Photo finish: my solution!

[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.

[Electronic M]

I have a 59 Zenith blond set that has what seems to be printed paper covered in toner lacker. The lacker has degraded in a couple of spotts and when it does it becomes sticky and adheres the paper to whatever is in contact with such that anyting touching a badspot will take the entire photo finish off!

Once I get to learning cabbinet work this will be some where on my list.

Tom C.

[miniman82]

Update, as promised.


Got the new brace installed so the cab won't be all weak, and applied the first of many pieces of veneer. Top looks pretty good now, but holy smokes does that contact cement STINK!

Tomorrow, I'll be finishing up the rest of the sanding. Then if I have any time left, I may apply some veneer to the side of the cabinet. Looks good so far, no?

[ohohyodafarted]

Looking good Nick! Are you going to leave the plywood core unfinished or are you going to edge band those? Or are the cores concealed?

I agree with you on the contact cement fumes. Watch out for those vapors, they are extremely flamable, unless you are using the non-flamable type. Back in the 70's I was recovering the kitchen cabinets in my home and the pilot light in the stove caused the vapors to flash over to the piece I was working on and I had a very nasty fire for about 30 seconds till I grabed the fire extinguisher and put it out. The house was filled with soot and smoke. I spent the next several days cleaning up the mess and washing walls.

After that experience I have since used the non-flamable version. It's a lot more costly, but once you experience fire you become a lot more cautious.

[miniman82]

I think this is the non-flammable version, it was pricey stuff. I think I'll leave the edges of the wood unfinished, I don't think it'll look too bad. Then again, I already have plenty of little strips left over that would be perfect for that task...

[WCF720]

If it stinks, it's likely the good stuff and it is expensive regardless! It's like paint strippers too; if it's "environmentally friendly", or "green" it's guaranteed to suck. If it burns your hands, has all sorts of precautions on the container, it's the good stuff and will work well! Contact cement is nasty to use in a house, better left to outdoor activities...

As for the end grain; tone it a few shades darker than the cabinet finish unless your leaving it natural and then you might want to consider some veneer strips to cover the end grain. Cabinet makers rarely finished the ends or routed edge parts of a cabinets, rather they toned the ends a little darker to cover the fact it's low grade hard wood cores -- common on radio cabinets anyhow... The cabinet looks great!

[miniman82]

Originally Posted by WCF720

It's like paint strippers too; if it's "environmentally friendly", or "green" it's guaranteed to suck.

I hear that! Back when I first enlisted in the Navy, we had a solvent tank full of this nasty ass stuff that would cause you to just about hallucinate if you had it on your skin for long enough. Bad shite, but you couldn't beat it for busting grease off aircraft parts. A year or so later, they switched to some enviro-friendly hippy-crap stuff, and it didn't work worth a piss!

There are things in life worth paying good money for, here's my short list:

Toilet paper: quilted please, the comfort of my buttonhole is of utmost importance!

Chemicals/paint: if you get the cheap crap, you'll work twice as hard to finish the job.

Electronic parts: because if it fails, it seldom goes alone or quietly... This mostly applies to capacitors, but everything can fall into the category.

Engine parts: particularly internals, since no one likes to see a cheap Chinese connecting rod peering back at you through the block. I work with air cooled VW's, and skimping on internal parts is a pet peeve. Sometimes you don't have a choice, but if you have the cash buy American every time!

[miniman82]

More progress finally.

Got the sides all sanded, they are ready to accept the next round of veneer. Got the left side done, just needs to be trimmed.




There we go, much better! Here's with the top.




Now off to do the right side, possibly get going on the front if it. Front will have to be done in sections, because it's so wide. Hopefully I can grain match well enough that it looks like a continuous piece. After that, it's on to grain sealing and staining.

[miniman82]

Right side veneer has been applied, still need to cut out the holes for the controls. Tomorrow I will tackle the front, which will need to be done in 2 sections because of the width. It's a lot wider than the sides. I will also paint the entries to the picture tube and speaker in a black gloss paint, and finish the edges on the top of the cabinet. Then will come grain filler and dark mahogany stain. I plan to use the same high gloss poly as the other cabinets, the result should be very nice.

[miniman82]

Entryways into the pix tube and speaker are now painted with 2 coats of high gloss black oil based paint. Now off to the hardware store to buy grain filler, then the fabric store to find a suitable replacement for the old grille cloth. Also, I have settled on painting a gold stripe around the cabinet where there's currently a beveled edge. I was going to try and apply veneer there, but it's far too small an area and I anticipated great difficulty. It would have involved 6 strips of 1/8" veneer, applied in 2 sections. I think the gold paint will look just as good, RCA often painted gold stripes onto their cabinets as accents.

[miniman82]

Covered the speaker mounting board with the thinnest foam I could find, then glued it in place. It will help keep the cloth nice and taught, as opposed to the old way which simply draped it over the board to get saggy. It's much the same thing as auto manufactures use on headliners, except that here the board will help keep the fabric tight.





First 2 pics I took looked exactly the same to the camera though they were completely different fabric, so I'll only post one pic to describe them both.

First a nylon or somesuch cloth, very thin but also very modern looking. I think it will clash with the fact that this TV is from the 50's, since it's something you are used to seeing on cheap 90's throwaway electronics. Soundesign or Spark-O-Matic ring any bells? Not very classy at all, definitely 3rd on my list.

Second one was something called 'Duck', but it just looks like plain black canvas to me. This was a heavier fabric, and didn't seem to fit in either. It didn't look bad at all, just that I think it's woven too tightly for this application. My second choice.




Finally, what I thought would be my last choice actually ended up being my first- plain black cheap ass burlap. Now this is something I had not considered at all, but got it anyway for comparison purposes. I actually ended up liking it the most, because the fibers are farther apart just like the original was. It's neutral, doesn't draw attention and it's something I could actually see RCA using on their sets back in the day. Maybe I could find a big gold 'Deluxe' script for the middle, what do you guys think?

[Electronic M]

I think the third one is best too.

I'd be tempted to keep the finish a light wallnut or blond color to contrast the speaker fabric if I was in your shoes. That would make for a nice 50's modern look IMHO.


Tom C.

[miniman82]

Nah, I got 2 cans of red mahogany stain burning a hole in my pocket. Plus, I already did the legs. lol

[miniman82]

Finally, all the veneer has been applied and my poor throbbing back can get a rest. Cut out all the holes for the controls on the side, so it's looking like tomorrow will finally be the day I apply the stain. Then a day of drying, sanding sealer and finally clear poly.





I was very proud of myself today, I was able to actually get these curved parts done perfectly. I had been dreading it, but learned that it's best to cut close to the edge then finish up by sanding the rest down flush.

[mstaton]

Lookin good! My CTC-5 has A photo finish. It looks good enough for now.