All,

I have a 1970 Kriesler stereogram that needs some attention to the two lids. Both are missing end veneer, and the overall quality of the finish on the top is not great.

I'm trying to work out what colour it is, and how best to refinish it to the same (or very similar colour) and also repair the veneer.

I thought it was initially teak, but I'm not so sure. The grain seems to be quite 'hidden', but not sure if that's as it was, or if the finish has yellowed/clouded over the years.

Any suggestions/help greatly appreciated. Some pictures of it below:

http://john116.mywire.org/images/DSC_1501.JPG
http://john116.mywire.org/images/DSC_1502.JPG
http://john116.mywire.org/images/DSC_1503.JPG


Thanks,
John

Hello John ,
The Timber is Queensland wallnut Veneer .
: stain is a pigment stain being opaque to block the Grain out.
: The finish is a Glaze
: stain can not be bought and must be made .
The bare timber was sealed with what we call a wash coat and its clear , The Pigmet stain is then applied to that and floats between clear coats, That unit even though it looks dull and flat will most likely be nitrocellulose .,, Whicjh is good and bad depending on how much veneer is damaged as it can be Re-activated with care . Note the beauty inside the Cabinet and in full Gloss . Do you have photos of the Damage area I can have a look at ??


Pete

Can I also have a Photo of the front so I can Identify that Veneer as well, It may be different than the Top

VintagePete - thanks for the response. Damaged veneer is shown in the third picture link.

The easiest fix is if you have the missing Veneer ???????? If so Do not remove its finish/ Stain.
The second easiest option is to get a secondhand bit of scrap veneer off another old Product and place it into place and then reactivate it .
3rd option is a lot more tricky. Although it's the correct way, place a new piece of veneer in there and colour match it with toners to match the
The rest of the finish and to do this it takes a lot of experience.. .. .
Another option may be to look inside the unit for a piece that can be removed and used,,EG behind speaker board, etc
Also noted here the front panels are a different veneer and colour as the trim also appears to be ...
It's also possible to remove a bit of the old finish and stain the new piece of veneer too ..,,, This can be a quick fix

I have moved house not so long ago and unfortunately, I normally keep wrecked old units that still have Nitro on them for the sole purpose of cutting and matching a broken veneer as in this case,, But I had to leave all that behind in the move,

Don't have the missing veneer - I bought it recently in it's current state with veneer already missing. What is the 'reactivation' process?

Thanks again!

Ok well it can still be fixed.
Nitrocellulose is an old type of finish that never dries !! It's still moving on your Radiogram today! It will expand and contract like no other finish because it never Cures! So take a few minutes to get your head around that.
because it never cures the old finish can be re-activated back to being wet again to repair it .
This is done by mixing a hot mix of Nitrocellulose with its correct thinner Eg Lacquer thinners! Not Gp lacquer thinners and spraying it on the Radiogram, This will make the old finish wet again as it eats into the old finish re-activating it , So when it does this it gives the person a chance to move or smear a bit of the finish over the damaged area and therefore its the correct colour and it's still original
If you thinking of doing this , ? Only do that area you need to repair at this stage .....Have a look for a bit of Veneer you can use inside the unit first.

Pete

Thanks Vintage Pete. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any veneer in any hidden areas I can 'steal' it from.

Ok, you will have to buy a bit, you need "Raw" veneer to fix that. No stick on veneer, it won't work as it's too thick.
You can't buy it from hardwares anymore. So small bits can be bought off eBay ,even better if you can just get a bit from a old 60s sideboard,. Common veneer that one

I'm not sure if you have any experience in this type of thing, but to match and replace veneer on a nitro finish is no easy task
It may be much easy to find a piece of veneer off another old item and then match as close as you can,once in place you can spread a bit of the old finish on it to hide it with a bit of hot mix of nitro and thinner.
The only people who still work with nitro are a few people like myself or people who repair Guitars....so if you look ot up on the net you will see what's involved.

John, Another option for you.
There is a Guy at Hornsby ,3 doors down the hill from where Mr Pye wood use to be.
He does a bit of Colour matching too and he may make you up a closer stain . About 100 bucks at a guess

Vintage Pete - am happy to pay someone to do the lid repair/refinish. Couple of hundred no issue, as I was also going to stay, on the lid top, there are some water marks from probably vases, and also where hands have been used to open/close the lid, the colour has worn off/through so it's much lighter than other parts. Also, some areas on the lid are very light/grain visible where someone has vigorously cleaned perhaps.

Yes , Perhaps in this case it may be better to pay someone to do it yes.. Finding someone will be your problem, Not many will touch Nitro anymore , but see how you get on at Hornsby ,,have a chat to him , Sorry I can't offer to do it , I live in Albury now and I have more jobs to do than I can get done and I'm also painting the house and building a shed ... Need to be 20 again !

pete

Vintage Pete - can you private message me the contact details of the person at Hornsby?

John , I don't have the Addy.
But it's in the industry area on the main Rd that heads up the hill towards Asquith and his shop is 3 doors down from where Mr Pye wood use to be .....if you get a toner made it would be about 100 bucks, he may not want to repair it for you only make a toner for you.
Because Repair work can be very time costly and it's just not worth doing patch work. A refresh on the whole Radiogram would be over 1000 bucks so generally patch work is a time consuming job that's not worth the hours ,but have a chat to him and see how you get on.

Pete