Ever Ready 5019 cabinet

[Phil G4SPZ]

I'd appreciate some advice from the more experienced cabinet experts out there, please. This 1937 radio is one of the oldest I've worked on, so I'd like to make a decent job of the cabinet if I can. The original 'varnish' has crazed and begun to flake off, so I think I have no choice but to strip and refinish it. The cabinet itself and the veneer are sound.

Reading around this subject leads me to believe that Nitromors and wire wool would be the quickest way of removing the old finish, then Danish oil for re-finishing, but I'd welcome some guidance if possible. The different coloured veneer on the front panel is a nice feature that I would like to preserve and enhance if possible; would it be worth masking off and using lighter and darker oils on those areas?

Thanks,

[Radio_Dave]

Personally I'd be tempted to try and save it's original finish. Try giving it a good clean with 00000 wire wool and white spirit (don't flood it!) and see what it looks like while it's still wet. If the result is acceptable, wait 2 days and then give it two coats of Danish oil

[Aerodyne]

It does look as though its gone too far, especially the bottom left front area. If you decide to strip, Nitromors is OK IMHO but you might get a long way - even all the way - to a complete clean-off in a 'dry' manner by scraping. There are threads on this topic if you seach 'scrapers'.
I don't know if the colour differences will survive stripping, but once stripped, a wetting with turps substitute will give an approximation of any finished colour difference. A lot of cabinets were toned with tinted lacquer and if that's the case here, removal of the finish will also remove the shading effects but you won't know unless you do it.
Using Danish oil is a simple way to finish the cabinet and can look good, though not quite 'original'. It is basically transparent so edges will show around the joints between the top, sides and front panel but this isn't too big a price to pay for ease of finishing. I have tinted Danish Oil using Rustin's stains but the mixture needs constant agitation to keep the suspension alive otherwise separation occurs. In other words it ain't easy to do.
You could spray lacquer the cabinet with toner and clear sprays but some practice is needed for good results. If you need source addresses for toner sprays, PM me or ask in this thread.
HTH
Tony

[Aerodyne]

Should have added - masking can work but there's a danger of 'creep' into surrounding grain when using stains or tinted finishes, so a very light touch using a cloth applicator
is safest.
-T

[Rejectostat]

I'm inclined to agree with Radio Dave, I would certainly at least try to preserve the original finish. The top and side(s?) don't look too bad. It looks as though a deco stepped escutcheon is fitted, and once the escutcheon, knobs, scale and cloth are in position the flaking to the left side may not be so obvious.

Thats not a common radio, and its around 70 odd years old. Personally I prefer the originality compared to gleaming newness (that is usually obvious), and of course you always have the option of full refinishing if the result isn't good enough.

[chipp1968]

shame that the front left is so bad . If I were to strip it I may try the nitromores way first as it is kinder to the veneer than scraping and if carefull you will retain alot of the original colour .Scraping will remove any stain colour in the veneer . Its not a pleasant way of doing it and you will need to repeat apply the stuff ,use a scraper to remove the gunk as you go along then wire wool and keep re applying the nasty stuff! If carefull you may be avble to preserve the stained in rebates around the top othetrwise they will show up as ply edge unless you do much further work to them .I advise ,strip ONE side at a time .Might be advisable to masc off the rebated top if its in good condition .ALways go with the grain with scrapers or at least diagonal

[Phil G4SPZ]

Thanks for the prompt advice, guys. I actually think that the top and right-hand side can be rescued with not too much effort, but the left side and front panel are quite bad and may have been damaged by sunlight. The front panel left-hand side is actually the result of my careful application of dry 00000 wire wool on the worst flaking area, to see the effect and to judge the effort required.

I think I will continue with the dry method first before resorting to chemicals.

I confess to having been encouraged to tackle this cabinet from reading Tony's excellent book, a Christmas present from my wife. You can read my review here... http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-revi...owViewpoints=1

Thanks once again. Will post again once reasonable success has been achieved, but as I prefer to do cabinet work in the open air, it may be a while as it's a bit cold at the moment

[Aerodyne]

The review is much appreciated, Phil, though I'm not sure it is thoroughly deserved.
As for working in the open air, there's much to recommend this but the ever-present danger of moisture affecting the surface finish (creating 'bloom') is always present and particularly so in the winter months. Certainly, I believe that spraying lacquer is best done out of doors but this makes the lacquer highly susceptible to moisture ingress during the short drying time. A still, dry day should be chosen and ideally work should be around the middle of the day. Very careful 'assistance' from a warm-air source such as a hair dryer can speed the process and fend off bloom.

Danish oil doesn't create quite the same hazards as spraying and can be done indoors, though not in the house because the smell does tend to linger!

One point for clarification: sprayed toner sits on the surface and doesn't penetrate timber to any marked degree, so stripping with Nitromors or dry scraping should reveal the natural timber surface. Stain however does just that - it penetrates into the wood fibres and is at least partly retained after stripping. Moral? Only use stain when you are certain of its effects as it is very difficult or impossible to remove later.
-Tony

[Retired]

Hi Phil,

This looks like a lovely project.

What is the original finish on the cabinet; have you tested it; French polish or Lacquer?

Regards, Col.

[David G4EBT]

Originally Posted by Aerodyne

The review is much appreciated, Phil, though I'm not sure it is thoroughly deserved.
-Tony

Yes it is!

Why be modest if you have nothing to be modest about?

You're soaring with the eagles Tony

I haven't got the book yet, but I'm sure I'm not alone is saying how much I enjoy your magazine articles - always so well written and illustrated - full of intersting tips and pitfalls to avoid, not just on cabinet finishing, but all aspects. I especially like your 2-part RB article on the Aerodyne Swan restoration. I see why you have it as your avatar - what a pretty set that is.

Best regards,
David
G4EBT

[Phil G4SPZ]

Originally Posted by Retired

Hi Phil,

This looks like a lovely project.

What is the original finish on the cabinet; have you tested it; French polish or Lacquer?

Regards, Col.

I think it's lacquer, Col. It's too thin and flaky to be French polish, although I've not specifically tested it - I presume meths softens French polish but not lacquer?

The darker horizontal bands of veneer appear to be inlaid (you can feel the join) and the dial bezel and knobs are of Bakelite and have cleaned up perfectly.

I'm quite content to wait for warmer weather before tackling the refinishing. I like the idea of Danish oil, it sounds within my skill range so I'll buy some in different colours in readiness. In the meantime, the chassis sits happily playing away on the bench.

And thanks again for the further nuggets about stain and toner, Tony!

[Retired]

Hi Phil,

Sorry for the delay in replying. Yes Methylated spirit will soften or remove French polish (shellac).

At first glance I thought this cabinet would be very easy to restore due to its boxy shape and having flat panels. Upon closer inspection though I feel it will be a difficult project due to the contrasting veneers used on the front panel.

The top is marked and the right hand side has a nasty scrape mark. The front is the worst having exposed bare veneer to the outer section and this veneer appears to be very light coloured; also the adjacent contrasting veneer is rather speckled and these speckles also appear to be quite light coloured.

Whatever you decide to do is entirely up to you as you own the set and you have already been given various suggestions as to how to proceed.

If the cabinet was mine I would not hesitate but completely remove the old original finish as I’ve never been successful at trying to hide blemishes and agree with Tony that the original finish is too far gone.

I would not try using stain or oil to try to improve the original finish as I fear the stain would possibly leave “tide” marks and any type of oil is a penetrating finish therefore the bare veneer would readily soak it up and if unsuccessful would cause problems later in re-finishing.

The flat panels would be very easy to scrape using a cabinet scraper as Tony already suggests. A great deal of care would be needed to avoid cutting right through the veneer especially around edges and I can’t stress this enough also the scraper would have to be correctly sharpened. Alternatively chemical stripper could be used but I don’t like using this.

With the cabinet fully scraped then it would be fully sanded using 600 grit abrasive paper working with the grain and once again taking a lot of care not to cut right through the veneer. At this stage the cabinet should look a whole lot better allowing the next stage to be determined. I like scraping and with care it not only removes the old finish but levels the veneers and as it is used dry the cabinet doesn’t require washing off as it would if chemical stripper had been used.

So far the job would have been easy but now comes the complicated part and that is how to deal with the contrasting veneers. The sides and top of the cabinet will most likely come up extremely light coloured as it was common practice to use such as Birch ply for these; I would try using Walnut spirit stain on these three panels in the hope that the stain goes on evenly but Birch ply can be troublesome as stain can go on uneven or patchy.

The front panel is going to be the major challenge as I feel by scraping; the outer veneer will be far too light in colour but hopefully it will now be at least uniform. Also the scraping will reveal the true colour of the contrasting veneers.

My next stage would be to restore the contrast and I would be acutely aware that this is the point where the job succeeds or fails because I would use spirit stain in two colours and to get it wrong would leave me with nightmares. I would not bother with masking just yet but go over the entire front panel using the same Walnut spirit stain I had used for the top and side panels; this would hopefully balance the bulk of the veneer colour leaving the contrasting veneer to sort out. The Walnut stain would be allowed to completely dry for a few days in a warm place before proceeding. By now I would expect the cabinet to be looking much better but still lacking much contrast.

Tony has already mentioned stain creeps under masking tape and I can certainly vouch for this. I would select a much darker spirit stain now perhaps Dark Oak or for a warmer brown perhaps Rosewood. I would very; very carefully mask off the veneer which was to remain Walnut colour but would be tempted first to experiment with an off cut of plywood; I would use standard auto masking tape and also the brown paper gummed tape to see which gave the best result. Ordinary masking tape can leave glue residue behind and if this happened could prove troublesome as the glue would require removing with white spirit which would also remove the stain; gummed paper though could be removed with water used sparingly and this should have little impact on the stain; I haven’t tried this myself but intend to do so should I be faced with a similar problem. The edge of the tape must be secure or stain creep will be sure to happen. I would then very carefully apply the dark stain using a cloth taking care not to flood it on.

The stain would be allowed to completely dry then the tape would be very gently removed. If all is well then I could apply the finish with little difficulty.

Spirit stain is sold under various names such as Colron and can be identified by reading the instructions as it can be removed with turps or white spirit.

I like to scrape a cabinet and I also like to French polish so now I would apply the French polish. Depending on how the cabinet looked after the staining I would be tempted to apply a coat of raw linseed oil to bring out the colour after the stain had dried then let the linseed oil completely dry before applying the French polish.

For lacquer finish water based stain could be used but I find this doesn’t penetrate as deeply as the spirit stain and auto masking tape would have to be used as the water from the stain would lift gummed tape.

The rebate around the top and the raw timber edges around the openings could be painted in as these will show exposed plywood edges.

It’s your call Phil and a difficult one; these notes are for information only and everyone who restores cabinets has their own preferences; I like French polish; others prefer Lacquer or Danish Oil. I can get caught out on a cabinet restoration and am not scared to admit it so enclose a recent difficult restoration to one of my own cabinets that drove me around the bend and it’s very much like yours regarding contrasting veneers. This one turned out well in the end.

Without actually seeing the cabinet it’s very difficult to be precise as to restoring it but I hope this is of some help.

Have fun and the very best of luck. Regards, Col.

[Phil G4SPZ]

Col,

What can I say? Many thanks for your most comprehensive advice, which I have saved separately and printed out.

Probably the most important thing I've learned is that time is needed to get this sort of job right. I therefore plan to have a week off later in the year when the weather is better and I can devote some quality time to this task. I hope to post something in Success Stories in due course.

Thanks again to all contributors for your interest and advice,

[chipp1968]

I saw one of these sets on a tv prog this eve !

[Phil G4SPZ]

Shame I missed that, Chipp! Well, today's the day... dry and mild weather, my wife has gone to London and I've got a day off work to start stripping the cabinet. Wire wool and elbow grease first...

[chipp1968]

Yes is was a clip of old film about VD prevention actually from the 40s
I Look forward to see it shining in a new pic

[Phil G4SPZ]

OK... well, things are progressing. I started with 00 grade wire wool, which was effective but very slow, then I tried 400 grade wet-and-dry, which was slightly faster but still pretty slow. I then tried the scraper shown, and haven't looked back since

Removal of the old lacquer has revealed quite good contrast between the dark and light veneers, but also the need for some grain filling in certain areas, as shown in the second photo. Can anyone recommend a good make and colour of grain filler?

I have decided to use Danish Oil to refinish the cabinet once the scraping is done and the grain has been filled.

[Phil G4SPZ]

Apart from an aching right hand, the scraping has gone remarkably well and the contrast between the veneers has been revealed, now that the old dark lacquer has been removed. The thumbnails show the stripped cabinet wiped over with white spirit.

Next step is to apply clear Danish Oil, but I need to stop for lunch first

[chipp1968]

lovely veneers . I thought eek when i saw the scraper ! Need a push scraper that u bend between thumbs and forfingers .It can be done with a Stanley blade .Ripping out of the grain will be due to scraping aginst the grain as will the scratches which will probably show up as they will be almost impossible to remove .Try to go with the grain as much as poss and diagonally if not possible .CAREfully , if against the grain .It is difficult when there are geometric veneers .Sand with the grain as much as possible as well ,though less important with fine paper.
Anyway its looking good so far

[Phil G4SPZ]

I actually found the scraper easy to use, and very controllable causing no damage at all to the veneers. Mind you, I have ordered a flat steel scraper now.

After scraping, I sanded with 600 grade wet-and-dry followed by 0000 grade wire wool, then wiped over with white spirit. I have brush-applied two coats of Danish oil, and am leaving this to dry overnight before gently rubbing down with 00000 wire wool in the morning then applying a final coat of Danish oil with a cloth. The veneers look great