Photo finish: my solution!

[Phil Nelson]

Originally Posted by Eric H

I was planning on veneering right over the existing

What's the downside to doing that? Seems simpler than removing the old stuff, if that's stuck on so hard it has to be torched off. You could give it a light sanding to make sure the new veneer adheres.

Phil Nelson

[ohohyodafarted]

Phill,

The only downside that I see is if you have large areas on the top where the old finish has pealed off, you will have an uneven surface. Then then after you apply veneer you may see some variations in the flatness of the surface. But that can be taken care of by applying bondo to even out the old surface before you apply the veneer.

You would also want to make sure that whatever old finish that is left on the set is well adhered so that you have a good solid surface to glue the new veneer to. Otherwise I guess you could go right over the old surface.

[Kevin Kuehn]

I think the material you’re removing is a printed vinyl product- still in extensive use on low-end furniture today. Thermofilm is a common name associated with kitchen cabinet doors. It’s a heat press application. It will shrink and conform to irregular surfaces. Remember all the cheap wood grain paneling back in the 70's-80's? -Same kind of stuff. Some of it even has wood grain molded in. I think you can still get vinyl woodgrain covered moldings at home centers.

[miniman82]

Almost done...





And now for the modification this set has always needed:





That's right, she's going topless!

Seriously though, it's a PITA trying to converge sets like this with a mirror. I've always felt that the older sets with removable top were a lot easier to work on (especially ones with vertical chassis), and all it took was removing a few screws and a couple hammer blows to get it off. Now I have to add some strategically placed bracing, make sure it will clear the chassis, and put it back together. I have a length of 1" square oak already ripped to size, but I won't be able to get back to this till 2 weeks from now.

[PhilcoNTTS]

Excellent methods , sounds like great craftsmanship;

TRY THIS; INFORMATIVE, AND FAIRLY ACCURATE- (THEY MAKE IT LOOK EASIER THAN IT IS)
www.xrestore.com/Pages/FauxWoodGrain.htm
Here is the whole scoop on the Photo Finish: It is a series of painting, glaze, and methods of application of glaze with a stiff brush, (after period of getting jelly like)- ( then fine, (real fine------ sand paper. )
Let's put it this way; much like walking from Portland to Seattle , vs , taking a 1/2 hour airline trip. (modern methods)- commonly used on old clocks; Here you go- Good reading, with web address


Faux Wood Grain Finish: Simulated wood finishes, created using paint, were common on many clock cases manufactured in the later part of the 1800's. Small "cottage" clocks as well as large "Triple-Decker" shelf clocks used this finish technique to reduce the use of expensive imported veneers.
Genuine veneers were combined with the faux finish such that it was difficult to tell where genuine ended and faux started. On this cottage clock case, the red arrows point to genuine rosewood veneer while the green arrows point to faux rosewood.

After 100 years or more of use, storage and moving, most of these clock cases show considerable wear and damage. With real veneer, you can often find matching "new" veneer to make your repairs. This isn't possible with a faux finish. To restore this finish, you must be able to reproduce the original grain using paints.

Repairing or recreating faux wood finishes is accomplished using "glazes" which are nothing more than paints that have been thinned to the point of translucence. The techniques necessary to create authentic looking faux finishes are not difficult to master and require no special tools. Practice pieces (4 x 8 inches) can be cut from thin paneling or door-skin and used to perfect technique.

Materials: Faux wood grain does not require a large investment in tools or supplies but it is important to gather up the needed materials and get organized before the first attempt. The following are basic materials you will need.
My Philco was Mahogany; (Golden Grid ) - I was able to avoid doing a big "Faux finish"

MY PIC ATTACHED-

[miniman82]

Lots more progress, since I'll be at the house for the next few days.

So far, I attached a new section of veneer on the right side and stained it. Then I was able to apply the first pass of poly to the left side, so tomorrow when it's dry I'll go over it with fine grit and do the second pass. Left side turned out very nice, you can really see the grain popping.






Still left to do is the application of sanding sealer to the right side, then it will be ready for the first pass of clear poly. It's getting to the home stretch now!

[Penthode]

The effort is really making it look good. The cabinet work is time consuming but the results are worthwhile!

[miniman82]

Yes, it's very time consuming! Although I could have had this done weeks ago, if I was able to work on it in the garage vice having to do this in my folk's basement in Beloit.

Anyway, left side is done and it looks great. I just applied sanding sealer to the right side, when I wake up in the AM I'll steel wool it and apply the first coat of poly. I'm thinking one more weekend's worth of work and I'll be able to take it home.