What Type of Oak Finish is on This VV-XVI?

[ALVES]

I think in this case the colour may be due to someone applying a coloured finish to the outside recently . It looks like its been stripped . You can see wipe marks on the grey interior.

[Henry]

From the photos, it almost looks like three (or even four!) different machines/finishes! Never saw such variation in one sample. But I'm not discounting the possible effects of different lighting sources/angles and camera anomalies (especially with color, and yes, even with digital) that could also account for what I'm seeing here.

[Oceangoer1]

From the photos, it almost looks like three (or even four!) different machines/finishes! Never saw such variation in one sample. But I'm not discounting the possible effects of different lighting sources/angles and camera anomalies (especially with color, and yes, even with digital) that could also account for what I'm seeing here.

Im still working on getting it cleaned. I pull up more dirt with each application of Gojo! And I'll post some better pictures. But in person, in bright sunlight, the lid and insides of the doors look golden oak, the sides kind of resemble antique oak, and the back looks almost weathered oak? Im with you on the multiple finishes. The back, no matter how many applications of Gojo, or even with neutral Howards Restor a Finish, stays the same!

Considering where I found this, I wouldn't doubt that it has been exposed to harsh conditions. But for different sections of the machine to be so distinctly different, it raises questions.

[martinola]

Extreme exposure to UV will also end up bleaching/graying a finish. For the past 20-25 years I've watched a refinished Victor III sit in the window of a local antique shop. The sides that received direct sun are now almost gray. While the opposite sides are faded, they are still on the golden side.

Martin

[Henry]

From the photos, it almost looks like three (or even four!) different machines/finishes! Never saw such variation in one sample. But I'm not discounting the possible effects of different lighting sources/angles and camera anomalies (especially with color, and yes, even with digital) that could also account for what I'm seeing here.

Im still working on getting it cleaned. I pull up more dirt with each application of Gojo! And I'll post some better pictures. But in person, in bright sunlight, the lid and insides of the doors look golden oak, the sides kind of resemble antique oak, and the back looks almost weathered oak? Im with you on the multiple finishes. The back, no matter how many applications of Gojo, or even with neutral Howards Restor a Finish, stays the same!

Considering where I found this, I wouldn't doubt that it has been exposed to harsh conditions. But for different sections of the machine to be so distinctly different, it raises questions.

FWIW, my favorite shade among the photos is what I'm seeing under the lid; I've always liked that brownish tone, whether in oak or mahogany. So I'm hoping that it all comes up that way!

[EarlH]

I bought an oak pump organ made in the early 1890's and it kind of had the same appearance as your Victrola. It had stood over a heat register for years on the one end, and on the other side was up against a window with just the shade pulled partway down. The case on it was all solid wood and I ended up having to bleach it to get that poor thing to have something of the same color throughout. The side exposed to the heat register had turned very dark and had some almost black streaks in it. I don't think most of the oak finishes in those days amounted to much more than a coat or two of spirit varnish and some wax. If they are reasonable well taken care of that finish seems to survive about the best of them, probably because it's a very thin finish to begin with. But they also don't offer much protection if they end up in some sort of an adverse condition.

Fortunately with oak though, it almost always refinishes well and looks good almost no matter how it gets refinished if it comes to that. Mahogany really needs a more formal finish and is a lot more work. The polished oak cabinets though, are a lot of work to get leveled up. You'll probably find a lot of loose veneer around the base of the cabinet too. I almost never see an oak cabinet around here anymore that doesn't have loose veneer on it in places. Must be something about the acids in the wood or something that cause the hide glue to let go. It will be a nice looking Victrola when you get done with it. It's probably pretty nice looking the way it is really.