The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I think this topic was covered before but I could not find the thread.
I was considering offering on this Granada but as you can see it has
been painted. The whole inside has been painted as well except for the
area of the decal. The reproducer sounds pretty good and it runs ok, but
can use the usual overhaul. I am wondering, can this paint be removed
without damaging the original finish? Thanks for any advice.

While I cannot offer any advice on the paint removal while protecting the original finish (sorry ), I did have to laugh when I saw this photo...

It reminded me so much of the 1970's when furniture antique finishing was all the rage. My mother antique finished our dining room wall, desk, and piano all in the same antique finish. It was a nightmare... only enhanced all the more by the black and gold flocked wallpaper on the adjacent wall. I suppose the only consolation was that the desk and piano shared the same wall space, so they somewhat "disappeared" in with the wall...

Was I ever relieved when my brother bought the house from my parents when they retired and repainted the wall. The desk still lives on in all of its glory in my mother's bedroom, though I have no clue where the piano is...

I don't believe it is possible to remove paint from wood without disturbing the original finish. (at least on a grand scale) I did use lacquer thinner to remove newer paint from a Victor back bracket. It had been painted gold and the lacquer thinner lifted the gold but did not affect the original black paint but I did lose about half of the striping. Jerry Blais

Before stripping the cabinet, you might try a simple method I discovered for getting brown enamel/latex paint off the surface of a Credenza.

Get some "Simple Green"*** which is a highly concentrated detergent, along with about a half dozen Scotch brand kitchen scrubber sponges.

Put on some rubber gloves, and then moisten the sponge with some warm water. Pour a little simple green directly onto the surface of the Victrola. Let it set for about five minutes, and then start scrubbing gently with the abrasive side of the sponge.

***(You might also try plain, concentrated dish detergent.)

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Along this line, you might also be able to remove the paint using some Howard's Restore a Finish, and either an abrasive sponge or some fine steel wool.

It all depends what condition the original finish was in when it was painted, what products where used on the original finish, and what preparation was done before it was painted.
If you're lucky, the finish was in good to fair condition, various waxes & polishes were used on it over the years, & minimal to no preparation was done before painting.
I've stripped the paint off quite a few original finishes on a variety of antique furniture. Some have required not much more than a wax, while others had to be evened out with a solvent or coat or 2 of shellac.
You've really got to experiment to find what works best for a given piece of furniture, and the end result can vary greatly.
I've found paints that desolve in ammonia, petrol, kero, & some general household cleaning products, but leave the original finish untouched. If I run out of things to try, then I resort to scraping the paint off.
If the surface wasn't well sanded before being painted, you'll normally find that a barrier has formed on the original finish from dirt, dust, oils & waxes etc, so the paint more or less sits on the surface. If this is the case, you can use a knife or dull single edged razon blade to lift the paint from the finish. Sometimes once you get an edge up, you can peel the paint off in big sheets with your hands.
If however the finish was sanded down properly, then the paint will usually adhere really well, and there's nothing you can do except strip everything & start a fresh. And if a pretty good finish has a few gouges it will stick to them, or soak into bare timber if they're deep enough.
The video below shows how simple it can sometimes be, although the finish underneath isn't in very good condition, but at least I'll be able to preserve the original stain & colour to some extent, and it should come up ok with a couple coats of shellac.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viotfPVqZ3U[/youtube]

Tinkerbell wrote:While I cannot offer any advice on the paint removal while protecting the original finish (sorry ), I did have to laugh when I saw this photo...

It reminded me so much of the 1970's when furniture antique finishing was all the rage. My mother antique finished our dining room wall, desk, and piano all in the same antique finish. It was a nightmare... only enhanced all the more by the black and gold flocked wallpaper on the adjacent wall. I suppose the only consolation was that the desk and piano shared the same wall space, so they somewhat "disappeared" in with the wall...

Was I ever relieved when my brother bought the house from my parents when they retired and repainted the wall. The desk still lives on in all of its glory in my mother's bedroom, though I have no clue where the piano is...

Tink, it certainly has a 70's aura to it. The tough part is the machine is complete and is otherwise in good shape. I have been meaning to add an ortho to my collection as well. Much to think about...

Thanks for all the excellent advice guys! I think if I can pick this up for $50 I will take
on the project. I have some room in my shed and worst case its a good learning experience.

antique1973 wrote:Thanks for all the excellent advice guys! I think if I can pick this up for $50 I will take
on the project. I have some room in my shed and worst case its a good learning experience.

I agree... what have you to lose?? The original finish is potentially ruined anyway, so any potential value based upon that finish is a moot point. The worst that can happen is that you wind up with a refinished piece that looks better than its present condition. Plus, you've got an ortho machine, to boot. JMO, of course...