Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Projects

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Gramtastic
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Re: Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Project

Post by Gramtastic »

Had to rescue this from the Shabby Chicers... It was intact when I bought it but thanks to the postal service it arrived as a pink flat pack ! The paint was so evil I had to have it chemically stripped prior to a re-assemble and staining. Came out quite well I thought !
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Curt A
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Re: Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Project

Post by Curt A »

Wow!!! Amazing transformations... piles of wood, nasty fuschia pieces of junk all rescued and brought back to life...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
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Jwb88
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Re: Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Project

Post by Jwb88 »

"nasty fuschia pieces of junk" made me lol! That one came out great.

Markola, I have trouble getting mahogany that red, let alone oak. Very consistent color, nice!

I'm currently working on the Edison C-200 I got from Jerry B. I'm doing a full refinish. I wasn't going to, but the lower part of the cabinet got flakier and flakier as I attempted to clean it, and the top of the lid needs stripped anyway, so it's getting a tear down. This thread is encouraging me to work on it more. I'm very slow with this kind of stuff, especially when I know it's for myself and there's no deadline or anything. I love the model so it's a keeper. I've finally come up with what I think is a good formula to match what I call, "1919 oak" (seems a lot of machines I see from about then had this color, goofy reason, I know). I have no idea what others would call this finish or what it was called originally, despite reading some previous postings on the subject. It's the smooth-finished oak with black grain and a green/brown stain. It took me a lot of tests on the back of the machine but I've got it about right. Now I just have to strip the rest of the cabinet, lol.
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Curt A
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Re: Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Project

Post by Curt A »

That looks about perfect... after you finish, please post the "formula"...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

Markola
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Re: Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Project

Post by Markola »

[quote="Jwb88"]"nasty fuschia pieces of junk" made me lol! That one came out great.

Markola, I have trouble getting mahogany that red, let alone oak. Very consistent color, nice!

Thanks. So, here’s my ‘secret’ technique, in hopes you’ll tell us yours for your “1919 Oak” color…haha! :lol:

Getting a deep red mahogany color on oak is a two-step process for me. I start with what I call an “underwash,” which is a reddish dye, then go over that with a more typical wood stain. This gives deeper color and more contrast (between the red highlights and the darker, browner grain) than the usual one-step staining, in my opinion.

The dye is an acetone-based Mohawk product (usually “Ox Blood” or “Dark Brown Mahogany”) with no solids, which penetrates instantly—one wipe and it’s done. Sometimes I thin it with a 90/10 mixture of acetone/ethanol if the color is too strong for the wood. After the initial dye wash, I go over it with a more traditional stain (generally Minwax “Red Oak #215”, “Red Mahogany #225”, “Cherry #235”, or similar) to deepen the grain and make the color richer. This is a typical oil-based stain which you wipe on and wait before you wipe it off—the longer the wait time, the deeper the color—which gives you a little play in adjusting the color depth. (BTW, the stain scheme for the VV-VI and cabinet in the previous photos was Red Mahogany #225 over Oxblood…)

First pic is a screen-cap (from an instructional video I did) showing the selection of dyes and stains I use, and the second is a pic of applying Minwax RM #225 over Mohawk Oxblood on an oak Victrola case. (IOW, it’s the stain on the far right of the sample board over the dye on the far left. Individually, neither one is that attractive to me, but together they give me what I’m looking for. YMMV, of course…)

Cheers!
Mark
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Jwb88
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Re: Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Project

Post by Jwb88 »

I had a feeling it would involve dye. I haven’t done any red mahogany in ages but next time I do I hope it’s something early so I can do that really vivid red color and try it.

I appreciate the tutorial and I also appreciate the interest in my method! It's nothing fancy though. I know how hard DIY information can be to find, even online. I don’t begrudge anyone for staying mum, they’re often completely self-taught like myself. I know some guys who keep their secrets and I respect that because it’s their creation. They were the creative-brained experimenters that spent hours/days/years/decades coming up with something that works for them. If I want their info, I'll have to apprentice with them.

As far as my current project is concerned, I’ll gladly post about it when it’s done and I know it works. I’m still concerned about getting and keeping a level surface with what I used. Basically I winged it out of old stuff in the garage, as usual lol. But basically it’s the old standard: strip, sand, fill, stain, coat. I use Minwax stains whenever I can. If it’s not at the average hardware store, I don’t need it. I’ll have to figure out what I mixed so I can do the whole thing and report back.

I could tell an amusing story about a lecherous dealer/collector I met recently that strung me along in a really obvious way. He was one of those lazy people who are always prodding for information. They’re very common here in Southern California for some reason. Anyway, I tried not to giggle as he would nonchalantly ask me things like, “How did you get that stain to match…” while looking at his cuticles and holding his breath. I told him the truth, albeit abridged. I always figure, even if the person is, in my opinion, a lying sack of BS, at least maybe the piece of furniture he attempts next will thank me some day. And honestly, to get a good finish takes a lot of work. The pretentious type of person that artisans shirk from is, by nature, above hard work. Their thrill is in being a con and gaining control. Chances are they won’t even use the info. Get their nails dirty?!?! :lol:

outune
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Re: Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Project

Post by outune »

One of my toughest restoration projects was a Columbia BS purchased about 25 years ago. Lots of elbow grease, lots of patience looking for parts and lots of help from Ken Danckaert. It's a great little machine.

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Jerry B.
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Re: Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Project

Post by Jerry B. »

Brad, that is amazing! Jerry B.

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Curt A
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Re: Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Project

Post by Curt A »

Brad,
That is amazing... it looks like you fished it out of a river, cleaned it up and restored it to a showpiece...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

outune
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Re: Before and After, Your Proudest Salvage Machines Project

Post by outune »

Thanks Curt and Jerry--- I purchased the BS off the porch of an old farmhouse in Waterford, VA over 25 years ago. (Two more pics attached-- My son was with me-- he's 29 now!) The machine had been sitting, as pictured, on a window air conditioning unit for many years. When I asked if it was for sale, the old guy that owned it said "I think I'm gonna get around to fixin' it up." When I offered him $100 for it, he nearly jumped out of his seat to take the money. :)
I cleaned and scrubbed. Second pic is after the initial cleaning. I then looked for parts and had a couple of the coin parts made by Ken-- Finding a nice original top case took some time--I had a repro that I used for awhile but finally found an original. It is a beautiful machine that plays great.

BTW- Jerry- It was great to finally meet you in person at Wayne-- and I enjoyed meeting and talking education with DeeDee. Hope to see you again!

Brad
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