Motorola 12K2 restoration

[Glenz75]

All I can say is wow! What a transformation!

[Reece]

Nice work, Bob!

[kvflyer]

Bob,

Did you replace that broken wafer tube socket? I may have a used one or even a new one if you need it. Let me know.

[bandersen]

Thanks - still a long way to go on the cabinet though. Toner lacquer, grain filling, finish coats and rubbing it out.

Originally Posted by kvflyer

Bob,

Did you replace that broken wafer tube socket? I may have a used one or even a new one if you need it. Let me know.

Not yet. Thanks for the offer, but I do have some 7-pin sockets on hand.
The challenge is going to be drilling the rivets without damaging the surrounding components.

[bandersen]

I stayed up late tonight and finally got the toner lacquer applied to the trim. I masked of the veneer areas and applied three light coats. Then a few extra spurts on areas that were still too light.


Next up - grain filling.
I haven't used this Constantine filler before but I've heard good stuff about it. I'll practice on some scrap veneer first.
According to the ingredients on the can, it's ground quartz, linseed oil and a few solvents. It takes 24 hours to fully dry.

[Winky Dink]

Are you still missing one of the small knobs (not that I have one)?
-Winky

[bandersen]

Originally Posted by Winky Dink

Are you still missing one of the small knobs (not that I have one)?
-Winky

Nope, not anymore I got a set of tan NOS replacement knobs from peverett. I also found another used red knob. I'll go with whichever set looks better.

I just might be getting some other missing bits from a donor set in a couple weeks. More on that later...

[Red Raster]

WOW! Another show room beauty in the remaking.

[Pielock373]

Very nice work!

I really like the veneer patching you did!!

Steve P

[bandersen]

Thanks everyone! Just don't look too close or you just might spot a filled in bug hole. The filler I used really soaked up the stain and turned a bit darker than the surrounding wood.
I don't mind though - better that than being too light.

[toober]

If you ever need to reproduce more of that zig zag veneer (or any complex cutout veneer), here is a good trick:

Cut a veneer strip a little longer than the size you need, without all the zig zags and cutouts. Clamp this strip between two nice stiff hunks of similar wood, then run the whole thing slowly through a table saw with a sharp dado blade, cutting out the pattern with as many passes as you need. Unclamp, and find a perfectly shaped piece of veneer within. You can even do multiple strips at once. You can also do this trick with a router table.

--
Will

[bandersen]

Originally Posted by toober

If you ever need to reproduce more of that zig zag veneer (or any complex cutout veneer), here is a good trick:

Cut a veneer strip a little longer than the size you need, without all the zig zags and cutouts. Clamp this strip between two nice stiff hunks of similar wood, then run the whole thing slowly through a table saw with a sharp dado blade, cutting out the pattern with as many passes as you need. Unclamp, and find a perfectly shaped piece of veneer within. You can even do multiple strips at once. You can also do this trick with a router table.

--
Will

Thanks for the tip!

I did a little test with the grain filler before moving on to the real cabinet.

A glued a scrap of mahogany veneer to a board and stained it.


I wonder how long this can had been sitting around ? It took about 20 minutes to get a smooth consistency.


I mixed a little with some mineral spirits as indicated on the can and applied a thick coat. Probably a little too thick.


Once it dried to a haze, I wiped off the excess with burlap going against the grain.


Finally, 3 coats of Deft sanding sealer, a little sanding with 400 grit and 3 coats of Deft gloss.

After the lacquer cures, I'll rub out the finish with pumice and rottenstone.


Now onto the real thing.

[Sandy G]

Wow....And again, "WOW !!" And yeah-I wish I had a TENTH of the pile o' Money my company squandered on the "Kewl Management Theory Du Jour" back in the Eighties & Nineties-Deming Philosophy-Which actually was pretty good, Fishboning, Jo-Hari Windows, TQM, ISO 9000-We done 'em ALL. Our company finally went broke & got sold to Mundet in 206.

[Phil Nelson]

Where do you get burlap? The last time I needed some, I went to a fabric store and the price made me choke.

Oh, for the days when my Grandma lived on a farm and always had stacks of clean old sacks ready for re-use -- burlap potato sacks, cotton sacks from buying flour, etc.

Phil Nelson

[VintagePC]

Originally Posted by bandersen

Now onto the real thing.

I really enjoy reading your detailed restorations - great work as usual.

I did a double-take when I saw this last image. Looks _exactly_ like the finish job that was on my Fleetwood originally before I stripped and veneered it

Of course, this will look _much_ better when you're done!

As for that can of filler... if you have a lot of cans like that, might wanna invest in a mixer attachment for an electric drill... or become good friends with the guy that runs the paint shaker at your local building supply store... Save you a helluva lot of sore wrists and arms. (We have unstabilized peanut butter that separates easily... when new, its like clay at the bottom of the jar. I've always wanted to put one in a paint shaker to see if that would work... but I don't think they'd be too happy with me if the plastic gave out... hehe)

Originally Posted by Phil Nelson

Where do you get burlap? The last time I needed some, I went to a fabric store and the price made me choke.

More often than not, a grocery store might have a few old bags they wouldn't mind parting with for free or a small amount... potato bags, as you said. Same thing works well if you need cheap low-grade tarps; lumber stores often have tons of the stuff that their pallets come wrapped in... but it might have some holes here and there