The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have some light feature restoration tasks. Wear on the feet, wear on features at the center bottom "kick plate", wear on the features on the legs... In the past on other projects a piece of matching wood could be glued into place and shaped - if the needed piece was large enough. I heard of but never had occasion to use what someone referred to as "crayons" to add material for small feature add backs. I understand they were in various colors and took color after shaping so they would match - and had to be heated to apply material to the area where needed.

Are these still the main products/techniques or are there other options to consider?

Product Make/names and sources would be appreciated. Thanks.

One product I have used in touching up for cosmetic purposes is called "Crayola". I'm not kidding. The bigger assortments have useful colors like burnt umber, burnt sienna and other shades that can hide scratches and gouges in a reversible way. Minwax also makes touch up crayons specifically for wood that do essentially the same thing.

If you are filling bigger areas, might I suggest WoodEpox from Abitron? It can be sanded, shaped and will take stain. Obviously color matching and finishing will be more involved than the crayon approach. I know others have used colored shellac crayons that need heating, but I haven't used them myself.

Martin