[g8wayg8r]

I did a couple of marquetry pieces about 20 years ago. One was a rose and the other a sailboat. Interesting process.

I would try veneer repair only if the damage is bad enough you can keep your eyes off the defect every time you look at the radio. I've got a Zenith 5S320 with a blush spot that's quarter-size on the top and a couple of small chips. I cleaned up the finish as best as I can and I'm going to live with it as is. The radio is old and it has some stories but it can't talk. I think there's a point where you can over do a restoration and loose the original character and untold story. Just my opinion.

That's a tough spot. If it were flat, you can get an exact fit by laying a piece of replacement veneer over the damaged area and cut through the replacement piece and the damaged area to scribe out the pattern. Remove the old and replace it with the new. Finishing is your option. Do it before you cut or after. This is easy in thought but may takes some practice to look right. You may want to invest some time by veneering a scrap piece of wood with a defect and repairing it.

I've never tried this but I suspect you could (1) cut out a patch and use as a template to scribe around the defective area or (2) cut around the damage, lay paper over the defect and use the blunt side of a pencil lead to trace out the shape. Cut it out, attach it to the replacement piece, cut the patch and glue into place. There lots of variations that could work, including replacement of the whole piece. Now the hard part: making a decision and following through.