Hallicrafters T-506 scored

[bandersen]

The Lowe's on the north side was out, so I made the trek over to the west side and scored a few cans
I also finally got some Meguiars tech wax that I've been hearing great things about - but that's for another project

I'm just waiting for a few touch-ups to dry then I'll be trying out some pumice on it for a hand rubbed finish.

[bandersen]

I'm finally calling the cabinet done. I just need to buff out a little over-spray "haze". I found it very annoying to spray a box like this. Every time I got a side perfect, over-spray made another side "fuzzy". Maybe I could have shielded the other sides while spraying. I'll try that on the next project.


Here are the products I used. A red-ish toner would have been more appropriate than Pecan, but that's all I had on hand.


I hope to find time over the weekend to put it back together.

[bandersen]

Alright, time to finally rub down the finish!

First up 400 grit sandpaper and soapy water. Be careful not to sand through the edges Next up, a little soapy water and pumice powder. I used a wiping cloth (100% cotton) wrapped around a sanding block to rub it with the grain.


Next, mineral oil and rottenstone rubbed with a fresh wiping cloth and sanding block. "Intestinal lubricant" yummy.


Finally, some paste wax. Apply a thin layer, allow it to dry and buff it out.


Time to pop that chassis back in and finish this project off.

[ha1156w]

I'm still learning "proper" cabinet refinishing of my old radios and TVs. I see you're using Shellac as well as the Laquer. At what point do you use each? Shellac base and lacquer topcoat with toners in the middle?

[bandersen]

Originally Posted by ha1156w

I'm still learning "proper" cabinet refinishing of my old radios and TVs. I see you're using Shellac as well as the Laquer. At what point do you use each? Shellac base and lacquer topcoat with toners in the middle?

Sort answer -yes.

I used shellac as a grain filler. Mahogany and walnut are quite porous and you really need to do this step if you want a smooth surface. You could use lacquer for this as well but shellac dries faster. It also is a good wood sealer before staining.

I went with stain for the body, but I could just as well have used toner. I did use toner for the trim. After that, I used about 10 coats of Deft Semi-gloss sanding every 3 coats or so with 400 grit.

Here's some more info: http://woodworking.about.com/od/fini...OutLacquer.htm

[electronjohn]

Did we have the same wood shop teacher? Rub, rub, rub w/the pumice & rottenstone. That's the old school way to get "depth of finish".

[bandersen]

Hurray, another project is finally done

I've had this set running for about 10 hrs this week during the very hot & humid weather. I did not experience any high voltage sag

The CRT that came with this set was a little weak and I could hear and smell some ozone coming from the base somewhere. That reminded me that I had picked up a 7JP4 from one of you guys last year with a known grid short. I stashed it away with the thought that someday I could fix it.

Now that I have a Sencore CR70, that day has come. It took four blasts from the "remove shorts" button to clear it out and leave me with a strong RCA 7JP4 in this set





The "white gunk" has not returned to the knobs


Someone had added an external audio jack and switch. I removed them which left those two holes in the upper-right.

[jeyurkon]

Wow! That cabinet looks great!

[Reece]

Wow, supernice! Rubbing out is the way to go to get a smooth "depthy" finish.

As to overspray on sides you're not working on, that's what I do: masking tape pieces of newspaper on all sides not being sprayed. I used to use shellac, too, but now am using Deft Sanding Sealer which also dries really fast and is completely compatible with the Deft lacquer. I use a couple of coats between the grain filler and the top lacquer coats. Shellac can go bad on you in the can and make a mess (had that happen and had to sand it all off) but the sanding sealer seems to last forever in the spray can. If you buy fresh shellac a couple of times a year it will probably be OK. Made out of bug exudings! Yummo!

[Bill Cahill]

Reece, I disagree with you on what shelac is made out of.
However, I also must state that while I like shelac myself, and, your cabinet does look beutiful, I do know that the correct finnish would have been lacquer.
Just a note here.
Bill Cahill

[electronjohn]

Pretty damn nice, sir!

[matt_s78mn]

Originally Posted by Bill Cahill

Reece, I disagree with you on what shelac is made out of.

Reece is correct. Shellac comes from a bug that lives in forests in India and Thailand. The secretions are processed into dry flakes and then mixed with denatured alcohol to make liquid shellac.

[bandersen]

Thanks guys!

I'd have thought there would be synthetic shellac these days

Just for the record, I used the shellac only to fill the grain. Most of it was sanded off with the shellac only remaining in the pores. I imagine real grain filler would go a lot faster.

P.S.
I picked up a felt block the size of a chalkboard eraser a few days ago and used it on another project. Very nice to use for rubbing out with pumice or rottentone.

[Reece]

When I used shellac it was the brush-on type that I thinned out with denatured alcohol. Those cans always had an expiration date on them. Never used the spray shellac: are those cans dated?

[bandersen]

Originally Posted by Reece

When I used shellac it was the brush-on type that I thinned out with denatured alcohol. Those cans always had an expiration date on them. Never used the spray shellac: are those cans dated?

Not that I can see. The stuff in my can uses ethanol for a solvent.