Amberola wood finish? Help

[Mormon S]

So I have an amberola box in good shape when it comes to the wood, but the finish/varnish is teribble. I cleaned and used valve oil on the top of it, and wiped of the excess. Should I sand the rest and use the oil/any kind of specific oil? Should I use another type of finish? I am quite nervous of sanding it, and I might take it to a wood worker. But if it is simple enough, I might just do it at home. I have no woodworking experience, so I need some advice. Also, i have a picture of the inside, which is in really nice shape, if that helps.

[Roaring20s]

try this stuff...
Savogran 01102 Strypeeze Semi-Paste Stripper Paint/Varnish Remover, Quart

You will need a brush, rags, ventilated area and it's easy. The varnish will soften and you repeatedly wipe it away. Do one surface at a time. Get it at your local hardware / Home Depot. You'll need Turpentine for clean-up too. Note, it will remove the Edison decal and you'll need to replace that. The metal grille looks good, leave it as is. That might take more effort for you to recreate.

Don't use that valve oil again!

James.

[Jerry B.]

A little oak Amberola cabinet is an excellent object for a first time refinisher. Oak is much more forgiving than mahogany. If you take the refinishing route disassemble your machine down to the point that you are dealing only with wooden pieces. I apply stripper with a brush, wait a short time, and remove the stripper with 0 steel wool. You are wise not to use sandpaper. People generally use sandpaper on areas where it is easy to use and spend less time in difficult areas. You run the risk of a blotchy look. You may have to apply stripper a couple of times. When the piece is stripped go over it one more time with denatured alcohol and 0000 steel wood. Next stain and finish. For a machine like yours I like Watco Dark Walnut followed by satin Deft. This not how it was done at the factory. If you want to follow that route use shellac. I would suggest that you not try to save any decals. Most decals are available from Gregg Cline. Follow his instructions and you'll be delighted.

Jerry Blais

[Mormon S]

A little oak Amberola cabinet is an excellent object for a first time refinisher. Oak is much more forgiving than mahogany. If you take the refinishing route disassemble your machine down to the point that you are dealing only with wooden pieces. I apply stripper with a brush, wait a short time, and remove the stripper with 0 steel wool. You are wise not to use sandpaper. People generally use sandpaper on areas where it is easy to use and spend less time in difficult areas. You run the risk of a blotchy look. You may have to apply stripper a couple of times. When the piece is stripped go over it one more time with denatured alcohol and 0000 steel wood. Next stain and finish. For a machine like yours I like Watco Dark Walnut followed by satin Deft. This not how it was done at the factory. If you want to follow that route use shellac. I would suggest that you not try to save any decals. Most decals are available from Gregg Cline. Follow his instructions and you'll be delighted.

Jerry Blais

Thanks! I'm also paranoid about stain, and on a refurbishing guide,it said if you apply a stripper, you probably won't need to stain it, and simply use an oil finish. Do you think that would work? Also, I'm not doing the inside, it's fine as it is, and of course I'm not replacing a perfect logo for a decal

[VanEpsFan1914]

Hey MormonS--if the Catholics can stand on your porch and share the phonograph gospel for a while, here's how I refinish.

I like original. Watco & Deft are hard to beat on the satin-gloss later 1920s machines, but for finishes originally done in shellac, I like to go as original as possible. You'll get a nice machine, but the original method of stain and shellac is really easy, I was able to refinish a Standard Phonograph in the shed with a paintbrush and a can of Zinssner "Bull's Eye" brand orange shellac. Okay, okay, some say it's amber, but it's ORANGE.

Yes, I had to use a stain, too. I stripped the cabinet down with KUTZIT stripper, for fine antiques, and this led to the formation of a precipitate on the wood--which I polished off with denatured alcohol and #0000 steel wool. Once it was ready I brushed on some Minwax stain (NOT the polyshades garbage but traditional wood stain) and wiped it off with a rag after letting it sit for a few seconds (not the five minutes as it said on the label.) Once that dried, I took and stirred up my shellac, then, with a nice soft paintbrush, I brushed it on and let it sit.

Two coats were needed to get that Edison factory shine, and the second coat looked awful for a little while--like I'd accidentally turned a beautiful machine into sticky brown goo. But I set it in front of a fan and it dried in a few hours to a shine like...this.

I'd practice on a few pieces of scrap lumber first. You'll have the best restored trash pile around, not to mention a beautiful Amberola!


Then if you're scared of the shellac method (and it is intimidating at first) then decide on the Watco option. Either way, an Amberola is a machine to be proud of.

[Jwb88]

PM sent.

VanEpsFan1914, that machine looks very authentic. Looks like an original finish. Anyway, you might know this but I thought this might help the poster and maybe others: you can (and usually should) thin shellac with alcohol. Zinsser used to put a whole chart of how to “cut” shellac on the sides of their cans—then it disappeared. Why? No clue. It’s useable out of the can, but it’s pretty thick and less forgiving.

Get yourself a butter tub (a margarine tub will work, but ask yourself why you’re bothering with that stuff) and eyeball about ⅓ shellac and ⅔ denatured alcohol. I have no idea if that’s any standard cut (where IS that damn chart, Zinsser?) but it works for me. If you’re doing big areas, I find several thin coats are easier to work with, especially for a beginner. They dry very fast, too.