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Old 16th Jul 2012, 5:14 pm   #1
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Default Philco record player wooden case damage

Hello all. I'm making fairly good progress with a dilapidated Philco model 63 stereo record player from 1960. The first photo shows it as found at a car boot sale last year for £4.

The cabinet is made of thick particle board with a veneer finish. The problem is that it's been slid around on it's base with the legs off, resulting in some damage to the lower edges on both sides. The veneer has been chipped off and it looks unsightly. I suppose deally it wants the veneer taking off both sides, the small nibbles in the chipboard filling and new veneer applied, but I don't think I want to go that far with it. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas? I did wonder about glueing slender lengths of plain wooden moulding to cover the damaged areas, then staining them to match the rest of the case, although this would slightly modify the original appearance. Hmm.

I am re-finishing the cabinet with danish oil, which has worked beautifully on the lid as you can hopefully see. Is it in order to apply wax over this? Although it looks good after 4 coats of oil, it still looks and feels a little unfinished, as though it needs a final coat of something to protect it.

I don't often venture into cabinet restoration, but I'm encouraged to get this player sorted out as I think it should look really smart when finished.

Thanks!

Steve J
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Old 16th Jul 2012, 8:24 pm   #2
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

Quote:
Originally Posted by Colourstar View Post
I did wonder about glueing slender lengths of plain wooden moulding to cover the damaged areas
On reflection 'beading' better describes what I had in mind as opposed to 'moulding'.

Steve
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Old 17th Jul 2012, 12:37 am   #3
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

I think what I'd do is use Rustins Plastic Wood, or someone elses equivalent, to build up the damaged edges. You can then smooth it off and stain it to match the rest of the cabinet if necessary. As we're only talking edges, bottom ones at that, you probably needn't be too fussy about any stain blending perfectly with the existing finish.

Looking at the colours Rustins do, mahogany might be too dark so a lighter colour followed by staining may be a better idea. Then again, as the damage is confined to narrow areas along the edges you may get away with mahogany and no staining if you're sharp eyed and steady handed.

I personally wouldn't attempt the beading idea, not least because the damage along the edges would need to be uniform for the beading to sit properly. Also, presumably the beading would stand proud so it might be prone to damage in the future.

Moving on, Danish oil dries to leave a semi-matt or satin finish and that's probably why your lid (which already looks very good, by the way) looks and feels like it still needs that something extra. There's no reason whatsoever why you can't apply polish to it, but I'd give the cabinet at least one full day for the final coat of Danish oil to dry out before applying polish.

Keep us informed of progress with pictures please as that's an interesting and not-so-common machine you've got there.
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Old 17th Jul 2012, 7:04 am   #4
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

I'd also tend to use a light coloured wood filler - but first, experiment by adding or applying stains to suit: you'll never get a perfect match but with care you may be able to paint in 'grain' - try an old comb.

Danish oil will give lustre, but much depends on how the veneer has been sealed - some are clear Melamine sprayed. Danish oil takes at lot longer than a day to thorougly dry - make sure the tin is very thoroughly stirred/shaken to make ensure any resins are fully disolved. You shouldn't need to apply polish afterwards, but if you do, leave it at least a week and make sure it is not at all tacky.

Good luck
Barry
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Old 17th Jul 2012, 7:32 pm   #5
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

Excellent, thanks to both of you for the advice. You're right of course- filling is the way to go as the damage is minor (but irritating). I'll perhaps do the back of the cabinet first, just to see how neatly I can make the results.

I'll start a thread under the record player section once the case is finished. This Philco was a bit of a basket case when I found it and there are still some items of cabinet hardware missing including all the 'chinese hats' for the knobs (which I think you can obtain online), one hinge for the lid and nearly every single screw! Someone has obviously started to dismantle it before and given in, then lost bits.

A rare machine indeed, although this is the second example I've owned. The first was acquired from a jumble sale in the 1980s. I'm hoping I may still have the instruction leaflet somewhere.

Steve
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Old 17th Jul 2012, 9:21 pm   #6
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

What are the hinges like, Steve? I've got some of the chrome ones that allow the lid to only open to 90 degrees, with a sliding strut. If you need one, let me know.

Barry
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Old 20th Jul 2012, 7:49 pm   #7
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

Thanks Barry. There are two conventional hinges at the rear of the cover, with a separate strut arrangement inside the record deck compartment to keep the lid up. Fortunately the strut is there, but one of the rear hinges is missing. It's the same as used on many pieces of furniture and I'm sure I can source one without too much bother, or replace the existing lone one and fit a new matching pair.

Very kind of you to offer anyway.

Regards,
Steve
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Old 5th Aug 2012, 9:32 am   #8
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

A couple of busy weekends have kept me away from this, but I've now had an opportunity to take things a little further.

Firstly all the electronics were removed from the case, which was a fiddle due to the external speaker sockets, extra inputs and so forth which had to be unsoldered as the paxolin plates were too big to thread through the holes in the case.

The case was lightly sanded to remove all the old staining and muck. This revealed the veneer on one side to be decidedly 'bubbly'. I'm pretty sure this must have been left in the rain at some stage! The sanding completed, I taped a metal ruler to the case to ensure I was filling to a good edge. Ronseal mahogany wood filler paste was then pressed into the damaged edge using improvised 'spatulas' made from strips of plastic cut from a margarine tub. Once fully dry, the filler was lightly sanded level. Removing the metal ruler reveals a good level edge.

I'm not sure now how to blend the flat colour of the filler with that of the surrounding grained wood before I start applying Danish oil. Any advice appreciated!

Steve J
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Old 5th Aug 2012, 9:35 am   #9
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

Meanwhile, with the deck out, I noticed that the base board was very bowed at the front where it is unsupported. I have glued a batten to this to straighten it up.
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Old 5th Aug 2012, 9:50 am   #10
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

Keep up the good work!

Robert
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Old 5th Aug 2012, 11:22 am   #11
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

Trying to colour match filler is 100% trial and error! It's best to stain a trial piece first and then apply oil. A useful tip is to wet the filler with a damp rag or spital to see what colour it turns into - this replicates clear varnish and what happens when its oiled.

However, generally it is safer to be a tad darker, rather than lighter, when blending in, but as I say it is 100% trial and error. On your head be it!

Good luck!
Barry
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Old 5th Aug 2012, 6:08 pm   #12
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

Thanks Robert, thanks Barry!

The only wood dye I happened to have lying around was Rustins teak, which didn't look a million miles away. I got a very fine paintbrush and applied some. You know what? It doesn't look too bad! I'll post pics when I've had time to fine tune it....

Steve
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Old 11th Aug 2012, 8:33 am   #13
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

The cabinet is now nearly finished and I must say I'm delighted with the results so far. The repairs to the lower edges seem to have been successful and certainly don't stand out. It was possible to reconstruct the bashed and rounded front lower corners with filler too. The two front badges have also had a bit of a buffing and have responded very well indeed, although I may just re-do the black background on the PHILCO badge.

The grille cloth is serviceable although too delicate to clean. It has darkened somewhat but is intact. It has a gold glitter thread running through it which you can't see in the photos, but looks very period. I don't think this is available (at least not from Sid Chaplin as far as I can see) and I'd rather keep it for the sake of originality than replace it with a new but glitter-free version.

I need a few items of hardware, principally 5 fairly coarse threaded screws to secure the record deck baseboard to the cabinet. They screw through C-section metal clips on battens in the usual way. I'll have to scout round the hardware shops... if there are any still left!

I also need four brass inserts (aka 'chinese hats') for the control knobs. I'm sure I've come across a Dansette specialist who sold re-manufactured items, but can't for the life of me find who it was. Anyone know of a source of these?

Meanwhile I'm sanding and respraying the black legs and polishing up the brass coloured ferrules.

Here's a reminder of the cabinet 'as was', followed by some 'as is'!

Steve J
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Old 11th Aug 2012, 10:12 am   #14
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

Well done!

Barry
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Old 11th Aug 2012, 10:37 am   #15
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

A source of 'Chinese hat' brights was given in this thread, 21mm diameter.

Well done with that cabinet, it's quite a transformation.
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Old 11th Aug 2012, 10:54 am   #16
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

Thanks guys! Cheers for the link Darren, that's exactly the company I was thinking of. Ironically they are located about 15 minutes drive from me, although I note they are mail-order only.

Getting those brights will make a massive difference to the overall appearance.


Steve
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Old 12th Aug 2012, 10:32 am   #17
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

One thing I have noticed as this restoration progresses is the somewhat endearingly relaxed approach to quality control at Philco.

The pictures show that out of three screws to secure the card ventilation cover, only one has found it's mark, the other two holes have missed the edge of the batten.

The metal bracket which holds a lip on the edge of the power supply assembly has been screwed down hard over the encroaching nuts of one leg plate, thus bending the bracket.

You can just imagine on the noisy assembly line in 1961, Sheila gossiping with her mate Barbara... "Ere did you see Cliff on the Palladium last night, I don't reckon that new record of 'is is much cop, what d'you reckon Barb? Ooo-er, look I bent me bracket! Don't tell Mr Jenkinson or he'll dock me wage again. Anyway as I was sayin'..."

Well... maybe.

Steve
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Old 17th Aug 2012, 10:43 pm   #18
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Default Re: Philco record player wooden case damage

Looks like Multi-mix music are no longer a going concern, so a new source of those knob brights is required. Are there any other companies producing them to anyone's knowledge?

Steve
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