Almost Instant Gratification

Once the grain filler has cured, I give it a wet sanding with #400 grit.  After cleanup, the cabinet is nearly perfectly smooth.  If this were a more valuable set, I'd probably repeat this step until it was absolutely perfect, but this is a pretty common radio and the law of diminishing returns applies.

This set had what I'd call a 2 1/2 tone finish; the dial escutcheon and grille bars look to be neary black, while the trim along the bottom was a very dark brown.  I don't know if that was intentional or the result of nearly 80 years, but I'm going to stay as true as I can to that.  So, after sanding, I mask all of the cabinet that isn't going to be black or dark brown:

Then, before I apply the "color", I give everything a quick blast with clear.  I discovered, by accident, that this will seal the masking lines and helps avoid the color leaking in to where I don't want it.  

Being a low-budget operation, I don't use any sort of computer to match colors, I just have a variety of dyes in shades of brown, red, yellow and black, and match by experimenting, noting the how many drops of which go in to how many ounces of lacquer and the ratio of the lacquer to thinner.   Once I get a test spray in the tone I want, I note the "formula" for the next time, but I have to admit that I don't often refer to my notes anymore; I've done enough to where I "kinda" know what'll work.

Since this has the two dark colors, I first mix six ounces in the dark brown and spray away, two coats gets me to the color I want.  That barely uses an ounce, so not being one to waste material, I add black dye to the mix until it's, well, black, and spray the escutcheon only, being careful not to spray the black on to the fresh dark brown. 

Lacquer dries quickly, so it isn't long before I'm able to remove the masking and start adding color to the rest of the cabinet.  I mix the dye with the lacquer as before, but not adding so much dye that it becomes opaque, I go for a sort of weak coffee looking mix that takes a few coats to get to the final color.  This is where the instant gratification sets in, because as soon as that first coat goes on, the thing starts looking more like an old radio and less like a pile of junk.

And that's enough for tonight; clean the tools and put 'em away.  

It's amazing, with these projects, how much time you spend waiting for things to dry.  Actual work time spent so far?  Maybe a couple hours, but it's spread out over five or six days.  Anyway, I suppose I'm commited deep enough into this radio that I HAVE to fix the chassis... That'll be another installment in this saga.