Stromberg Carlson stripping - the next phase

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Stripped Stromberg Carlson console radio
Well, It was hard work getting the gluing and clamping done for the Stromberg Carlson console radio (circa 1946); I had to do it in 6 stages.

The stripping was interesting because I had to be really careful with the fumes from the Circa 1850 stripper and the lacquer thinner. I therefore had to restrict my work time to about 20-30 minutes per day so that the fumes would not overcome me. It worked out well because I had an electric fan blowing on me while I was working and that seems to push the fumes away from me very effectively.

As you can see the radio has been stripped. The next phase is the steel wool rubdown. I will use #0000 steel wool dipped in lacquer thinner to take any residual lacquer off the finish and to more-or-less sand it to a smooth finish. I will continue with the steel wool for the next few days until the whole cabinet is done.

Next, I will move onto the staining phase which will involve using both dark and light walnut to bring it to its original finish, or something very close to it; dark walnut for the trim and light walnut for the veneered surfaces.

Then comes the grill cloth replacement which hopefully will be a period design, new decals for the front panel and remounting the radio itself. Putting new decals can be tricky because it means putting on several coats of lacquer spray, mounting the decals and then lacquer spraying over them once they are dry.

The fun is just beginning.

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