The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I might be working on a project soon that requires refinishing (standard model D). Can anyone direct me to a thread that is like an "ultimate refinishing guide"? I've never refinished anything before, so pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks
Martin

I started here: http://www.victor-victrola.com and looked for the section on Restoration.

But when it came to actually doing the refinishing, I went to YouTube for videos on stripping, sanding, staining, prepping, applying finishes, etc. Once you decide what kind of finish you want to do, you can then focus on the techniques to use for the particular product(s) you will be using.

One of my favorite books on this topic is "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner. It's available on Amazon, or used on ebay for a reasonable price.

It talks about filling grain, dye vs pigment stains, and various clear finishes -- and much more. Lots of photos. To do it right, you will probably have to buy some products from specialty stores or online. Most of what you see at Home Depot, for example, is inappropriate.

There is also a thread somewhere on this board where a guy restored an Edison Cylinder machine, and it turned out really well -- best I have seen. I can't remember who, maybe someone will chime in.

Most refinished phonos look refinished. His did not.

AZ* wrote:One of my favorite books on this topic is "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner. It's available on Amazon, or used on ebay for a reasonable price.

It talks about filling grain, dye vs pigment stains, and various clear finishes -- and much more. Lots of photos. To do it right, you will probably have to buy some products from specialty stores or online. Most of what you see at Home Depot, for example, is inappropriate.

There is also a thread somewhere on this board where a guy restored an Edison Cylinder machine, and it turned out really well -- best I have seen. I can't remember who, maybe someone will chime in.

Most refinished phonos look refinished. His did not.

I could definitely use that book. My model B standard badly needs a refinish.

Head towards using shellac rather than modern finishes. It's very forgiving and can be french polished up to an original sheen very nicely. Often the original finish was shellac from new and it can be cleaned and reconstituted with DAN before adding a few more light coats and knocking back down with a french polish technique. IMO this is always the best route if you can do it as it will not look over restored and will preserve much of the original finish. That Model B above looks like an ideal candidate for this route

Andy, your model B looks like a good candidate for the re-amalgamation with alcohol/ additional coats of clear shellac route. You'll be surprised that the color is still mostly present. I did a model C and a model D machine(s) that looked way worse than that. If you need a little Van Dyke Brown aniline stain for retouching, let me know. Just be prepared to spend some time on it. If you search some of my previous threads, you'll see at least a couple I've documented pretty thoroughly.

Martin, I second the idea that you stay with the shellac side of things. It may seem daunting at first, but it really is quite easy to work with once you get used to it.


Martin