get the color of the refinished piece
to be close to the original (although the stain the chip is for may not be
what's needed to make that color on the wood you have).
Step two: examine the finish, especially where different veneers meet.
Make sure what's there is real wood and not a printed finish (common on
some Philco sets and many post-war radios). Stripping will completely
remove any printed wood patterns, and it is nearly impossible and very
expensive to try to duplicate the effect.
Step three: Apply the stripper. Paint it on with a "throw-away" bristle
brush (but keep the brush for future use). Let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
Step four: Remove the stripper and finish. If the radio is basically flat
surfaces, use pine chip "hamster bedding" (from a Pet Store) to scrub off
the stripper and finish. Grab a couple of handfulls (with the gloves on)
and rub them over the surface. They'll absorbe the mess and leave you with
a dry surface. Reapply stripper over any spots that didn't come clean, and
use the pine chips again.
Step five: Wash down the wood with a 50/50 mixture of lacquer
thinner/denatured alcohol(from paint store) using #0000 steel wool rubbing
with the grain. Dry up any excess with clean pine chips.
Step Six: Sand lightly with #220 paper.
Step Seven: Dilute white (clear) shellac with denatured alcohol, 1 part
shellac to 5 parts alcohol. Paint this on the wood to seal the surface.
Sand lightly when dry, go over surface with a tack rag (from paint store).
Step Eight: Fill the grain (if necessary--woods like walnut and oak have
open pores, and don't make a smooth surface without a lot of applied
finish unless those pores are filled) with a paste filler. Mix some
oil-based stain in with the filler if you need to change the color of the
filler. Apply the filler to the wood and remove the excess. I rub the
filler into the pores and then use a silk screen squegee (from art supply
store) to remove the excess. It levels the filler almost exactally. Let
the filler set for 45 minures or so and rub off the film of filler on the
surface. Let it sit overnight and use #220 silicone carbide paper to sand
the wood again to remove any traces of filler that isn't in the pores. Go
over with a tack rag.
Step nine: Give another wash coat of shellac, sand lightly, tack rag once more.
Step ten: Get out the stain color chip and see what color stain you need,
if any, to make that color (wet the surface with a little naptha to see
the actual color). Use an oil-based stain, apply it, let it sit for a few
minutes and wipe off the excess. If you need to adjust the color, you can
layer on more of the same stain or that of a different color. To do this
you need to let the first coat dry completely and then add another wash
coat of shellac (plus light sanding and tack ragging) to seal in the first
color layer. Otherwise the solvent in the new layer will pull up the first
and as you wipe the excess off you'll remove some of that as well. The
shellac has a different solvent and will keep the stain layers from
interacting. Put a wash coat on after the final stain layer as well.
Step eleven: With the color right, or near right proceed to the finish
stage. You can adjust colors some and even out the finish colors by
spraying on a lacquer toner coat (available in spray cans) lightly sand
and tack rag, then add layers of clear lacquer, sanding/tack ragging
between coats, until you're happy with the amount of finish.
Step twelve: Rub out the finish. Sand lightly with #400 silicon carbide
paper. Then use #0000 steel wool and buff the surface to an even haze. Wet
the surface with a little soapy water, sprinkle on some pumice (from
paintstore) and rub the surface smooth. I use a block of wood with a
couple layers of felt wrapped around it, giving me a nice flat surface to
rub with. Wipe off the excess and look at the surface. Happy? Then skip to
step thirteen. If you want it smoother/shinier repeat the process with
Rottenstone (from paint store) and light mineral oil (or lemon oil) and a
different felt pad.
Step thirteen: Apply a coat of wax. Paste wax is a good choice (splash in
a little naptha to make it easier to apply) or use pre-softened car wax.
Let the wax dry, buff and you're done.
This isn't as easy as using one of those
"wipe-on-stain-and-finish-all-in-one" products, but with it you can
duplicate the look of the original finish of the radio.
And, if you got this far, there's a link on www.antiqueradios.com under
"resources" for Liebron and Star refinishing products with additional tips
on refinishing wood.
CBusetti
Depends on the shape of the old finish. If most of the finish is dried and
cracking, gently sand it off with 250 or so grade sandpaper. If the finish
is aged, but intact, try a finish rejuvenator before giving up on the
original. If you feel bold, chemical strippers like stripease work, but
are messy and somewhat toxic. They should be used outside or in a well
ventilated non-living space.(not your basement). The dust from sanding can
also be a problem- especially if you have allergies or asthma.
Dan B
oxy...@aol.com
Hi,
I am looking for a geiger counter (new or used). Heathkit sold one but it does not have to be the Heathkit unit. What is for sale out there?
Thanks for any help.
William Lund
oxy...@aol.com