edison fireside, wood restoration

[kirtley2012]

is there any way to restore the wood on this phonograph to its former glory whilst keeping it original? (i can refinish it but i would like to keep it original!), it is dried out, the lid has small cracks where it has dried out and shrunk and it has also worn out as you can see!, the person i bought this phonograph from had found it in a shed so that would explain the dried out wood and the fact that some parts of the bed plate paint has bubbles under it, im only worried about the wood for now though!
thanks!

and there is also a piece of trim missing from the lid, is there any way to get one of these?

[Phonofreak]

A good wood worker in your area should be able to help with the missing trim. I would refinish the machine. To me, the finish looks too far gone. Gook luck,
Harvey Kravitz

[martinola]

Hi Kirtley!
I agree with Harvey that the finish is pretty far gone. However, were it mine, I'd probably try saving the finish. Complete refinishing would be a faster, surer approach to an acceptible finish, but would forever remove the original color and decal. I've had very nice results from re-melting the original shellac with alcohol and rebuilding the top coats with new shellac. It's way more labor-intensive, but to me way more satisfying than a complete new finish. Here are a couple examples from the process I used on my Standard D:

Before

After

You will have to do some retouching with your decal with some paints and an artist's brush, but it too can be made to look presentable. Here's an example from my Standard C:

Decal Before

Decal After

While the end product can never be 100 percent untouched original again, it can be made to look much better and at least it will retain some of its originality. It probably won't add much extra value to the machine over a decent full refinish, but I feel a sense of accomplishment when I can save a finish. Whatever you end up doing, keep us posted and good luck!

Regards,
Martin

[Tinkerbell]

I would tend to agree with Martin... if you have patience and use a light hand, you may be able to reamalgamate the remaining finish.

If it doesn't work out satisfactorily for you, you can always refinish at that time... and you have lost nothing other than your time.

[kirtley2012]

Thanks guys!
you said it can be dissolved with alcohol, ive got a stupid question, is white spirit the right stuff?, ive never used it for anything except paint stripping before but im sure its a form of high concentration alcohol

[Retrograde]

Thanks guys!
you said it can be dissolved with alcohol, ive got a stupid question, is white spirit the right stuff?, ive never used it for anything except paint stripping before but im sure its a form of high concentration alcohol

Use denatured alcohol to dissolve shellac

[FloridaClay]

As just mentioned, here in the states it's called denatured alcohol and it is cheap at home improvement and hardware stores, usually in the paint department. Unlike pure-grain alcohol you shouldn't have to be of age to buy some (it is deliberately treated with stuff to make it undrinkable and poisonous to prevent human consumption). Wouldn't know if it might have a different name on your side of the pond.

I keep a can to clean my Edison Diamond Discs with it, as they don't get along with water.

Clay

[kirtley2012]

Do you know if its used for paint stripping?, if it is then it will probably be the same stuff!

[alang]

Not sure what it's called in the UK, but I think that "white spirit" may be what is called "mineral spirit" over here, which is something different. You really need to use alcohol. Here it's called "denatured alcohol", in Germany "Isopropyl Alkohol" or "Isopropanol". It should be available in home improvement stores, maybe even in Supermarkets, or (probably more expensive) in drugstores or pharmacies. A bottle should only cost a few bucks.
Andreas

[estott]

I'd start my experiments on the lid- it seems pretty far gone. To me your base cabinet doesn't look too bad- maybe you should try a cleaning and a light use of fine steel wool, followed by a thin coat of new finish.