Silvertone restoration

[Duchesne]

UPDATE:

I am going to see if he will agree to swap cabinets for this one: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... c6b315fe19

This one is a great candidate for a total refinish. I just need to make sure that the parts from his machine will fit inside this cabinet.

David

I wouldn't tell him. Just pass it on as your own - He sounds like a complete philistine for Pete's sake! He's just gonna put it somewhere damp again (hopefully not but...). But, yeah, if you didn't have the spare cabinet find, then ebay for veneer, and a lot of time spent on the "basket case" cabinet.

"Philistine" or not, deceipt is never the right answer...

Totally disagree, I'm not about spend my precious time with idiots. I almost never have to deal with such clients and when I do, I can smell them a mile away. I stay out of having to get this far in a situation. But, there's no moral high ground here. You're buying and selling - that's it.

[drh]

I'll grant the evidence doesn't look good, but to be fair, we don't know but what the machine was a wreck when the owner got it, and he took it naively thinking it could be fixed up. Doesn't make the thing any less of a lost cause, but might absolve the owner of negligence. Just a thought.

[dzavracky]

I spoke with my customer yesterday and he really wants me to fix his cabinet.

Would the best course of action be to go with Charles plan and paint the cabinet? I could possibly "grain paint" a mahogany look onto the wood. Or should I try and find enough veneer to re-do the entire cabinet?

David

[Curt A]

I spoke with my customer yesterday and he really wants me to fix his cabinet.

Would the best course of action be to go with Charles plan and paint the cabinet? I could possibly "grain paint" a mahogany look onto the wood. Or should I try and find enough veneer to re-do the entire cabinet?

David

The main question is this... How much is he willing to spend on "restoring" this junk cabinet? Also, does he like the idea of a painted cabinet, since he seems to be stuck on this particular train wreck? Find these things out BEFORE you start. It's one thing to spend time on a "labor of love" for your own things, but not for someone else's lost cause...

If he's not willing to spend some serious money, it's not worth your time... See if he's OK with $800-1,000 for a total restoration - half up front to at least cover replacement parts and supplies. If not... have him keep it as is, or learn how to fix it himself... you are not a charitable organization. Just my opinion, since he seems particularly unreasonable by not liking the idea of finding an donor, replacement cabinet...

Good luck, some people aren't worth messing with... The last thing you need is to spend time and money fixing it, then finding he doesn't like something about it and not paying you...

[Curt A]

After looking at the original pictures you posted AND considering the value of the machine - even after restoration, the only way to fix this cabinet is with an axe and use it for firewood...

PS: You said this in an earlier post and we have been waiting patiently for the answer...

"Well.....I will have something so share next week about that. I won’t say anymore but I’m super excited"

[JerryVan]

After looking at the original pictures you posted AND considering the value of the machine - even after restoration, the only way to fix this cabinet is with an axe and use it for firewood...

PS: You said this in an earlier post and we have been waiting patiently for the answer...

"Well.....I will have something so share next week about that. I won’t say anymore but I’m super excited"

I believe it was the news of his Credenza.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=49782

[JerryVan]

I spoke with my customer yesterday and he really wants me to fix his cabinet.

Would the best course of action be to go with Charles plan and paint the cabinet? I could possibly "grain paint" a mahogany look onto the wood. Or should I try and find enough veneer to re-do the entire cabinet?

David

David,

I would just tell him that after consulting with other collectors and restorers, the consensus is, that's it's simply beyond repair. Suggest that perhaps he can find another restoration source, but that your time will not allow for a job of this depth right now. It's okay to turn work down

[dzavracky]

Jerry,

I will call him tomorrow and talk about it further. I think I would be willing to paint the cabinet, as I could probably make it look pretty nice.


Also, yes the news was about my acquiring the credenza. David had asked about me selling him the Amberola 30. But I had already made the trade for the credenza. I think I did pretty good on that trade

David

[dzavracky]

Here’s an update:

I’m still working on removing the old veneer. Progress is slow… but I think this will turn out nicely! I cleaned the motor and worked on the motor board and lid today

David

[Inigo]

Wow! It looks it's reviving nicely! You'd be tempted to keep it at the end...