[WildDog]

I have stripped the old finish off a Philco 38-17. The top which roles over to the front has three vertical bands of wood which appear to be the same kind of wood, but the middle band is lighter in color. There is also a horizontal strip across the front bottom. The sides of the radio appear to be a differnt kind of wood with not a lot of obvious grain. Can you tell me what kind of wood(s) I have? Should I use a wood filler and if so what color(s)? After using a filler and sealing what color stain(s) should I use? I'd like to create something close to the original color and finsh as possible. Thanks.

[Ron Ramirez]

Hi,

The radio uses walnut veneer in all but the edges; these are surely "white" wood (cheap, without much grain). I recently acquired a 38-17 myself and, while looking it over before responding to you, I noted that the entire cabinet appears to have been done in medium walnut toning lacquer. There is more toner on the edges as they are just a slight bit darker; this is not surprising, given the cheap wood used on the edges, it would have been desirable to hide this fact as much as possible.

Some refinishers use wood filler in a color similar to the final finish to fill in the pores; others use multiple coats of lacquer, sanding between every so many coats, to achieve the same effect; i.e. a smooth, piano-type finish.

As mentioned above, the original finish was tinted lacquer. This will be much easier to use - and control the final color of the finish - than using stains.