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Am I correct (taking some clues from the inside of the lid) that the mahogany C150 had a high gloss shellac "piano finish" when new? Or could it be varnish?

Clay

Clay,

I restored an oak C150 and it had shellac finish: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... estoration I have never heard that different wood species used different finishes during the same era.

If you can find a spot that is not visible, you can try putting a couple drops of alcohol on and seeing if the finish is softened/dissolved.

Good luck

Most likely shellac unless very late perhaps and then maybe lacquer which some of the machines are. To test for shellac take a bit of Denatured Alcohol and put it on a cloth and dab it on the finish in a place you won't see like the back of a rear leg or something and if it softens the finish its shellac, if it stays hard you have something else.. My be is shellac. Depending on how it looks there are several things you can do but all of them take some careful workmanship..

Larry

FloridaClay wrote:Am I correct (taking some clues from the inside of the lid) that the mahogany C150 had a high gloss shellac "piano finish" when new? Or could it be varnish?

Clay

I am doing a c-250. It's shellac. Or was, until somebody put a nasty black on it. I think they call it China black. It's not well done.Shellac clobs up in sandpaper really well... never fear. Denatured alcohol, wiping cloth, and moderately aggressive steel wool does wonders.