Splotchy finish

[m0xiemama]

I have a VV-X I got for $50. It cleaned up well but I noticed the front seemed to have areas that are more dull than others. I am thinkinking the finsh wore away in those parts. Does that sound likely? Could it just be dryer ib those spots? I will post pictures when I get home from work. Any suggestions in fixing it?

[Henry]

Greetings from the other side of the Woods (Penn's, that is).

You didn't say, but I'm guessing that your XI, like mine, is mahogany, and from your description it's showing the same uneven surface gloss that mine is. In addition, with mine, there is mild alligatoring on some of the cabinet panels, noticeable exceptions being the insides of lid and doors, and the rear outside lid. Sides and front show varying degrees of "splotch," which is most noticeable at certain viewing angles relative to the light direction. I believe what we're seeing is the result of exposure to sunlight as well as aging of the varnish and the constant dimensional changes of wood with changes in humidity. I've pretty much decided not to let any of this bother me. The finish is original, AFAIK, and aside from a mild cleaning with Goop I haven't touched the finish, nor do I intend to. As it stands, it's very presentable and I'm always pleased to show it; in fact, it's looking somewhat better than I am at this stage of the game, "considering its [my] age," as the auction site says. Of course, it *is* about 24 years older than I am!

For $50 it sounds like you got a good deal. I paid $100 for mine in 1980. I'm looking forward to seeing pix of yours. When I get a digital camera I'll post some of mine---but don't hold your breath!

[m0xiemama]

Thank you to Jerry for reminding me I owe pictures. It was a little tricky to get them to show what I mean. I think Henry what you are talking about is exactly what is up with my VV-X. You can see it on the horn doors and on the face above that most. I almost wonder too if someone didn't over clean it. OK here they are, the first being how it looked when I bought it:

[martinola]

Moxiemama,
It's hard to tell from the photos whether it's old finish alligatoring or moisture blush under the finish. Blushing sometimes happens when working with shellac on humid days (a less localized version of having a white ring on an old coffee table). Could it have been over-coated with shellac? Or maybe it's the old finish just kept in a damp basement? There are white ring remover cloths or bottled solutions available which could help that. (My Mother-in-law uses the cloth on her table now and again.) If it's just alligatored finish, perhaps a gentle cleaning followed up by Howard's Feed-n-Wax. That may be all you need to improve its appearance. On one of my machines that had a rough finish, I used black Kiwi shoe polish (in the tin) to make some of the crevices less prominent. I'll be interested to see what the solution is to your issue.
Regards,
Martin

[alang]

If you haven't tried it yet, I would try Howard's Restore-a-Finish with 0000 steel wool, maybe even let it sit for a few minutes. It is usually pretty good for dissolving white rings and blemishes and also reduce alligatoring.
Good luck!
Andreas

[m0xiemama]

There aren't white rings. That is just the light. Just odd dryish spots where it isn't shiny. It is tricky taking pictures in my house. Also notea poor attempt at installing a lock on the front door...

[martinola]

Hi moxiemama.
Thanks for the clarification. The uneven shine really doesn't bother me all that much. It's pushing 100 years old and has survived pretty well. I had noticed the lock earlier, but its strange location didn't register for some reason. In a way, its home-made installation tells a story of the owners who possibly had an active child. Stuff like that makes it more of an interesting machine to me. I really wouldn't do too much about the finish. At most, I'd follow Henry's suggestion with the Restore-a-finish. For myself, I'd probably do the shoe polish bit, followed up by using Feed-n-wax. It won't make it look like a showroom finish, but it will dress it up nicely.
Best Regards,
Martin

[Henry]

Thanks Martin, but that was alang's recommendation on the Howard's. I've never used it myself. I referred to moximama's machine as an XI when it's really an X, because I misread her post. The two models are practically twins, anyhow. Your photo shows the splotch well, and it looks like my XI: small-check alligatoring combined with uneven sheen.

[SquireWill]

There aren't white rings. That is just the light. Just odd dryish spots where it isn't shiny. It is tricky taking pictures in my house. Also notea poor attempt at installing a lock on the front door...

Try a clean terry cloth and a sparing amount of denatured alcohol. Alcohol dries very fast..it will be sticky , move fast. try a small spot first so you can get the feel for it.

[m0xiemama]

Thanks Martin. You are probably right about the lock as I have resorted to removing the knobs from a few of my machines to beat my 1yr old at his game. Maybe I'll just get a Victor escutcheon....

Henry when you were describing your finish I was pretty sure we were talking about the same thing. Thank you.

SquireWill I think I may just try that. The machine as a whole isn't in the shape but I am trying to get it going.