The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

CMcPherson wrote:Tom, That looks great! I notice that you used orange shellac. I'm just now beginning to learn what's recommended for refinishing these machines. Would you please share why someone would choose orange over clear?
Did you strip and refinish your bed plate? If so, will you point me in the right direction for instruction?
I've looked at some video's that after taking acre of rust, basically just use a standard stripper and black spray enamel.

briankeith wrote:Nice:) But how do you make that decal look a lot less like a "new decal" - you can plainly see the clear film around the decal. I have always wondered that. It's fairly easy on a wood case but on a black bedplate? Just asking not nit-picking.

It's easy if you know what you're doing. But since I don't, would you please share how to replace a decal on a wood case making it look as original as possible?
I probably wouldn't change an original decal even in bad shape but mine has an obvious replacement decal.

Chris: here's a pretty darn good tutorial from the Decal Meister himself:

http://phonodecal.com/decals/scripts/main1.php#null

Chris on the straight lines and tuffs I do them my self with a gold pen and a straight edge. I was using decals but later found it better ( for me) to pen them on. With a little effort and practice on paper then a painted surface you can try it. For what I have invested in gold pens and paint decals will be cheaper if you are only doing it once. Greg cline has some of the best decals. You need patience and do one side at a time which I learned from errors.. Let them dry before you work around them so you will not disturb them. Orange shellac can be purchased on Amazon or other sites. Use the non wax shellac. Follow mixing instructions as there is some wait. Orange shellac is what has been used on these machines. Hope this helps. By the way I have screwed up a few machines when working on them and it seems it takes longer sometimes to refix them.. Tom B

Thank you.

tomb wrote:Use the non wax shellac. Orange shellac is what has been used on these machines.

Why non wax?
Do you have an opinion on shellac flakes vs. premixed?

Non wax is what is recommended by most people for a reason and I forgot. There is a difference in finish I think. Some people use a premix with success . There are a lot of postings on shellac in the forum so try looking them up by putting shellac in the search box. There are a couple of premixed brands the people have used with success. Tom B

I was doing some reading last night and found my answers.
Wax = hazing and white residue from moisture
Flakes = fresher product. No worries about not drying properly.

CMcPherson wrote:I was doing some reading last night and found my answers.
Wax = hazing and white residue from moisture
Flakes = fresher product. No worries about not drying properly.

Not to be nit-picking, but waxed shellac is available in flake form as well. I think you may be thinking of the pre-mixed vs flake argument for which your points would be correct. The advantage of de-waxed shellac is generally considered to be that de-waxed forms a harder finish, whereas waxy shellac is softer and more easily damaged.

Thanks for the correction.

Chris here is the finished decal after I put the orange shellac on it. It was a little rough so I used 600 grain sandpaper on it along with 00 steel wool. Then it was polished and blended in as it was too shiny for the rest of the machine. I only put shellac on the trade mark to keep the rest as original as possible. It covered the decal and blended it in with no fogginess You could shellac a wood case but practice on a piece of wood first to see how much to put on thick or thin . You can always use some very fine sandpaper to correct your errors and then polish it to remove scratches. One thing you can do on a case is spray can coating. I have used DEFT with success. Tom B

Thank you Tom for the info.
It looks great.
I notice some of the lettering is missing in the decal. Was this on purpose or a casualty of installation?

It was a casualty of the installation but it gives it a somewhat aged look. I hit it with mandrel installing it and did not want to buy a new one. This is a thicker pre 2007 decal and a little harder to get. Tom B