Filling worm holes in lacquered cabinet - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

hmv1944 · 9th May 2006, 9:51 am

I have a 1939 HMV radiogram (fairly plain veneered ply case) with a considerable number of worm holes showing which will need filling with something of a colour close to that of the wood.

It will be treated liberally with worm killer before the lacquer is stripped off; the lacquer will need to come off as there are several patches where the finish has been scratched off in the past. What would be best to fill in the worm holes before respraying?

The machine is only labelled as "Special Model" but has the chassis of an HMV436 complete with original turntable and pickup. The electrics are now working and sound quite nice. The valves all look original and the short wave is particularly lively (with a nice long wire!)

Alan..

ekcobeach · 9th May 2006, 11:08 am

Hi Alan, I was wondering if re-veneering is possible. I've used this method twice in the past on badly infected areas.Of course if it is a very large area then that option would probably not be practical. I've used a suitably coloured candle,melted in a bowl in the microwave and poured on and worked in with a filling knife. The end result was satisfactory but the job is very messy and time consuming.

Perhaps you could post photos as i'm a gram fan.

Kind regards, Colin. <ekcobeach>

Aerodyne · 9th May 2006, 4:50 pm

Alan, better than candlewax is the modern version of cabinetmaker's Beaumontage, in the form of wax sticks available in a variety of timber shades from some DIY stores and from Axminster (www.axminster.co.uk). This can be melted into the holes using a soldering iron or match. One type even softens sufficiently in the fingers to become malleable enough to push into holes. These wax materials are intended to be used on existing finishes, not before refinishing takes place.
-Tony

hmv1944 · 9th May 2006, 4:51 pm

Here are some pictures of the HMV "Special Model":

ekcobeach · 9th May 2006, 5:41 pm

I see what you mean about the "tenants". Charge the little rent.

Seriously though, it's worth saving and doing it up can only make it worth more and preserve another gram. Those coloured wax sticks sound like an excellent idea but would take a long time to do. Perhaps you could adapt them to fit in one of those heated glue guns, just another crazy idea.

Regards Colin. <ekcobeach>

lesbuist · 9th May 2006, 9:03 pm

There are several methods of filling holes and you should try a test of any method in a less visable area. Wax sticks are more for repairs were you are not restripping. There are arange of wood fillers and stoppers available from DIY places if you use tubes of filler by Joy fill holes in morning and sand in the afternoon if you leave overnight it gets rock hard +++.
A old method we used at school many years ago was to mix sawdust with a clear wood adhesive cascamite a modern substitute wod be pva glue just sand or saw some part of the cabinet inside to get the dust.

Les

Aerodyne · 10th May 2006, 7:57 pm

Unfortunately mixing sawdust with glue is a messy method when dealing with such small holes and can damage existing surface - but OK if you decide to strip and refinish. However you won't get wood of the correct shade by attacking the inside of a veneered cabinet as this will be plywood, probably Birch, very light in tone, not the quality external veneer colour. As far as wood fillers go, Ronseal high performance wood filler is the best, I consider. It is a two part filler that sets hard in less than ten minutes, after which it can be sanded, drilled, shaped. It can be tinted with stain but this is a tricky thing to do without adding stain to the surrounding wood by leaching from the filler. Finally, aerosol toner can help cover blemishes such as filled wormholes, after which lacquer spraying can complete the illusion.
-Tony

Ghostuser · 11th May 2006, 11:47 am

Hi,
I go with the recommendation to use wood filler after stripping. I prefer to use the 'natural' shade of filler and then paint each filled hole with a dot of suitably mixed paint. Yes, it takes time and will still not make the panel look undamaged when viewed from every angle, but it ain't bad from a distance.
Good luck and you are right to save that gram.
Nigel

mdonohoe · 14th May 2006, 12:11 am

I used Liberon Retouch Crayons on woodworm holes in a Pye.You don't need any heat and I made sure it went in to the hole using an awl.These crayons come in a variety of colours and they harden and then buff up nicely.I was very happy with the results and you would be hard put to see evidence of the holes now.They are advertised as suitable for filling in woodworm holes.

9th May 2006, 9:51 am	#1
hmv1944 Tetrode Join Date: May 2006 Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 76	Filling worm holes in lacquered cabinet I have a 1939 HMV radiogram (fairly plain veneered ply case) with a considerable number of worm holes showing which will need filling with something of a colour close to that of the wood. It will be treated liberally with worm killer before the lacquer is stripped off; the lacquer will need to come off as there are several patches where the finish has been scratched off in the past. What would be best to fill in the worm holes before respraying? The machine is only labelled as "Special Model" but has the chassis of an HMV436 complete with original turntable and pickup. The electrics are now working and sound quite nice. The valves all look original and the short wave is particularly lively (with a nice long wire!) Alan.. Last edited by Darren-UK; 29th Aug 2007 at 12:49 pm. Reason: General tidying.

9th May 2006, 11:08 am	#2
ekcobeach Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Wilmington, East Sussex, UK. Posts: 230	Re: Filling worm holes in lacquered cabinet Hi Alan, I was wondering if re-veneering is possible. I've used this method twice in the past on badly infected areas.Of course if it is a very large area then that option would probably not be practical. I've used a suitably coloured candle,melted in a bowl in the microwave and poured on and worked in with a filling knife. The end result was satisfactory but the job is very messy and time consuming. Perhaps you could post photos as i'm a gram fan. Kind regards, Colin. <ekcobeach> Last edited by Darren-UK; 29th Aug 2007 at 12:43 pm. Reason: Radiogram values not relevant.

9th May 2006, 4:50 pm	#3
Aerodyne Octode Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hampton Vale, Peterborough, UK. Posts: 1,698	Re: Filling worm holes in lacquered cabinet Alan, better than candlewax is the modern version of cabinetmaker's Beaumontage, in the form of wax sticks available in a variety of timber shades from some DIY stores and from Axminster (www.axminster.co.uk). This can be melted into the holes using a soldering iron or match. One type even softens sufficiently in the fingers to become malleable enough to push into holes. These wax materials are intended to be used on existing finishes, not before refinishing takes place. -Tony

9th May 2006, 4:51 pm	#4
hmv1944 Tetrode Join Date: May 2006 Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 76	Re: Filling worm holes in lacquered cabinet Here are some pictures of the HMV "Special Model": Attached Thumbnails

9th May 2006, 5:41 pm	#5
ekcobeach Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Wilmington, East Sussex, UK. Posts: 230	Re: Filling worm holes in lacquered cabinet I see what you mean about the "tenants". Charge the little rent. Seriously though, it's worth saving and doing it up can only make it worth more and preserve another gram. Those coloured wax sticks sound like an excellent idea but would take a long time to do. Perhaps you could adapt them to fit in one of those heated glue guns, just another crazy idea. Regards Colin. <ekcobeach> Last edited by Darren-UK; 29th Aug 2007 at 12:47 pm. Reason: General tidying.

9th May 2006, 9:03 pm	#6
lesbuist Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: County Durham Posts: 3	Re: Filling worm holes in lacquered cabinet There are several methods of filling holes and you should try a test of any method in a less visable area. Wax sticks are more for repairs were you are not restripping. There are arange of wood fillers and stoppers available from DIY places if you use tubes of filler by Joy fill holes in morning and sand in the afternoon if you leave overnight it gets rock hard +++. A old method we used at school many years ago was to mix sawdust with a clear wood adhesive cascamite a modern substitute wod be pva glue just sand or saw some part of the cabinet inside to get the dust. Les

10th May 2006, 7:57 pm	#7
Aerodyne Octode Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hampton Vale, Peterborough, UK. Posts: 1,698	Re: Filling worm holes in lacquered cabinet Unfortunately mixing sawdust with glue is a messy method when dealing with such small holes and can damage existing surface - but OK if you decide to strip and refinish. However you won't get wood of the correct shade by attacking the inside of a veneered cabinet as this will be plywood, probably Birch, very light in tone, not the quality external veneer colour. As far as wood fillers go, Ronseal high performance wood filler is the best, I consider. It is a two part filler that sets hard in less than ten minutes, after which it can be sanded, drilled, shaped. It can be tinted with stain but this is a tricky thing to do without adding stain to the surrounding wood by leaching from the filler. Finally, aerosol toner can help cover blemishes such as filled wormholes, after which lacquer spraying can complete the illusion. -Tony

11th May 2006, 11:47 am	#8
Ghostuser Pentode Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Alton, Hampshire, UK. Posts: 137	Re: Filling worm holes in lacquered cabinet Hi, I go with the recommendation to use wood filler after stripping. I prefer to use the 'natural' shade of filler and then paint each filled hole with a dot of suitably mixed paint. Yes, it takes time and will still not make the panel look undamaged when viewed from every angle, but it ain't bad from a distance. Good luck and you are right to save that gram. Nigel

14th May 2006, 12:11 am	#9
mdonohoe Diode Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Dublin, Ireland. Posts: 8	Re: Filling worm holes in lacquered cabinet I used Liberon Retouch Crayons on woodworm holes in a Pye.You don't need any heat and I made sure it went in to the hole using an awl.These crayons come in a variety of colours and they harden and then buff up nicely.I was very happy with the results and you would be hard put to see evidence of the holes now.They are advertised as suitable for filling in woodworm holes.