Thanks Pete, I will pickup some Lacquer thinner and Howards early next week, so should be able to update on progress and I will take a few pics.
It is interesting when I look at the actual top where the top surface has lifted and is a flaky, the colour of the timber below is dark, so not sure if it was stained first or that is its natural colour.
The picture does not reflect this very well. Also the top of the cabinet is two parts. The base is a lighter colour where the timber is bare as shown at the bottom of the photo, which is the front top edge, the other timber placed on top is a ply from what I can tell and it is darker where the timber is bare.
Appreciate your thoughts when you get a chance.
Cheers

Hello Goerge,
Yeah photos are often not a very good true represention over the internet.
So thats why its important to do the test chemically so we can get a better idea of which process the finisher use,
Do you have a Trade George?
It does not matter which one you have ,but it helps me know more about you.
I will chat again with you after the test,
All the best ,Pete

George, Claphams is at the end of Centennial Ave where it joins Burns Bay Rd, They have been there for donkeys years . I've known them for years ,they have most Howard's products but at this stage you just want the clear or neutral, although walnut works the best . All we are doing is cleaning it up to see what we have.

Hi Pete,
I picked up the lacquer thiner today and put some on different area's on the back and base. Certainly nothing really happened, as far as it going yellow or becoming tacky etc, it just seem to be absorbed and it would darken the wood while it was wet, but nothing else. I used some tissue to wipe one spot after a minute or two and some of the stain came onto the tissue, so I suppose you could say it was dissolved.
So not sure what this tells us, please explain or suggest any other way to do the test?

In relation to my back ground, I graduated at ANU with a Physics, major and then worked Healthcare/Technical multinational companies for 35 yrs. I now have my own management consulting company, but I am more semi retired.
I am very hands on an love to ticker and build things but do not have a trade as such. Have always loved electronics since I was 8 yrs old and love to fix things but over the last 40 yrs have not had much time.

So I am now keen to spend more time on fixing and restoring old things in particular Audio, valve,radios, vintage turntables/amplifiers etc.
I have a lot to learn so I look forward to any help and suggestions any where I can get it.
cheers
George

Hello George,
Ok George its all pointing to Nitrocellulose Lacquer . Nitro never cures this is why you can have success in re- activation.
It was used on cars as well for its ability to create more colours and fast. You may remember years ago seeing old cars where the clear top coat was all cracked ?.
Im spraying a cabinet today and I'm running behind because the weather has change and temperature has dropped.
So tonight after I get the kids in bed I will write up a post on options.
I also want to chat about another option that may appeal to you ,because its one that can be done at home in the kitchen or sitting in the sun and is easy, as well as safe.
Its just an option.Either one you pick I will be around to give you a guide through it.
Pete

Hello George,
Just a re- cap on our test again . Not only for us but for people who may read it down the track later on.

1/ You tested the finish for Shellac by putting a couple drops of Metho on the side of the
Cabinet to see if the shellac melted.
It had no effect so that iindicates its not Shellac.

2/ So we tested the finish for Nitrocellulose by doing the same test, but we used lacquer thinners instead
The finished dissolved and you saw it darken the timber.
So we have a very good indicator that its Nitrocellulose lacquer finish.

3 / If the finish was an Oil Varnish,, its a tough finish and it would not disolve in that manner. It would of turned to a glue type thick substance over several minutes
A oil varnish finish is not one that can be re activated by pouring thinner or turpentine on it,,it just makes a big mess.

So although I'm not there and we are doing this with photos over the net .im pretty certain its a nitro finish . I also note the finish appears to be thin and if it was oil varnish it would be thicker than Nitro.

4/ Out of the 3 traditional finishes Nitrocellulose would be the hardest to work on for a person that does not have a lot of experience and finishing skils because to re activate takes real skill when its in the condtion of your cabinet and also the finish is 80 years old now and is falling off in parts and losing colour.
If it was a small area like a Violin or Guitar than I would be more inclined to say ,try re actvating and give it a new top coat too.
Nitrocellulose is designed to be sprayed on and if you put it on too thick it cracks, if the temperature is too hot or too cold it cracks.
Colour matching it is tricky and this often done by tinting the clear coat with tints to match the old colour and this takes great skill and a good eye for colour.
Sometimes with nitro you can remove the top coats without disturbing the base coats and this is done by making a pad with cotton rags and damping it with Lacquer thinners and rubbing the top coats off.
Other methods are spraying lacquer thinners on it to try and get it to re activate and then letting it dry for 3 weeks ,then sand it , then start coating it again , building up coats and sanding them until finally buffing it clean and to a nice gloss finish.
Nitro takes time to dry and depending on what brand you use it varies.
EG Wattyl is dust free in about 1 hour and it would take many thin coats to finish the cabinet ,with 2 days between each coat and the final coat must sit for 2 weeks before you sand out the dust marks and begin to buff and Polish it clean.
Now if all this is making your nose bleed , I'm not surprised, but dont be disheartened because their are many options here I can offer you still .
But I need to know what your feelings are about
1 do you feel a nitro finish is the one for you?
2 do you want to Restore this Cabinet or just clean it up and still leaving it daggy?
3 How do you feel about a different finsh that is easier to do and requires less skill and equipment?
All the best Pete
Ps dont try any of this yet because there is a Ratio and formula in doing it

Good Morning Pete,
I have just read your post and thank you for the effort your going tinto explaining this to a novice like me, I am sure others reading this thread appreciate your contribution as I do.
My nose is not bleeding but I did feel a headache coming on, haha or should I say LOL...

I do appreciate keeping the cabinet looking it age, for example I have had grey hair for a long time and my Kids kept telling me to use colour in my hair, but I never have and now that it is thinning out,they tell me to use some kind of Regain hair growth magic formula even my wife is now on my case( I guess she does not think bald is sexy).

So my point is I like to keep this as they were meant to be within reason so I guess I more in favour of keeping it daggy as you put it but also ensuring it is preserved and does not deteriote much further. I want this radio to maintain its original feel and sound.

With this approuch I also assume leaves me the option of doing the other options at a latter date if for some reason I chose to do so.

Does that make sense?

Cheers
George

Grey Hair ! Me too.
Dont worry about the women,Their always picking on us men and treating us like a sex object! And quite frankly I'm over it! and tired of being treated like an sex object! as I'm sure you are too!
I think all us men should go into the city and Burn our Ties as a sign of our independence .

Now about this cabinet, yes thats a good idea as I stated in beginning just take little steps.
So tonight I will write out a post of where to go to from here, I have to go to Newcastle today so if I'm very late back I will write it up tomorrow.
Chat then
Pete

A few years back, Nitrocellulose finish was still available & there is a HMV posted here some time ago that I had done (professionally with it).
Perhaps it could be the feature radio for info?

The thing that really helps the leveling of Nitro, is the way it actually melts into the previous coat.

I do have the circuit an its also probably on Kevin Chants site? I have sorted a few in this series, IF frequency is not listed but can be found out: Think 175kHz?

59 had a wiring oversight in the mixer area & the whistles were it, not the FAX. The volume is in the cathodes & part of a divider. As I found out from a hack (I know who did it) attempting to modify that, just made more work for me putting it back to original.

Marc

Ha Pete, I have already burnt all my Ties, yes being a Sex Object is difficult, but bring it on, I say...
I look forward to your advise, but please do it in your own time, no rush on my part, I am running a few other projects at the moment as well.
Cheers

Hi Marc,
Can you point me to the HMV Resto you did, or at least the time frame so I can search. And check it out.

I have not stared looking at the Electronics, but will need to track the circuit diagram down for this STC 562.
Is there a link to Kevin Chants site?
Cheers
George

Place on Kevin Chant http://www.kevinchant.com/stc2.html could not see at a glance but the modified 59E circuit I drew up is.

I have the circuit: It is tracked down, only needs a place to be sent and its also vague. Some drawings leave a lot to be desired.

https://vintage-radio.com.au/default.asp?f=14&th=24#199: It's a HMV 880 on a post about a 1927 set.

Marc

Nitrocellulose is still available in australia. Ive been using it for years. I buy it regularly and ive got gallons of it in the workshop.
But for any person who has not used it before , I would suggest using wattyl, because its dries to Tac free faster than the other brands.
Wattyl only sell it in 4lt at $90 plus the dedicated thinner is about $35
The reason you can still buy it here is because they changed the instruction sheet for it in say .
Thin it at 10% so it passed the environmental control .
But of course you just ignore that and Add more thinners and it sprays fine.

Hey George, long shot question, do you have any spray gear??

Just a note here to anybody reading this thread who may want to do spray finishes.

If you're spraying

Nitrocellulose
Shellac
Oil Varnish

You dont need the Top of the line spray gun,just a cheapish Gun is fine ,because there are no metallics in those finishes . If we were spraying a car we use a better gun for metallics and a finer atomization.

But in the case of furniture spraying we will be sanded the top coats back and buffing it off so a cheap Gun is fine for what we do.
A good Tip size for those 3 finishes
Would be 1.8 , nitro likes 1.4 but honestly its does not matter for what we are doing with it.
Pete

Hi Pete, No, I do not have a spray gun.
Cheers
George

Spraying kits are available at Bunnings for around $200.00. They are just hand-held affairs that plug into a normal power point. No air compressors, long hoses, etc.

I'd grab a face shield and a proper mask at the same time. Lungs and eyes don't work well with some types of finishes. It goes without saying that spraying should be done in the back yard.