Want to darken this cabinet

[MikeB]

I bought this Zonophone, and want to try to bring back the color of the original finish. The previous owner may have over-cleaned it, so now it looks like this; light with darker areas around the decal. I saw the cabinet before, and it was a good deal darker, with a nice patina. There may be a clear coat on it now too. Is there a way to darken the cabinet without resorting to re-staining, while preserving the decal? I was thinking maybe linseed oil, but your opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks, as always!
Mike

[alang]

Are you sure it's not been stripped and refinished already with a new decal? It seems awfully light even under the decal...

Andreas

[MikeB]

I suspect that the decal is original, but don't know what it looked like before. There is a rear decal that was partially there originally, and the previous owner has touched that one up but not replaced it.

[Jerry B.]

It is just about impossible to refinish a cabinet and save the original decal. In the olden days I refinished right up to the decal. I'd gently push stripper to the very edge of the decal and scrape away from the decal with dental tools. As hard as I tried the end result was less than satisfactory. Look for clues. Look at enclosed areas inside the decal. There are enclosed parts of the letters "C" and "O" in "Concert." You just can't strip inside the letter "O" without damaging the decal. If you suspect a refinish look for clues or areas like the bottom of the cabinet or the inside of the deck or the overhang of the top board. Often some stripper drips in the inside of the cabinet and offers a clue.

If you come to the conclusion that your finish and decal are original enjoy it "as is."

If you come to the conclusion that your finish and decal are refinished and replaced, you have decisions. You can enjoy it "as is" or do another refinish to get the color you wish. If you refinish don't try to save the decal. You'll only be happy with a new Gregg Cline decal. You want to do a job so good that the next phono nerd, twenty years from now, asks "Is this original or refinished? It looks so nice."

Jerry Blais

[phonosandradios]

Is it me, or is that decal put on wonky? It looks to tilt downwards from left to right. Surely it's not supposed to be like that? Is that a clue that it has been (badly) replaced?

[Jerry B.]

Is that a clue that it has been (badly) replaced?

Yes, I believe so. Jerry

[MikeB]

I spoke to the prior owner. The decal is original - just touched up in spots. The case was cleaned, but not refinished. That's what I originally thought, since the wood appears darker around the decal. I think that he cleaned around it. There is another example of the same machine as this on Ebay, and the positioning of the decal looks similar.

[Jerry B.]

Since it has its original finish and decal and is the same light color on the inside of the closed letters it could not have been aggressively cleaned. If that's the case, if it were mine, I would enjoy it just the way it is.

Jerry Blais

[AudioFeline]

Has it been over-cleaned? It may have been sun-damaged/bleached.