Ct-100

[Phil Nelson]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

the feet and area between them under the speaker area are slightly redder than the rest of the cabinet.

That's consistent with that area being somewhat shaded from UV exposure. If you disassembled the cabinet and looked at finished edges never exposed to sun, you might be surprised how red they look.

Phil Nelson

[jr_tech]

That is indeed true, but there may also be some color differences in the base material as well, as the color changes are quite abrupt and on the "seam" lines.

jr

[Phil Nelson]

In that case, maybe they were originally somewhat darker and my cabinet was so faded that it all looked the same. I'm working with sample of one, too

Phil Nelson

[Tom Albrecht]

Thanks for the feedback -- sounds like both of yours are uniform, and were thought to be that way originally as well.

Anyone else? Take a look at the first picture in my post at the top of page 7. That's what's making me think the bottom should be darker. In any case, I haven't done anything yet to make the bottom darker, so if the consensus is that it should all be the same, it will save me a step.

[jr_tech]

Here is an example of what I mean... The piece coming down on the right side is quite brown (almost like walnut to my eye) Below the speaker area Reddish brown, like *most* of the cabinet. Below that more reddish, except the foot is a little more brownish. I hope that it was a little more uniform when new! This set is un-restored (obviously) pretty much "as found" in 1971.

[David Roper]

If I may say so, my set has about the nicest original finish of any I've ever seen. The entire surface looks uniform to me.

[Tom Albrecht]

Well, that all looks pretty convincing. I suspect mine may have been modified at some point -- maybe a partial refinish of just the side feet areas or something like that. I'll go with uniform color on the new finish.

Some pretty nice looking CT-100s out there. Thanks for posting!

[Phil Nelson]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

the foot is a little more brownish.

You may be seeing normal assembly-line variations. The foot is likely a different type of wood than the veneered front. Manufacturers used toner rather than stain because it did a better job of giving an even color on both the expensive veneer and the cheaper structural pieces. (Plus, toning lacquer dried very quickly, unlike stain.) Wood is a natural product, and not every piece of the same type of wood is identical.

Cabinets were made on an assembly line by humans, not robots. On ARF someone posted a video of RCA TV production in the 1950s. In the finishing segment, the cabinets are on a moving conveyor and the lady sprays on lacquer with a hose that looks like it could cover a school bus in a few seconds if she opened the nozzle a little more. It's remarkable what a good job the workers (generally) did under such production pressure. As you probably know from finishing, even a moment's inattention can produce unevenness, and different kinds of wood may still look a little different under a uniform coat, owing to differences in the tightness/depth of the grain and the way it takes the light at different angles. Then you need to factor in the unpredictable effects of UV fading over a period of decades. I have seen a photo of a CT-100 that sat in a sunny store window for years, and its color looked nothing like an original.

Phil Nelson

[jr_tech]

Indeed! The two sets at the Early Television foundation illustrate this:
http://www.earlytelevision.org/images/2_cabinets.jpg
jr
http://www.earlytelevision.org/rca_ct-100.html

[Pete Deksnis]

I'm more of an electronic guts type of guy than a cabinet refinisher, but here are cell shots of what I like to think is pretty much a pristine CT-100.

shots 13-12-22 13.15.10 and 13-12-22 13.15.42 taken on the right side of the cabinet clearly show a dark area below the seam. But the dark clearly begins below the seam. The area was illuminated with a 6500 degree K lamp and looks the same by eye as in the photo. Phil is probably on the mark.

shot 13-12-22 13.17.38 is of my operational CT-100; it has an early history of poor storage environments. It too shows a darker lower member although it is harder to tell compared to the other set.

A new observation for me: In both cases it is evident that the grain pattern flows from the veneer side panel to the lower member. Perhaps you can detect it in the marginal cell photos. Did they use the same sheet of veneer to cover the side panel and hardwood frame members? Seems a bit extravagant, but perhaps a quality damn-the-cost practice was invoked because of the status of RCA's first color set?

Pete

[Tom Albrecht]

Actually, it's a continuous sheet of plywood down the sides all the way to the bottom of the feet. The horizontal line is nothing but a shallow cut through what is otherwise continuous veneer.

OK, so I guess some sets had a darker finish at the bottom, and some didn't. Mine is like Pete's, except that the border between lighter and darker coincides more with the horizontal cut on mine.

[jr_tech]

Any correlation to build date, mine is fairly late (B80036743)... perhaps they simplified the toning process on the later sets?

jr

[Steve D.]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

Any correlation to build date, mine is fairly late (B80036743)... perhaps they simplified the toning process on the later sets?

jr

Jr. Doubt the build date had anything to do w/the final finish on the CT-100 cabinets. Probably more to do w/the skill of the person applying the toner/lacquer or even the lateness of a shift and a tired employee. Much the same as any mass produced product during the pre automation era & tireless robots of today. Many RCA cabinets & chassis were pulled from the line during final inspection for repair.

Photo courtesy: Dave Arland

-Steve D.

[Tom Albrecht]

For what it's worth, mine is B8000952, cabinet #797. So that may be a relatively early one, and it has the darker area at the bottom. I decided to go ahead and darken that area again, now that I know it's not likely some kind of modification after manufacturing.

[Pete Deksnis]

The first two pictures in my post above are of one of the last CT-100's built; the third picture is of one of the first built. So we're all over the place with build dates.

Pete