[woodguy]

I don't know....I'm torn now between stain or just toner. Part of the fun for me with refinishing is the staining where the look is transformed within minutes and you can tweak it with hard or light rubbing for shading + more coats or a different color if desired. All that probably not appropriate with the radio except maybe on the feet or end edge strips. I got this radio at a yard sale probably 30+ yrs ago and it's been on one garage loft or another baking in the heat. It's huge fun to be finally getting around to it. Next it will be the electronics. It does work but has the loud buzz from dead filter caps. I have a new escutcheon and push buttons and oddly the knobs still look new but the push buttons look like they've been soaking in acetone.

I just finished a circa 1914 quarter-sawn oak swivel desk chair with a coat of Behlen spirit stain (hickory) followed by Zar Early American oil stain to get the color I wanted, then a coat of Zar charcoal glaze rubbed off 99% followed by 4 coats of rubbed-on heavily thinned poly and it turned out great. I used the alcohol stain to stain the areas of oak that oil does not want to penetrate.

Thanks for all the advice! More later as I progress. A little more stripping on the speaker grill yet and more sanding before I move on to staining and/or toning.