[mikethedruid]

Once upon a time, when I started out, I did use polyurethane, but those days are now long gone. If the cabinet is basically decent looking, but just needs some refreshing, I will lightly sand the existing finish with 400 or finer grit, and then rub on coats of tung oil. It works extremely well, and is entirely reversible. If the cabinet is somewhat worse, I will use Minwax Antique Furniture Refinisher to dissolve the old finish. I only remove the dead top of the finish and leave much of the old varnish, especially that which is toned. I then let it dry and rub on layers of tung oil, sanding with progressively finer sandpaper every few coats until I have the level of gloss I want. Below is a picture of the Philco model 66 I recently restored showing how this technique works for me..

[Image: https://64.media.tumblr.com/b81c96b7a188...0d0f4f.jpg]