I refinished another Arvin just like this last month and now here you get to see yet another.

I picked up this (second) nice little six-tube wood Arvin 6640A way back in 2005 for $95.00.
It was partly recapped and as you can see the cabinet was in pretty good condition.

When I dug into it however, I found quite a few spots with considerable rust on the chassis. I didn't want to rip everything off though, so I removed all the rust I could by getting in between all the components or under IF cans and what not with wire brushes and/or Emory cloth.

When it looked presentable enough I recapped anything that hadn't been done and adjusted and aligned everything. It really sounds quite nice now and lots of sensitivity all across the entire AM band.

I sprayed the entire chassis top and bottom with gloss lacquer to prevent any future rusting.

As far as the cabinet goes there were a lot of little nicks and tiny scratches and dings here and there but it certainly did not require a full strip... so I cleaned it all up and wiped it down. Then I re-sprayed two more coats of clear gloss lacquer on it, which floated and blended everything together to bring the finish right back up to a quality look.

I then used 0000 steel wool to take it down a bit to a satin-type finish and when done I used Butchers wax for a final polishing.

I think it now has a real nice almost-original look to it. What do you guys think?

Another beautiful job, Peter. I remember these two sets sitting, waiting for a cabinet restoration for a number of years. It's nice to see them done! Hope all else is well.

Gary

:Another beautiful job, Peter. I remember these two sets sitting, waiting for a cabinet restoration for a number of years. It's nice to see them done! Hope all else is well.
:
:Gary
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Hi Gary:
Thank you. I've been wondering how you're doing lately. I assume well? Hope you're digging into your radios too.

Well...it's been an interesting year. Can't get into it too much here, but lost or had equipment damaged from the hurricane last year. I still dig into some of the radios here, but nothing too advanced.

Very nice Peter. I'm envious of your skills when it comes to the cabinets yours always seem to look amazing.

Thanks Richard:
I think that part of it has to do with the satin finish. For some reason a hi-gloss finish can look kind-a cheesy if there are reflections from the camera lighting too.

But I do try hard to pay attention to small details.

Refinishing is not really as difficult as I used think it might be, a few years back, when I had no woodworking experience at all.

:Thanks Richard:
:I think that part of it has to do with the satin finish. For some reason a hi-gloss finish can look kind-a cheesy if there are reflections from the camera lighting too.
:
:But I do try hard to pay attention to small details.
:
:Refinishing is not really as difficult as I used think it might be, a few years back, when I had no woodworking experience at all.
:
Wow, very nice, I have a wooden and a bakelite of the same model, niether of wich are working yet, very good job!!!
Dale

Thank you Dale.