I've moved on to one side and the front.

I'm just going to sand down the existing finish a bit and spray toner lacquer over it. Sure it will end up a bit darker, but it saves a lot of time.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/...2c456b9d_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2761/...b5204e6c_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/...16919df8_b.jpg

Now for the front. I'm not going to mess with the control, control area. Someday, I may get some custom decals created and refinish that too.
For now, I'll put a few clear, gloss coats over it for protection.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2695/...13fea112_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/...3a884a1e_b.jpg

One side left.

What was the color of that spray toner lacquer?
Was it Red Mahogany?
I saw a Mohawk can in one photo.

So you sanded the sides and sprayed one or more coats?

Good job! :thmbsp:That cabinet looks great -- just like new. It's amazing what a coat or two of stain or toner can do for the looks of a vintage TV.

Where can the toner you used (or a similar brand) be found? You gave me an idea when I saw those pictures. I'd like to refinish my desk in the same color as your TV's cabinet (the desk is 18 years old and is starting to show its age; time to refinish). Mahogany and walnut are two of my favorite types of wood; I have three Zenith radios here, one in a walnut cabinet, the other two in mahogany, and I just love the way they contrast with the rest of my furniture. If I like how it turns out on the desk, I think I might refinish my TV stand in the same color.

Thanks in advance.

Mohawk toner is available from AES, http://www.tubesandmore.com/ . If you do an Internet search, you can find other suppliers.

I'm careful about toning lacquer since I bought a couple of "house brand" cans from a local paint store. The stuff was awful, more like cheap paint or liquid shoe polish.

Phil

RadioDaze also has Mohawk products.

http://www.radiodaze.com/

I used Mohawk Deep Red Mahogany M100-0384 and M102-0420 Clear Gloss from Altura Paint Center http://alturapaint.com/mohawk-ultra-...oner-p-73.html

Only $4.95 a can :D

I originally picked it up for my Philco 49-1040, but it worked well for this set too.

Decals
 

One of these days I may get some custom gold decals created. Maybe this place http://www.solidesign.bizland.com/ :scratch2:
It's not cheap though. Maybe some of you guys need these decals too ?
Perhaps we could pool our money for the setup fees :deal:

I also need the same size Admiral logo for my 19A15S
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3193/...aee5b39444.jpg

How do you handle the fumes from the lacquer spray?

John

I spray out on my enclosed back porch with a window cracked open. Pretty much I just hold my breath while spraying. I'm only doing small sections at a time that take 30 seconds or so to cover.

Since all my other projects have stalled while I wait for parts to arrive, I decided to re-coat that CRT.

Scraping of the remains of the old coating with a CD. Works fairly well and doesn't scratch the glass.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/...d3d351de_b.jpg

Cleaned with lacquer thinner, mineral spirits and windex.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2029/...80661521_b.jpg

Masking with painters tape. I have an RCA CRT mat under the tube.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/...ea0229eb_b.jpg

Almost ready to go. I noticed the ultor mask was off center and adjusted it.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2259/...2701144f_b.jpg

A few coats later.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2109/...2525d189_b.jpg

Purdy :D. Gotta be careful though - that coating is really soft.
It measures about 45K with my probes several inches apart. I think that's fine.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2070/...3023a5ff_b.jpg


Here's some video if you'd like to see the process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg-WcFgSXHg

-

That jug is too pretty to hide inside a cabinet. Leave it out as a work of art. :yes:

Very nice work. I noticed you have actual aquadag in a can, not the Grainger SlipPlate that others have mentioned.

LOL - Thanks, but back inside it goes.

Thanks. I think I used up about half the can. I need to do the same treatment on a 10BP4 - there should be enough left.

OK, just to remove any doubt of my insanity, I stripped down the cabinet and refinished it again!

Why? Well, I wasn't happy with how dark it was and I knew I could do better with the grain filling.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/...50faa7a4_b.jpg

Next up, Behlen water based brown grain filler. It's a little messy, but does a decent job.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/...9a74b4e7_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/...8a22dfbc_b.jpg

I also carefully wet sanded and buffed the scratched faceplate.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/...bb93264c_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/...d435af31_b.jpg

I like to use stain to give a good color base then toner to fine tune it. Here's some Red Mahogany being applied.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/...7615ff3306.jpg

I used Mohawk Deep Red toner before. This time I picked up Mohawk Red and Dark Red. Dark Red turned out to be perfect :banana: Lesson learned: always do test samples before a major project.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/...b5015710_b.jpg

That left the screen & control area. I pondered these options:

• wiping out the labels :thumbsdn:
• try to touch up and clear coat :scratch2:
• shelling out big $$ for a custom decal set :scratch2:

Then, Reece posted his excellent Firestone restoration project in which he made custom gold decals. I contacted him and he was able to make an excellent set for me :banana:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/...7f0b95f8_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/...4cc4f53a_b.jpg

Very soon, I'll strip down the front, refinish and apply the decals. Reece made a few extras for when I screw up :D

That faceplate came out great! What grade of sandpaper did you use? Did you buff it by hand?

I'm a little confused by the Mohawk colors. I used Classic Brown Mahogany and it came out much like your dark red. When I look at the color chart it appears that the brown was intended to be applied much lighter than I did and on a test piece a light coating does appear to be brown.

The deep red on the color chart looks more like the brown I was looking for and is about the same shade.

I also made mine too dark but I lightened it up with 600 grit sandpaper before the final clear coat.

Your cabinet came out great! It takes a real perfectionist to strip a cabinet they just finished and start over.

John

I used #600 - #1500 followed by Novus #2 and Novus #1. All by hand.

I'm still confused by the Mohawk colors! I suspect the base color plays a big role with some of the toners.

A couple coats of Mohawk Deep Red looks almost black. I used what I had left on my recent Haillicrafters project for the base and front trim.

Mohawk Red Mahogany / Cherry is far to light. Two coats of Dark Red Mahogany on lightly stained veneer was a perfect match. Go figure.

I did wait about 3 months before redoing it :D Also, keep in mind I only stripped the top before. This time I stripped the rest too.

Reproduction Decals
 

It's finally time to apply the reproduction decals I got from Reece.

First, I needed to remove the old ones.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/...933bd8d2_z.jpg

Luckily, I was able to sand them off without damaging the finish underneath.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/...738b2809_z.jpg

I sprayed on a few coats of Deft sanding sealer and sanded it smooth. Then, touched up the trim around the bezel and applied a coat of Deft gloss. Now it's ready for the decals.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/...4f101d3e_z.jpg

I taped a bit of enameled wire across the control area as a reference.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/...a0ed03c2_b.jpg

That just leaves the logo.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/...ab1c047f_b.jpg

The logo was a really pain. I repositioned it at least 5 times. That blemish in the middle is part of the underlying wood and original finish.
Next I'll apply a couple more coats of clear lacquer to protect the decals and hide the edges. Then buff out the whole cabinet and maybe call this done finally.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/...4cfecb00_b.jpg

That's amazing! Beautiful work.

John

Thanks. I've had nothing but trouble trying to photograph this shiny mahogany surface. Sometimes the camera won't focus because of the shine I think, sometimes they come out really dark, sometimes too red.

That last photo is the closest, but even that's not quite right. That strip around the screen bezel is actually dark red mahogany, but it comes out looking almost black in these photos.

That is one sharp TV. It is making me really want to get started on my Admiral TV/AM/FM/Phono.

Rod

I've just read the entire thread, and watched the videos. The Admiral is a real beauty, and I commend you for your tireless efforts. I love it!

Bruce

Finally, on to rubbing out the finish. I think 11 months is long enough to let the lacquer cure :rolleyes:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6008/...a7e0772e_z.jpg

There was a lot of overspray on the sides so I had to start out with some 400 grit first. Then, some 600 grit wet sanding and steel wool.
I think in the future I'll make some effort to shield surfaces from overspray to save some time and effort.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6015/...21109d6b_z.jpg

Next, pumice stone. I used the opportunity to try out an idea I've had for a while.
I haven't found a local source of good felt pads and they can be a little pricy online, so I tried large felt furniture pads.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6028/...d9ae36de_z.jpg

They actually work pretty well on large flat surfaces, but for angled our curved surfaces the thinner flexible pads are still the way to go.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/...162f6fbc_z.jpg

After about two hours work, one side is done :drool:
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6018/...4e83f66f_z.jpg

I fired this set up for the first time in months so I could compare it to another 20B1 chassis I'm currently working on.

Two problems became apparent immediately. One, the picture was barely visible. Plenty of brightness but very faint like viewing a very weak station.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7132/...8e83055d_z.jpg

Two, the horizontal linearity was shot.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/...f889240f_z.jpg

I tracked the first issue down to a dirty socket for the 6AG5 RF tube in the tuner causing the filament to not light.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7079/...1c91fdd4_z.jpg

The second to a burned out 8500 ohm horizontal damping resistor.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/...08a76cd4_z.jpg

That's an oddball value so I used a 10K in parallel with 56K.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7436/...1d757945_z.jpg

That's better :)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/...c328320f_z.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3678/...04f78c03_z.jpg

Looks very nice!

You know my motto -- when it comes to tube pins & sockets, there's no such thing as too clean :)

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

Thanks. From now on I'll follow that advice and clean all my sockets :yes:

This is my second set that sat idle for many months and had problems on start up. Perhaps I should rotate them more often.

Bob, I restored an Admiral 26R12 a few years ago. I really didn't have much time to use it and have since moved it to Florida. I decided to get it out and connect to the cable in my bedroom. Heck, why not? Our cable still has a lot of analog stations... starting with channel 2 ;).

I was greeted with no HV and a glowing 6BQ6GT Horizontal Output tube. I figured the oscillator was not running so I just put a brand new 6SN7GTB in it. Bingo! Working well. And, since in the home in Baltimore did not have analog cable, I only had channel 4 working. I was able to adjust the slugs in the tuner for each channel and it actually worked well.

After running for a couple of hours, I heard the set groan and looked at the back. There was a light show inside of the 5U4G. And a not too wonderful smell. (I have spare transformers etc.) So, one of the replacement electrolytic capacitor may have gone south. Don't have time right now to check. But as the Kingfish said, "Always Something!"

Glad that you got it sorted out. I actually look forward to finding and fixing the problem even if it entails opening up that filter capacitor can again.

BTW, I agree. We need to rotate our equipment. I have found the same "Problem" with my HH Scott amplifiers. More rotation necessary.

Phil, what is the best method and cleaning supplies that you have found for cleaning tube pins and tube pin sockets. I want to do my sets.

Thx.

I spray DeOxit into the socket then insert/remove the tube a few times while wiping tube pins clean.
Here it is all back together. Hopefully, it will stay that way for a long while :yes:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/...203658d3_c.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3759/...0818b1f5_c.jpg

You guys are really amazing.

Jealous is an understatement!

Admiral
 

Wow!!!

That has to be better in many respects than when it left the factory. Especially the shine on that cabinet!! Looks like you just pulled it out of the carton.

Admiring your Admiral. :D

Thanks Bob. Set looks incredible!! Love it!

DeOxit, in a word. More details in this article:

http://antiqueradio.org/FirstStepsInRestoration.htm

In addition to the tiny stainless brush mentioned there, CAIG makes nylon brushes:

http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.202/.f

Brushes aren't absolutely necessary, but sometimes you find a stubborn socket.

Some people get into religious discussions about why this or that cleaner is superior or inferior, etc. I think the precise flavor of cleaner is far less important than the activity itself. Even something as simple as isopropyl alcohol is vastly better than leaving the dirt & oxidation in place and hoping for the best.

Regards,

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

P.S. Playing your restored TVs and radios from time to time is a VERY good idea, and I need to do it more often, myself. Nothing is more disheartening than firing up a treasure to show to a visitor and having it misbehave. "Worked great the last time I played it." Yeah, right :)

Thanks!!!!

Beautiful job! I don't recall seeing a better example of that classic set. Next to the 10" bakelite it's my favorite Admiral console. You just can't the way those Admirals play!

As usual, great job, Bob, on cabinet and chassis. Very nice picture on that tube.