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A friend of mine wanted some of the gory details of the shellac restoration of my Standard Model C (from this thread: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... f=7&t=7954 ). So here is the description generally with a couple of photos. Sorry for the long-windedness:
When faced with the dry and flaking finish on my Model C ICS Standard, I found myself in the dilemma of deciding to refinish or to try to save the original finish. There was just enough of the original decal and stain present that made me want to try to save it. I reasoned that that if it didn't work, then I could simply strip it and refinish. It didn't hurt that it was a relatively common machine with a compromised finish. My first order of business wast to clean it as gently as I could without removing more finish and to re-adhere the remaining finish.
I started the cleaning with a soft-bristled paint brush taped to the end of a vacuum cleaner hose. I had the vacuum set on medium to low suction so as to not pull off any more flakes than could be helped. I really don't know how helpful the vacuum was, but it didn't seem to hurt the process. Next, I tried to was-off any oil or other contaminants with paint thinner (aka: mineral spirits). I think I used a wad of 0000 steel wool for the first pass. I went as gently as I could and only scrubbed the stubborn grime with any force at all. I followed up with another pass using only a wad of cotton wool. After drying, there was some "blooming" of the some of the grain filler (especially in the areas that were no longer protected by shellac).
It was a little daunting to see it looking actually worse than when I started. Since it was a process of discovery to me, I forged ahead but with decreased hope of success. I pinned my hopes on being able to use denatured alcohol to partially dissolve and re-adhere the flaking shellac. I used a natural-bristled disposable chip brush to wash-on the alcohol one side at a time. As the old shellac softened, I tried to use the damp brush to gently "push" the finish into itself and the bare wood parts. At this stage, the brush was picking-up old shellac, stain, old filler and stray bits of debris. I was very careful in the decal area as I didn't want to lose any more of it. I tried not to over-work this stage so as not to strip-off any more finish than I could help. I pick-out the worst of the debris pieces when it was partially dry.
Once it had dried a couple of hours, I followed up with another pass of very dilute clear shellac. I used a fresh can of Zinsser clear shellac in the yellow can. I think the package strength of the Zinsser is a "3 pound cut" (whatever that means). I poured out some of the Zinsser into a wide-mouthed jar and added an equal amount of alcohol. (Actually, I usually don't bother to measure the dilutions, so all of my ratios are approximate.) I used another disposable chip brush to work-in the new shellac to bind with the softened original. There was still a fair amount of color that came up with the brushing. I was able to use a little more force at that stage when brushing. I tried to "push" the color into the formerly bare wood areas. I let that dry for a couple of more hours. By that point the finish was fairly lumpy and uneven. I spent the next few passes trying to build-up the color in the thin areas. I used a little Van Dyke Brown aniline stain powder dissolved into some of the thinned shellac and a small artist's brush to even-out the differences in color. I also may have altered the tone of the stain using some very dilute black aniline stain. I can't remember the specifics except that I did a bit of experimenting on a few out-of the way areas.
Once it was reasonably matched and dried (a week or two), I tackled the problem of painting-in of the missing bits of decal. I used a complete decal on another machine for visual reference. I was lucky in that most of the complicated angles and shapes were still present. I used an Optivisor magnifier, a strong light and a very small artist's brush to apply the gold paint (Testors hobby enamel). I used bits of blue masking tape as a brushing guide to keep my paint from straying. Once the gold paint had dried a few days, I reapplied the blue tape to help me with making the black lines. I used Testors black enamel to make those. I removed the tape and let it dry for several days. While it was still drying I used a single-edged razor blade to lightly scrape away any stray bits of paint.
After the decal had dried sufficiently, I applied a coat of Zinnser Amber shellac to further even-out the color of everything. I used a slightly stronger dilution of something like 2 parts shellac to 1 part alcohol. I used a 1" artist's brush with soft natural bristles for this and all subsequent coats. After drying for an hour or two, I followed-up with more localized color balancing with the amber shellac and stain. After it looked about as good as it was going to get, I concentrated on building-up the coating of shellac so I could start smoothing out the finish without affecting the the color and decal repairs. I started with another coat of the amber shellac. Then I followed-up with about 3-4 coats of clear shellac at package strength. I let this cure until it was completely hard (about 2 or more weeks).
It was only at that point when I did any real sanding of the surface. I started with 150 grit sandpaper with a block to establish a level surface on the flat parts. I used some 0000 steel wool to lightly scuff-up the low spots to prepare for the next coats. This sanding removed some of my color touch-ups, so I added a few more. In some spots I simply used a Sharpie felt tip pen with a quick wipe-off to build up a little color. I followed up with about 3 coats of clear shellac and let dry until hard (retouching color as needed). After another sanding with 150 grit again, I concentrated in locally building-up shellac in the low spots by dotting on coat after coat of shellac with a small brush on just those areas. After another week or two, I gave those areas a sand using the 150 grit on the sanding block.
I followed-up with another few coats of clear shellac and followed up with a pretty thorough sanding using 220 grit paper with a light touch-up with 0000 steel wool in any remaining low areas. After one last vacuuming and cleaning with a tack cloth, I applied the last 4 to 6 coats of clear shellac thinned 2 parts shellac to 1 part alcohol. After hardening, I made my final sand with 400 grit wet/dry auto body sandpaper. That was followed by polishing with white auto body polish. Since the polish was white, it left some white in some of the remaining cracks. I used black shoe wax to hide that and followed up with Johnson's paste wax.
I lost count of the actual coats of shellac that I put on. I think it was something like 24. Many of the coats were sanded-off in the leveling process. It was a real investment of time, but I found it really rewarding being able to save such a bad finish. While it was still somewhat uneven in spots (I did have to get back to my life), I think it came out rather well. Was it worth it? While it wouldn't make economic sense for somebody trying to make money from fixing machines, I certainly enjoy having in it presentable condition. I like saving whatever originality I can, so I encourage you to give it a try. Good luck!
Best Regards,
Martin
- Standard C Before close
- Standard C After close
