[don'tdomelikethat]

While I'm celebrating the fact that my rebuilt Philco 116 chassis is up and running, my thoughts are turning towards restoring the cabinet. Here it is at present:
[Image: http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy239...116cab.jpg]
As you can see, it no longer has the 2-tone colors of the shouldered Philcos of the day. To the best of my eyes, it looks like the cabinet was stripped, EXCEPT for the front panel. The reason I think the front panel was left alone is because the original Philco decal is still there. What I need to do is restore the original dark color to the top, sides, and the columns in front. My problem is I don't know what a previous owner used for the refinish job you see in the picture. My worry is that whatever type of finish is on there now ( it looks like a "hand rub" type of finish-not sprayed or brushed on, and it's not very thick looking-it matches the gloss of the front panel) will not be good for the Mohawk toner I'll use. I don't really want to strip this cabinet because the front panel where the dial, knobs, and decal are is in nice shape, and I don't want to chance messing it up with stripper.
My question is this. Can I cover the front panel well, and seal the rest of the cabinet with several coats of shellac, not knowing if the shellac will react with whatever the finish is on there now, and use the Mohawk toner on top of the dried shellac? Will the shellac be a good barrier coat to keep whatever is on there now away from the Mohawk toner?