The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Emboldened by the feedback received on the last posting on this topic, I went ahead stripped off the peeling faux finish and began to redo the mahogany finish on the Opera elbow. Following the suggested video I used the warm Caramel Krylon as a base coat. In retrospect a slightly redder color would have been better for mahogany. Instead of the dark walnut Minwax stain, I chose the red mahogany as a superior color match. I took two coats of the stain to get the color closer to the original. It is not finished up yet but just thought y'all might want to see what a beginner could do on the first time faux mahogany finish...pretty easy to do. Perfect, NO, but way better than before. Below I will post a series to pics. They are self explanatory. In the last pic the yellow square object is a portable light I used to observe the dark grain stripes on the elbow. Feedback is always welcome. I am working on the wooden bell and am being pleasantly surprised how it is going!!! Will post later on that topic. James Manker

This is the best way to experiment, on something that is already messed up. You're doing a good job and learning what works best. I have always tried to fix things myself, because if it's already broke, you have nothing to lose... Keep experimenting until you perfect it.

Guy, it looks promising...

You may find that Old Masters stain is a better choice than MinWax. Old Masters has a lot of pigment compared to Minwax.
Dave D

Thank you....always learning!