Cabinet Refinishing Advice?

[Winky Dink]

Cabinet Refinishing Advice?

I need to get started on cabinet refinishing so it'll be ready for final coats of lacquer or polyurethane before June. After that time it may be too hot to apply a finish until the Fall.
I have a combination of veneered and unveneered wood, and the veneers are partly painted and partly stained. I experimented with a stripper which removed a lot of gunk, but didn't remove the lacquer completely. Then I tried some light sanding, but I'm a bit wary of destroying the veneer.



Can someone advise me on removing the original finish and preparation for restaining and repainting, or direct me where to find reliable information?

I wanted to put my best foot forward in this restoration, but I found that I have no best foot. All four feet are substantially dry rotted.



I can see no choice but to have someone make new feet and dowel them into the legs. The dry rot probably extends into the legs, and I'll have to do whatever I can to arrest that process.

[Reece]

Manufacturers changed from shellac to lacquer around 1930-ish. You can test which you have by using a little solvent on a cloth in an inconspicuous area. Denatured alcohol will dissolve shellac. Lacquer thinner will dissolve lacquer. I'm betting this is shellac as the radio is old enough. To be authentic, you should use the original finish, and certainly not polyurethane, which is a modern invention and would lessen the value of the radio.

[Winky Dink]

I think you're right about the shellac. I tried some lacquer thinner a few days ago and it didn't do anything. I'll try alcohol tonight.
Thanks.

[Reece]

I tried alcohol tonight, a nice Spanish Rioja with supper. It worked fine.

[bandersen]

[Winky Dink]

I got sidetracked from the electronic restoration. Started working on the cabinet so I could do the lacquer finish during cool weather, then had to have new feet made, then restored a Philco 87 for the woodworker in exchange for the feet, then completed the cabinet restoration.

I couldn't resist slipping the chassis back in the cabinet for a photo session. Here's the before/after:



And this is a better picture, posed in a "natural" setting:



This is what I learned from the photo session: Lacquer takes a long time to fully cure, especially when you have 8 to 12 coats. I took these photos three days after the lacquer on the top was finished. See the framed photo on the top? Visitors always ask if it's a picture of my grandfather, but it's actually Marconi. Well, Mr. Marconi's frame left a substantial impression in the lacquer. I'll refinish the top and let it cure for at least 2 weeks before touching it and a full month before putting anything as heavy as a picture frame on it.

My advice on using lacquer: If you're a perfectionist or if you have any tendency towards OCD, then don't use lacquer! For this project I've used 2 quarts of lacquer thinner, 1-1/2 quarts of brushing lacquer, 4 spray cans of clear lacquer, 3 spray cans of black lacquer, and enough sand paper to de-rust the Golden Gate Bridge. And it ain't done yet.

[Dangler]

Lookin' good. Very nice.

[DavGoodlin]

That is great looking work and very encouraging. I am also embarking on the spray-can venture. I will practice on my 1935 GE A55 console which I did a veneer replacement on.

My next is a restoration job needs a bit less on the finish side, A 1941 Philco that I may either just apply paste wax to or outsource the lacquer application.
Lacquer spraying is best done with equipment most of us do not have but...I have Amish neighbors who do lots of cabinet work.

[Winky Dink]

I achieved an excellent result with six coats of brushing lacquer followed by a top coat of spray lacquer. But I couldn't leave it alone and finished the front and top surfaces to this level of gloss:



It's an impressive finish, but it looks unnatural. It would have been better to leave it at six-plus-one coats. Brushing lacquer is much cheaper than spray, but I had to wait 8 to 12 hours between coats. With spray it can be recoated in less than an hour.

[init4fun]

Great work on that finish , Winky !

Also , I wouldn't worry about it being too glossy , sure , it may look too shiny now , but give it 20 or 30 years and the aging process will have it looking somewhat dull again . This way our grandkids will have something to restore sometime around 2040 or so

[Reece]

Looks very nice. I always used spray can lacquer with good results. Best to let the final coat cure for a month or more in warm conditions to harden before putting anything on the surface. Also, don't wax right away. You want the volatiles in the finish to escape and wax would prevent that. Some of mine I never waxed as the lacquer looked fine the way it was.