Phonograph cabinets, refinish or leave original??

[kirtley2012]

I have finally decided to really save up and invest some money back into machines I have, the majority of which don't work!

These are two I am in discussion with about the parts for them, one a fireside model A, the other a Home B

I was wondering about the cabinets, do you think I should strip and refinish, or leave original?, bearing in mind I haven't refinished a phonograph (although I've done a few radio's)

The photos for the fireside speak for them self, finish gone, almost no shellac left, but it was left in a shed before I bought it!, what can you expect!

The home B is better but the decal is VERY fragile and coming off, I have already re-painted much of the 'Edison Home Phonograph' writing on the banner, but the banner itself is coming away, the wood is also dry with seemingly no shellac, just feels like bare wood.

What do you think?, im thinking refinishing might be the way to go...

[Player-Tone]

I tried the poll and it said "The submitted form was invalid. Try submitting again" which is the same message I got the second try.

*My vote was 'leave original'.

[kirtley2012]

I tried the poll and it said "The submitted form was invalid. Try submitting again" which is the same message I got the second try.

*My vote was 'leave original'.

thanks!, its the first time I've done a poll so I've probably done something wrong!

[FloridaClay]

The poll feature doesn't seem to have been working for quite awhile. I'm not sure how helpful it would be in this situation anyhow, as there are 2 machines in somewhat different condition. And, of course, the refinish or not refinish is an eternal debate here with each collector having his or her own threshold for when the line to go there is crossed.

Clay

[kirtley2012]

The poll feature doesn't seem to have been working for quite awhile. I'm not sure how helpful it would be in this situation anyhow, as there are 2 machines in somewhat different condition. And, of course, the refinish or not refinish is an eternal debate here with each collector having his or her own threshold for when the line to go there is crossed.

Clay

Thanks Clay
Ive edited it accordingly for if/when it works!

[martinola]

Hi Kirtley!

Believe it or not, I believe that the Fireside is a better candidate for salvaging the original finish. I would recommend starting with a total refinish of the Home. Do it with shellac, grain filler and aniline stain. That will allow you to get used to working with the materials that you will be using in salvaging the Fireside later. Good luck with the project! Both are nice machines and well worth the effort.

Regards,
Martin

[FloridaClay]

Kirtley, If it were me I would probably go refinish on both on balance based on the pictures. I note, among other things, that the decal on the Home just doesn't look right and may not be worth saving. Way too orange looking, although that could just be a photograph artifact. There are some excellent replacement decals available. There are a bunch of threads on this forum on refinish techniques.

Oh, and the poll gizmo still is not working. Don't know that it is anything you did, though. The last several polls here I've tried to respond to have not worked.

Nice to see you back on the Forum, by the way, and good luck with the project. These look like machines that are definitely worth the effort.

Clay

[HisMastersVoice]

The poll feature stopped working with an update a while back, still working on getting that fixed...

[martinola]

Kirtley, If it were me I would probably go refinish on both on balance based on the pictures.

Actually, I really didn't mean that the Fireside shouldn't have work done. The original color looks like it is mostly there and the flaked-off bits might be receptive to a re-amalgamation and build-up of additional shellac. The decal looks like it might be salvageable with some careful touching up with a very fine artist's brush and a really good magnifier. I had a Standard model C that was in similar condition that came out quite well. It can't be called an un-touched original finish, but looks quite good as a restored original finished. If the worst comes to the worst and it doesn't come out, it could always be refinished at that point.

The Home looks discolored either due to exposure to heat or an attempt in the past to salvage the finish with stain. It's a good candidate for sanding down and starting all over again.

Regards,
Martin