Help with finish on my Edison Opera ?

[flashpanblue]

Hello,
I have an Oak Edison Opera that I would like to touch up the finish on. The machine must have sat over a baseboard heater or something which caused the finish on the back right portion of the cabinet to dry out and flake off. Here are my questions;
What product should I use to replace the missing finish?
Will I need to apply any stain or do you think that perhaps the color is still in the oak and will
show through when the new finish is applied?


Have a look at the pictures. Any comments or suggestion would be appreciated!!
thanks
Pete

[kirtley2012]

i have the same thing (but much worse) on my fireside, that was left out in a cold british shed!
i heard someone say that there is a product to partially dissolve and spread the shellac and the original finish around to cover up the damaged parts and to keep the original colour, i cant remember what product it is though!
theres a topic somewhere on here about it....
Alex

[kirtley2012]

here it is:

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... n+fireside

that might help you in some way!

Alex

[debndunk]

Hi Pete,
I think it would be best to reamalgamate the original finish but you can only do this with shellac and lacquer and I would say the original stain would still be ok . There is a piece on this in the complete talking machine. Gordon

[gramophone78]

Pete, re-amalgamating a case is very risky. Unless your a pro. I would not consider it on a machine of this caliber. You could end up with a costly mess. The best (as others may agree) is to go to a place like "Mohawk" and buy a colored paste wax that matches as close as you can. Nothing more.

[USlakeside]

I agree tampering with the finish is risky. If you are not skilled at the technique, you can end up spreading the problem farther. It appears like its just the back, so you likely don't see it often? Maybe sealing it up with a good coat of wax to prevent further flaking and leave it be? Nice machine

[martinola]

Hi Pete.

Nice machine. I would be careful about adding wax to a flaking finish. I'd be concerned about it affecting the adhesion of the remaining finish at the edges as well as causing a change to the color of the unprotected wood.

I wouldn't be so afraid to try re-amalgamation, with the proviso that you first practice on another piece. If you want it to look good, you have to be prepared to spend some time on it. Think in terms of two or three weeks rather than two or three days. Not solid days of work, but over a period of time.

The reamalgamation process really only remelts the shellac with denatured alcohol, causing the remaining bits to re-adhere. I've also used the slightly melted state to brush some of the color over on to the naked wood. I then follow up with clear shellac to build up the finish and seal the wood. After it's sealed is the time that one re-balances the color (either with amber shellac, white shellac with dye stain, etc).

I'd try that long before I'd even think of stripping and doing a total re-finish. The worst that could happen with a reamalgamation gone wrong is that you'll have to refinish anyway.

This particular machine looks OK as it is, so maybe this is something you can put on hold until you're more comfortable with the process. In any case, good luck with this nice machine!

-Martin

[JerryVan]

In order to re-amalgamate a finish, you need to have finish left to re-amalgamate, and you do not. You have nearly bare wood.

Try a thin overfinish of orange shellac. Test it in a small spot on the lower part of the base molding. You may need stain, but only a test will tell you that. I would only overfinish the affected area and feather out the new finish onto the good areas.

It would also be a legitimate and conservative move to do nothing. Consider that anything you do to it, no matter how nice it looks, will take it further from original than what you have now.

[Valecnik]

It looks like a nearly perfect machine the way it is now. I would just leave it, or sell it to me.

[edisonphonoworks]

I would have to say leave the cabinet alone, except for the one spot, the rest of the cabinet if fabulous.