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My dad is doing some repairs on a VV 4-3 and needs to match stain for some repaired wood and veneer. Does anyone know the stain color or a good mixture of stains that would work. This is where it all becomes an art vs a science. Thanks in advance.

reverendpen wrote:My dad is doing some repairs on a VV 4-3 and needs to match stain for some repaired wood and veneer. Does anyone know the stain color or a good mixture of stains that would work. This is where it all becomes an art vs a science. Thanks in advance.

For what it's worth, here is where I buy my stains. It is a Luthier supply company. I am doing a Mahogany Home case now and the spray cans are great. Hope this helps. Look at finishing supplies.
stewmac.com

Hi reverendpen.

Another point to consider is the way Victor used stain on their post 1925 machines. The stain is not so much in the wood as it is a dyed lacquer top coat. Radios of the late 20s through the 40s had that kind of finish. You may want to look at some radio restoration boards to see if there are some recommendations on this kind of finish.

The closest I've come to coloring wood that way is to use aniline dye mixed with clear shellac. I'm thinking that if you replaced the clear shellac with nitrocellulose brushing lacquer, then you'd be good. In any case, I'd be doing lots of experimentation with scrap wood and various dilutions. Do this in strong light and trust your own eyes as to the closeness of the match. To begin, I'd be looking for aniline colors like perfect brown or van dyke brown. You might also need black and or yellow to adjust tone. Take it slow and practice before you commit. Good luck!

Martin

[quote="martinola"]Hi reverendpen.

Another point to consider is the way Victor used stain on their post 1925 machines. The stain is not so much in the wood as it is a dyed lacquer top coat. Radios of the late 20s through the 40s had that kind of finish. You may want to look at some radio restoration boards to see if there are some recommendations on this kind of finish

This product is known as toning lacquer. Martin's advice about checking the radio forums makes sense. A google search of toning lacquer will probably yield some suppliers. Mohhawk makes a lot of shades, but I am not sure if they sell to the general public.
Dave D

Another product to look at is Transtint-I have been using their product for years-it will mix with shellac or lacquer. When using it with either I spray with a HVLP set-up. If you do lacquer and you do not spray you can use brush on lacquer and tint as you add layers. On the brush method just be ready to do a lot of sanding to get it really smooth. You can buff with auto compounds and tone it down it you don't want a really high gloss. Spray in a good area really cuts down the amount of sanding you need to do.

Abe

For all types of refinishing supplies - toners, penetrating stains, burn in sticks, brass hardware, dyes and pretty much anything else, check out the Furniture Doctor. They are very knowledgable and the owner is a phonograph collector among other things... I bought some toner from him two weeks ago along with penetrating stain and burn in shellac sticks. I have used his products on many projects and he is a source for Deft spray lacquer - all of his products are great quality and work well.

http://furnituredoctor.net

Download the catalog:
http://furnituredoctor.net/wp-content/u ... _Line1.pdf

I see that the Furniture Doctor is located in my home town. I'll try to remember to drop in there next time I travel down to the CSA!