[John Bartley]

If it doesn't work out just paint it fire engine red, 3 coats, and put the whole thing on Ebay as rare fire station radio.

Capt Picard would say "Make it so..."

I know you are just joking, but .... I have a GE S22 here with the brass handle on the top etc, that was painted a flat burnt orange many, many years ago (probably in the fifties or sixties). The paint was sprayed, and was well done. It's obviously not original to anyone who knows them, but it looks very good and it's much preferable to a botched woodgrain recovery attempt.