Reamalgamating the alligatored finish on mahogany IX?

[Tinkerbell]

If the finish is really bad give reamalgamation a try- an IX is not a rare machine so if you don't do anything to the wood itself what harm is there in trying? The only thing to be really careful of is the decal.

Good point. Actually, the underside of the lid is nearly pristine... it is the outside that has not faired quite so well.

[larryh]

Yes its rare the inside of the lid is bad from what I have seen. I will say that although this technique is reasonably successful, its not always so simple as it looks. It takes some study of how to apply the denatured alcohol and then how to apply the new thin coats of shellack without making a bigger mess. I would certainly suggest laying on its sides so the part to be worked on is level. Shellack dries very quickly and you can stand it up and turn it to another side pretty fast. But I would give it at least a few days before laying it on the newly melted finish side as it has to be hardened enough to not get marks from the blanket or what ever you lay it on when turned. Shellack is also a bit scary in that when the thin new coats are applied the finish will be really shiny. You have to wait for it to dry well and then rub it down with wax soaked oooo steel wool evenly stroked with the grain to get the thing to soften down the shine and it will look a lot more like a nice wood after its then waxed and buffed.
I suggest reading every thing on the net you can find on how to do that re amalgamation routine and apply shellack finishes.

Larry

[AZ*]

Like Larry says, read what you can about doing this. Have you read Paul Edie's page on this topic? If not, start there:

http://www.victor-victrola.com/RESTORAT ... ain%29.htm

It's very important that the surface is clean and free of dirt and grease before trying to re-amalgamate. Otherwise, the dirt and crud gets brushed into the new finish.

Do you know the difference between an evaporative and non-evaporative finish? Shellac is evaporative. Put some shellac thinner on it, and it returns to liquid state. That's why reamalgamation is possible. Modern polyurethanes are non-evaporative. They change as they cure and cannot be reamalgamated. The only choice there is to strip and refinish.

The good thing about realmagamation is that you can keep the original color, and top coat with additional shellac, sanding between coats. It takes work and patience, but why not try?

[larryh]

Wow that is quite a page of information. The only thing I wondered about was the use of an oil type cleaner for the finish to remove dirt. I tried that only once with Murphy's Oil Soap and when I put on the thinned coats of shellac all went well except that the two record doors both crinkled badly on the second coat. I have always been suspicious that the oil soap left enough of a film to cause the finish not to take right? If I were cleaning it I would use either something like mild dish soap or a bar soap rubbed on a damp rag to remove dirt film. Also mineral spirits or even naphtha if you have no issues with possible flammability of fumes. (I am thinking Naphtha doesn't sound like the right product?)

Larry