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Hi all, I am taking the oak case timber back to the start, were these cases normally from new a nice golden oak finish or were they different stained colors? I love Oak, not a common timber here in Australia and I like the light grain finish but if it was not like that from new I need some guidance from you guys. What do you use to fill the grain, can thick shellac solution but used then sanded or is the grain filled with a darker filler.
I have the whole bottom case apart thanks to loose finger joints. It is in good condition and should come up nice. The lid is not bad but has the veneer missing on one edge which seems to be common on a lot for sale on Ebay.
This question has probably been asked a hundred times, if there is a link to case finishing can someone point me in the right direction.
Peter
Edison Home Phonograph case color and finish
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keywindgem
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martinola
- Victor III
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Re: Edison Home Phonograph case color and finish
Hi Peter.
Welcome to the board. You might want to post some "before" photos as it's hard to make useful suggestions when one can't see. From my observation, the Suitcase model A had a golden oak finish, the New style model A had a green oak finish (although I'm not sure if the early Red Banner version did), and the rest of them had Antique Oak (VanDyke Brown?). Anybody correct me if I'm wrong, here. I'd recommend taking it slowly. There's an old saying that I just made up: "You can never put back Original." Originality is highly prized. Even if you're using nice repro parts or decal (and many are not that nice), a total refinish will tend to devalue a machine. There are a lot of surprising things that can be done to clean and restore an original finish without total stripping. If you are careful in the reglueing, you may be able to even still save the finish with reamalgamation and perhaps overcoating with shellac. I'd hunt through some of the archived threads in this board. There's a lot there. In any case, good luck with your restoration. Keep us posted on your progress.
Regards,
Martin
Welcome to the board. You might want to post some "before" photos as it's hard to make useful suggestions when one can't see. From my observation, the Suitcase model A had a golden oak finish, the New style model A had a green oak finish (although I'm not sure if the early Red Banner version did), and the rest of them had Antique Oak (VanDyke Brown?). Anybody correct me if I'm wrong, here. I'd recommend taking it slowly. There's an old saying that I just made up: "You can never put back Original." Originality is highly prized. Even if you're using nice repro parts or decal (and many are not that nice), a total refinish will tend to devalue a machine. There are a lot of surprising things that can be done to clean and restore an original finish without total stripping. If you are careful in the reglueing, you may be able to even still save the finish with reamalgamation and perhaps overcoating with shellac. I'd hunt through some of the archived threads in this board. There's a lot there. In any case, good luck with your restoration. Keep us posted on your progress.
Regards,
Martin