The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

ok so I have my babies running smoothly, springs regreased everything oiled and lubed , reproducers new gaskets and diaphragms. Thanks to the help of the talking machine forum who ya. Question on cabinet I've been cleaning with lemon oil scrubbing with 0000 steel wool till my hands fall off and still look black ( pictures) .Is this just how old mahogany wood looks like or am I doing something wrong. Thanks in advance for your help
Chris

Did you try to clean it with GOOP or GoJo (non-pumice) hand cleaner first? If not, lemon oil will not remove 100+ years of smoke, grease, grime, dirt, dust, etc. Those two hand cleaners are readily available and made to remove engine gunk and grime from mechanics hands... they work well on old furniture and phonographs.

Yes I forgot to mention goop half a thing on the 4-3 .

You asked how the old mahogany wood looks like. A good answer is to look at the inside. The color/shade of the underside of the lid where the decal is located or the inside of the doors is what you are looking for. Those are protected areas, and usually have not aged or darkened like the outside of the cabinet.

Those aren't the greatest pictures, and without proper lighting, it's hard to tell. However, the 4-3 looks like a typical example. They had dark stain/toning in the finish when new.

We've had other newbies use goop or gojo and steel wool to clean up their machines, and they ended up destroying or completely stripping the finish. They thought they were removing dirt, but actually removed the finish, stain and all.

I have cleaned my machines with gojo and used various other cleaners and wax. They work great for phonos that look good already. Its hard to tell with your pictures, but if your looking to brighten up the finish (make it look not as dull). I use this stuff and it works great.

Dedrums, your machines look quite nice to me. After all, they are about 100 years old.

Some advice from a seasoned collector... For anyones first attempt at refinishing make it an oak project and preferably something small like a Victrola VI or Edison Standard. Mahogany is more difficult to successfully and correctly refinish.

Jerry Blais

I guess I'm try to make the 4-3 look like this am I just being anal thanks for the help guys.