The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

oldtvsandtoys wrote:

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:I was wondering that too--now that you mention it the brown one actually does look like brown mahogany, quite popular after the Great War.

Nope inside doors are the same color

Well, I tried...

I'd try some Goop / Gojo first. I have a Victrola X that looked just like that, faded and green. A bit of Goop and it was back to Mahogany color. You don't have much to lose, and if that doesn't work you could move on to other methods

[quote="martinola"]I'm not a big fan of Restor-A-Finish. I do use their Feed-N-Wax, but their Restor-A-Finish isn't reversible and I kind of regret using it on my Standard Model B years ago. It's not horrible, it's just too dark for my taste.

One reversible thing that did work for me was to use old fashioned Cordovan Kiwi shoe wax to restore some red into my circa 1925 Starr piano that got too much sun. Additionally, the wax protects the finish. An $8.00 tin and an afternoon will let you know if it's going to work well enough for you. If you end up not liking it, it will come off with mineral spirits.

I love the shoe polish idea. I've got to try it! I assume the only problem to avoid would be splotchiness. Go with the grain and try to keep a "wet" edge, I assume?

The shoe polish idea takes a bit of time as you're building up color that's pretty thin. Think multiple coats. Not a perfect solution, but my piano's original finish is too nice to refinish even if it is faded.

Regards,
Martin

Red mahogany lacquer toner will work over the top of your original finish... Experiment a little before using it, but it can work wonders as lacquer is completely compatible with shellac...
Mohawk Tone Finish. Furniture Doctor Complete Catalog in PDF format is attached.
The owner is a phonograph collector and is extremely knowledgeable regarding restoration and finish techniques... a valuable resource.
http://furnituredoctor.net/
http://furnituredoctor.net/products/

Wow, I've never seen a complete machine fade. The old shellac finishes would fade from sunlight but only in localized areas. Are you sure it wasn't refinished?

Thanks
Jim