CTC100 S/N B8002567 Lives!

[dtvmcdonald]

It now receives real OTA NTSC on Ch. 39 ... installing a UHF strip is easy
and we still have that one LP station.

I'm wondering about the cabinet. Mine is in good shape overall, but the
bottom part is bad. See the picture on Radiomuseum.org, though mine
is not as bad, as only the speaker slats and the very bottom front part
are bad.

BUT ... WHAT ARE THEY? For all the world it appears to be photofinish.
Its flaking off in very very thin splotches, leaving bare wood. Could this
really be toner and varnish? I didn't think that "flaked" off.

As to refinishing ... I found some shelf liner paper at Walmart.com that
is close and I'm going to stick it on. The next owner can refinish it and
risk damaging the CRT.

Doug McDonald

[dtvmcdonald]

Go to the tech restoration forum for actual OTA Ch. 39 NTSC pictures.

Thanks to Dave A for the UHF tuner insert.

[Phil Nelson]

Originally Posted by dtvmcdonald

BUT ... WHAT ARE THEY? For all the world it appears to be photofinish.
Its flaking off in very very thin splotches, leaving bare wood. Could this
really be toner and varnish? I didn't think that "flaked" off.

The CT-100 cabinet was finished with toning lacquer and clear lacquer (not varnish). 99.99% of old radio/TV cabinets were done in lacquer because it dries very quickly.

Flaking lacquer is not unusual when a cabinet has been exposed to moisture and temperature extremes. Many CT-100 cabinets (including the one shown at radiomuseum.org) also show some color fading from exposure to UV. The original color was quite reddish. If you look at the photos of my refinished cabinet at http://antiqueradio.org/RCACT-100Television.htm , you'll get an idea of the color. If you disassemble your cabinet and inspect the finished areas that were shielded from UV, you'll also see the original color.

Contact paper sounds a little odd, but if that looks better to your eye, nobody's going to stop you. If your finish is already flaking, it may pull off some more if/when you remove the paper in the future. If you do want to remove a piece of contact paper, pull it slowly and horizontally to the cabinet surface (not at a right angle, which may pull off more flakes and possibly leave adhesive residue).

There's no harm in leaving the cabinet alone for the time being. I would definitely not slop on Howard's Restore-a-Finish, stain, etc., in an attempt to even out the color. If in the future you decide to take the cabinet to a pro refinisher, it would be better for them to start with a clean slate, not a cabinet partly soaked in some random goo from Home Depot.

Just my $0.02.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

[dtvmcdonald]

The areas that are flaking are so bad that contact paper will
pull it ALL off if removed. Blowing on it removes much of it.

The adjacent areas that are NOT flaking are stuck tight, such
that a test in an obscure area with duct tape didn't pull
the finish off.

I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but it
is very red all over. Its actually in really
good shape. While showing "crazing" all over, that's
about it. There very little differential fading. All I used on
it was a damp cloth and that was enough.

I was thinking, however, of putting museum hanging tape
(which uses a very removable water based adhesive) on the set
and sticking the contact paper on that.

[Phil Nelson]

That museum tape sounds like a good bet.

I don't recall seeing photos of your cabinet. Perhaps they are in the other thread. Anyway, yeah, they are pretty red, compared to most old cabinets.

Phil Nelson

[dtvmcdonald]

I'll post pictures. Original and with the contact paper.
This sticks so badly I didn't bother with museum tape.

[Dave A]

I had the exact same damage to my CT but it was from a small flood at the dealers showroom in 1959. 45 years later I got the set and just did a sanding and a Minwax mahogany stain layered to match the upper color and some spray varnish to finish. No, it is not toning lacquer but it works. About one hour to fix. No one is going to find it down at toe level and it looks great.

[Phil Nelson]

Originally Posted by dtvmcdonald

Original and with the contact paper.

Well, that's quite a difference. The rest of the cabinet is so nice, it makes me think the bottom was water damaged. The contact paper is good enough to pass a casual inspection, anyhow.

If you do decide to go further, remember that lacquer (not varnish) is your friend. It's more easily reversible if you want to redo your first attempt or you later decide to give the cabinet the Full Monte. The worst choice of all would be polyurethane; you won't get that off with anything short of a belt sander.

Phil Nelson

[dtvmcdonald]

Reviving this thread.

The shelf paper peeled off. I still have 95% of the roll, but the stickum on it is
going bad too. So .. I decided to try double sided duct tape, in small patches

I wanted to verify that it would come off. So I tried some on fresh wood. Yes,
it comes off. Perhaps a bit of residue, by smell test. I tried the best remover
for tape stickum, ethyl acetate, and it worked perfectly. Acetone works too,
but needs several tries.

The set is presentable once again. But it lasted 6 years.