Wartime Civilian Receiver, cabinet finish.

[stevekendal]

What was the original cabinet finish of these sets and does the label (that on top of cabinet) go on before or after lacquering?

Actually I havent decided yet whether to use lacquer, french polish or oil. Steve.

[Paul_RK]

Hi Steve,

No obligation to follow it of course, but the standard original finish of these sets was bare wood I'll confess to the opinion that they still look best that way. A great many owners lost no time in tarting them up with varnish to alleviate the "utility" appearance, hence the variety of finishes we see now.

I remember an article somewhere written by a chap who had been employed in restoring the cabinets of a batch of sets that had suffered smoke damage whilst still in the warehouse, and the procedure with the cabinets was to sand them down then apply a drop of linseed oil with a rag, to nourish the wood and bring out the grain. I've done the same with my two and am very happy with the results.

I suppose the reason why so many of the original labels are in a poor state is that, unlike say Pye or Marconi transfers, they didn't have any protective coating from new.

Regards,
Paul

[Ghostuser]

Hi,
We had a mains model Wartime Civilian Receiver during WWII, bought new. The cabinet did not have a high gloss finish like the cellulose finishes used on most pre-war receivers, but I am pretty sure it had some kind of protective coating. The cabinet was very smooth overall, with no rough edges for me to catch my little fingers on. Also, it did not have the whitish look of new bare pine, but was a pale brown. Maybe a clean up with very fine glasspaper followed by linseed oil would be a good match.
Regards
Nigel

[PETE]

With an oil or wax finish there might be a problem with transfers adhering to the treated surface.

They should stick to a varnished surface well.

Regards,

Pete

G8KIT

[Dave Moll]

The label which I sent to Steve is printed on paper rather than as a transfer. I should point out that the credit for producing it goes to "Radio Dave". I merely printed it using my "micro-dry" Printiva printer.

[Brased]

Mine, made by Halcyon, was finished with a coat of shellac varnish (not french polished!). The transfer is on top of this so it must be the factory finish.

Edward

[stevekendal]

The oil idea appeals to me as I have some to hand, but will the paper stick on to it ok with PVA ? or, I could stick it on first ?

Steve.

[Paul_RK]

I'd expect it to stick perfectly well, but a dummy run, applying the oil to any old piece of bare wood then attempting to stick a piece of paper to it, might be worth doing to be sure. From what others have said there does seem to have been some variation in the original finish of the sets as in much else (knobs, speaker cloth etc.) I'd somehow forgotten to mention that the two front "columns" (only) of one of mine do have a factory-applied finish, probably shellac varnish as Edward mentions. I've noticed a few other sets on which the columns are darker than the rest of the cabinet, and probably always have been.

Paul

[stevekendal]

Just given it the once-over with danish oil and its got quite a nice golden colour already, not unlike the tinted lacquer that was already on it. The pillars though, being pine I think, are much lighter. The sides and front are of plain ply, not veneered.

Steve.

[chipp1968]

Danish oil is a good choice, 2 or 3 coats, then wax it with a little beeswax with very fine wire wool but apply transfer first cos it wont stick to a waxed cabinet .

The wire wool wax method usually softens the appearance of the finish and makes it mellow, cuts back too much gloss if its there too, or highlights areas which are too glossy.

All the sets I have come across have had a clear lacquer finish of some sort, not bare wood.

[Dave Moll]

Originally Posted by chipp1968

...then wax it with a little beeswax with very fine wire wool but apply transfer first cos it wont stick to a waxed cabinet.

I would be very wary of doing this over the label for two reasons.
1) you would tend to fray the edges of the paper.
2) I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the printing (which has a waxy finish) rubbing off.

I would be more inclined to find an adhesive that is not fazed by the wax.

[stevekendal]

Originally Posted by Dave Moll

I would be very wary of doing this over the label for two reasons.
1) you would tend to fray the edges of the paper.
2) I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the printing (which has a waxy finish) rubbing off.

I would be more inclined to find an adhesive that is not fazed by the wax.

MMM, could be tricky. Think I'll try to wax around it. Steve.

[Paul_RK]

Originally Posted by chipp1968

All the sets i have come accross have had a clear laquer finish of some sort , not bare wood .

Odd, though generations have done as they wished with the sets by now, and most people lately seem readily to assume they originally had some kind of decorative finish. Here's just one that I suspect never did until its restoration... http://www.vintage-radio.com/recent-...rtime-ac2.html

"Radio! Radio!" gets it right (it seems to me, on the balance of the evidence) in referring to the finish of the sets as "plain pinewood", and a Radiophile article a while back related the various reasons reported by dealers for public rejection of the sets even when radios were hard to come by, with the "light unpolished box" near the top of the list.

Paul

[stevekendal]

Originally Posted by Paul_RK

Odd, though generations have done as they wished with the sets by now, and most people lately seem readily to assume they originally had some kind of decorative finish. Here's just one that I suspect never did until its restoration... http://www.vintage-radio.com/recent-...rtime-ac2.html

"Radio! Radio!" gets it right (it seems to me, on the balance of the evidence) in referring to the finish of the sets as "plain pinewood", and a Radiophile article a while back related the various reasons reported by dealers for public rejection of the sets even when radios were hard to come by, with the "light unpolished box" near the top of the list.

Paul

Well, I have two of these sets, both with a tinted varnish or lacquer finish, probably applied early on in the sets' lives so could be considered "vintage" Both are quite badly damaged , so do you (A ) leave them as found, or (B) strip back to the original unappealing bare pine finish, or (C) try to make them look nice enough to display? With loads of these sets still about and a negligible value, it has to be the latter for me guys. Steve.

[Paul_RK]

Hi Steve,

(B) and (C) are my choices, I just don't like to see 'em at all glossy I'm sorry if I've been a tad persistent here: it's probably down to the several letters I've been too lazy to write over the years whenever articles have presented anything up to and including a deep cellulose polish job on these sets as "restoration", which makes as much sense to me as painting a round Ekco. As you say, though, the Civilian Set is hardly rare, and the best finish for yours is whatever you prefer to see sitting on your own sideboard.

Regards,
Paul

[Brased]

Mine appears to have had a coat of shellac varnish, brushed (?) over the surfaces which are normally visible. There are some runs onto unvarnished edges. It was clearly a basic factory finish.

Over the years the cabinet has had a few knocks but as it is otherwise sound so I have just wiped a thin coat of shellac over it to 'freshen it up'. The wood is now quite dark but this is partly because of the effect of light on the pine over the years. It seemed inappropriate to try and disguise the basic construction. After all, it is part of the charm of the set reflecting the time when it was built.

Edward

[Paul_RK]

Yes, there's nothing much that can or should be done about the darkening effect of the years.

I do find the basic design and look of the set both pleasing to the eye and evocative of its period, but it's hardly surprising that to its original customer base the set wasn't what they wanted at all. Pine furniture is hardly an unusual sight now (though, Civilian Sets aside, I don't think I own any), whereas furniture back then almost always meant walnut, mahogany or oak: untreated Douglas fir had been for the insides of drawers, and its use for a cabinet was all too visible a sign of austere times.

Paul

[stevekendal]

Originally Posted by Brased

Mine appears to have had a coat of shellac varnish, brushed (?) over the surfaces which are normally visible. There are some runs onto unvarnished edges. It was clearly a basic factory finish.

Over the years the cabinet has had a few knocks but as it is otherwise sound so I have just wiped a thin coat of shellac over it to 'freshen it up'. The wood is now quite dark but this is partly because of the effect of light on the pine over the years. It seemed inappropriate to try and disguise the basic construction. After all, it is part of the charm of the set reflecting the time when it was built.

Edward

Yes, the tinted varnish on both of mine looks to have been brushed, and frankly must have looked awful even when new, obscuring the attractive grain of the wood. The danish oil has brought out the grain and so I'm going to glue the label on and wax the rest of the cabinet. Doesnt look quite so much like an orange box now Steve.

[stevekendal]

Stuck the label on, very carefully waxed up to it and whoops, the edge started to loose its colour. Scrape wax off. Apply three coats of aerosol lacquer just over the label, dry with hair dryer, clean up rest of top, re-oil and wax. Phew. looks fine now.

Steve.