Cossor 438

[psc945quail]

I have obtained a cossor 438 and it works.
But need help on the wood finish, I thought it was a varnish finish. A lot of the dark brown wood effect coating has come off. It is thin and under neath looks plain wood with no true grain pattern, so re varnishing wood not look right. I have had someone look at it (a painter) he seems to think it was vineer not varnish (looks too thin for that but has a dark grain which the base wood seems to be lacking.)
So I am asking if anyone knows what these radios where finished with. Also best way to tackle the restoration.

Paul C

[ianm]

Hi Paul,

Your set was most probably finished with shellac, otherwise known as French polish. I have a Cossor 368 of roughly the same age, which was definitely finished this way. I stripped it back to bare wood and had it professionally French polished to get as close to the original finish as possible.

The easiest way to tell if your set has this type of finish is to apply a drop of methylated spirit, which will soften and dissolve the polish. Of course, don't attempt this if you're not planning to strip and re-polish it, otherwise just try it on an inconspicuous corner.

Another finish that was popular on old radios is cellulose lacquer. This is a finish that is easily reproduced today and is usually applied with a spray gun, or from an aerosol can.

[60 oldjohn]

Hi Paul, First welcome to the forum you have come to the right place, You will find a lot of helpful people here. I notice you say the set works, has it had it's capacitors replaced? If not I hope you will read the various threads on the subject before you next plug it in. You also have a Private message. Regards John.

[mickjjo]

A lot of Cossors had an expensive looking woodgrain effect simply printed onto the plywood cabinet and laquered over, rather than a proper veneer, there is no easy way to replicate this easily damaged finish, careful touching up is about all you can do if originality is important.

Regards, Mick.

[Paul_RK]

Yes: much depends on the present condition of your set. I've suspected with some few Cossors that the original appearance was "too good" to be veneer, given that the sets were among the cheapest on the market to begin with - elaborate veneering in fine woods costs money, whereas printing a finish costs much the same whatever it is I've restored an early '30s Ferranti whose original grain pattern was printed on paper, which wrinkled somewhat when wet with Nitromors but dried out and survived the treatment in reasonable enough shape to be French polished: also an American set whose original banded and figured walnut finish just appeared briefly as the cream paint somebody had applied dissolved away, only itself to be washed away in turn

Regards,
Paul

[ianm]

Mick,

You have a good point there about the woodgrain effect. My own Cossor, mentioned in my previous posting, didn't have this, but you've triggered something in the depths of my memory. Here it is, at Beery's web site, near the bottom of the page.

http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.valve/past.htm