RCA 811K Floor Radio - Should I lacquer the whole cabinet? - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

mukerjea · 7th Jul 2011, 1:03 am

Hello Everyone,

I stripped only a portion of the cabinet where veneer was badly damaged. I repaired it and then stained the top and water fall front. Rest of the cabinet is in quite good shape and finish. See the images.

Now! My questions are:

Should I spray lacquer to the stained portion only or should I give do the whole cabinet?

And if I have to do the part only then what is the best way to mask rest of the cabinet?

Can I use masking tape for the edges?

Will the lacquer react with the masking take and seep through and spoil the old finish under masking?

Please help me!!

7th Jul 2011, 6:48 am

How about danish oil or the like, it is put on with a cloth.

vinrads · 7th Jul 2011, 9:47 am

Hi I have good results with "Patina" a Langlow product this is also applied with a cloth.

ms660 · 7th Jul 2011, 10:51 am

It depends I suppose on what the existing finish/original finish is on the rest of the cabinet, if it is laquer then I personaly would go for laquer as the cabinet looks worthy of matching up correctly.
Maybe a two or three LIGHT of coats of spray laquer on the top and waterfall (masked round the edges) as you seem to have them already prepared, then at the approriate time remove the masking and flatten/feather out any laquer that might have found its way under the tape then apply a final laquer coat to the whole cabinet.
Note: I am no expert on laquer but if the original cabinet finish was laquer it is probably nitro cellulose based so I would advise to check compatibility with modern laquer first.
If done correctly it will look stunning.

Good luck.

mukerjea · 8th Jul 2011, 2:49 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwdrive

It depends ............ laquer first.
If done correctly it will look stunning.

Good luck.

Thanks for valuable advice. Once I finish the project, I'll post the images. Rest of the Radio is all ready to go in to the cabinet.
This radio has a electric tuning which I have fixed. It was supposed to have a wired remote which is very hard to get these days. So I am doing an add-on to make it work with wireless remote control.
Best regards,
Ash

Sean Williams · 9th Jul 2011, 12:08 pm

I would lacquer the affected areas first - good quality masking tape will be fine, and you are masking onto known defined edges, so this makes life easier.

If you get some creep, then it should be easy to hide.

A full coat would equalise the finish across the whole cabinet, but may not be required.

Cheers
Sean

7th Jul 2011, 1:03 am	#1
mukerjea Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Posts: 12	RCA 811K Floor Radio - Should I lacquer the whole cabinet? Hello Everyone, I stripped only a portion of the cabinet where veneer was badly damaged. I repaired it and then stained the top and water fall front. Rest of the cabinet is in quite good shape and finish. See the images. Now! My questions are: Should I spray lacquer to the stained portion only or should I give do the whole cabinet? And if I have to do the part only then what is the best way to mask rest of the cabinet? Can I use masking tape for the edges? Will the lacquer react with the masking take and seep through and spoil the old finish under masking? Please help me!! Attached Thumbnails

7th Jul 2011, 6:48 am	#2
Guest Guest Posts: n/a	Re: RCA 811K Floor Radio - Should I lacquer the whole cabinet? How about danish oil or the like, it is put on with a cloth.

7th Jul 2011, 9:47 am	#3
vinrads Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 3,762	Re: RCA 811K Floor Radio - Should I lacquer the whole cabinet? Hi I have good results with "Patina" a Langlow product this is also applied with a cloth.

7th Jul 2011, 10:51 am	#4
ms660 Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 13,454	Re: RCA 811K Floor Radio - Should I lacquer the whole cabinet? It depends I suppose on what the existing finish/original finish is on the rest of the cabinet, if it is laquer then I personaly would go for laquer as the cabinet looks worthy of matching up correctly. Maybe a two or three LIGHT of coats of spray laquer on the top and waterfall (masked round the edges) as you seem to have them already prepared, then at the approriate time remove the masking and flatten/feather out any laquer that might have found its way under the tape then apply a final laquer coat to the whole cabinet. Note: I am no expert on laquer but if the original cabinet finish was laquer it is probably nitro cellulose based so I would advise to check compatibility with modern laquer first. If done correctly it will look stunning. Good luck.

9th Jul 2011, 12:08 pm	#6
Sean Williams Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: St.Ippolyts, Hitchin, Hertfordshire QRA IO91UW Posts: 3,517	Re: RCA 811K Floor Radio - Should I lacquer the whole cabinet? I would lacquer the affected areas first - good quality masking tape will be fine, and you are masking onto known defined edges, so this makes life easier. If you get some creep, then it should be easy to hide. A full coat would equalise the finish across the whole cabinet, but may not be required. Cheers Sean __________________ Engineers make things work and have spare bits when finished