I picked up this nice little Emerson 522 about 9 years ago in 2005 on Ebay.

I did most of the electrical restoration work back then and re-worked a little more this week.

But back in 2005 I didn't go any further with the wood cabinet because there was a discolored spot on the top left end above one of the tubes and so I wasn't sure how to attack it. I couldn't be sure if the wood-grain was regular veneer or photo finish. So I put it aside.

But the other day I ran across it again on a shelf in the garage and decided to see if I could refinish it well enough as it was. So I cleaned up the old surface a bit and applied some stain followed by a couple coats of spray-on shellac.
Then I took that down with steel wool and later put a few coats of satin spray lacquer over it which I also buffed out with 0000 steel wool.

Today after it was fully dry I gave it another buffing with 0000 steel wool followed by Boston's amber paste wax for wood, which I applied in swirls with 0000 steel wool.
When it hazed up I buffed it out a few times with a soft cloth!

The discolored area now is still visible a bit in certain light but looks a bit like the grain now.

Anyway.. I thought some of you might like to see the finished job.

My typo.
That's 544 ... not 522 lol

Peter:

What a wonderful job you did on this radio!! I am very impressed. Hey I have a very difficult cabinet repair for a Silvertone Cathedral I might have you look at ( just kidding). I have never been good with woodwork!!

Lou

:My typo.
:That's 544 ... not 522 lol
:

Thanks Lou,
I had no experience with wood either.
I just had to ask around and read a bit here and there until I got my feet on the ground. There are a lot of things I didn't understand ... like the differences in finishes:
http://www.diynetwork.com/home-improvement/whats-the-difference-between-polyurethane-varnish-shellac-and-lacquer/index.html

But the best final things I learned were how to refinish something like a radio, very easily and with great results.

1.) I strip off old finishes completely by using a mix of 50/50 lacquer thinner & acetone. Applied very very liberally with a steel wool pad, the old finish will literally wash right off.

2.) Stain with products like Minwax penetrating stain such as Special Walnut, or Gun-stock, or English Chestnut.

3.) I most often use Minwax "Wipe-on-Poly" (satin) as a top coat. It's so easy to use. Just wipe it on with a rag... and you're done! No drips, no runs... beautiful.

4.) Buff lightly with 0000 steel wool and then apply Boston Paste wax with 0000 steel wool pad or a damp cloth. Then buff out with soft rag.

:Thanks Lou,
:I had no experience with wood either.
:I just had to ask around and read a bit here and there until I got my feet on the ground. There are a lot of things I didn't understand ... like the differences in finishes:
:http://www.diynetwork.com/home-improvement/whats-the-difference-between-polyurethane-varnish-shellac-and-lacquer/index.html
:
:But the best final things I learned were how to refinish something like a radio, very easily and with great results.
:
:1.) I strip off old finishes completely by using a mix of 50/50 lacquer thinner & acetone. Applied very very liberally with a steel wool pad, the old finish will literally wash right off.
:
:2.) Stain with products like Minwax penetrating stain such as Special Walnut, or Gun-stock, or English Chestnut.
:
:3.) I most often use Minwax "Wipe-on-Poly" (satin) as a top coat. It's so easy to use. Just wipe it on with a rag... and you're done! No drips, no runs... beautiful.
:
:4.) Buff lightly with 0000 steel wool and then apply Boston Paste wax with 0000 steel wool pad or a damp cloth. Then buff out with soft rag.
:
Hi Peter, that radio looks great, your method of refinishing sounds very interesting. Going to copy it down and give it a try. I personally like the satin finishes but seems like everyone I restore has to have a mirror finish and that can be quite a lot of work. Also Lou if you read this you can check out "Lacquer Finishes" on Youtube. Peter I have a couple of my own radios to do and I'm going to use your method, it really does look great! Best 2 U, George T

::Thanks Lou,
::I had no experience with wood either.
::I just had to ask around and read a bit here and there until I got my feet on the ground. There are a lot of things I didn't understand ... like the differences in finishes:
::http://www.diynetwork.com/home-improvement/whats-the-difference-between-polyurethane-varnish-shellac-and-lacquer/index.html
::
::But the best final things I learned were how to refinish something like a radio, very easily and with great results.
::
::1.) I strip off old finishes completely by using a mix of 50/50 lacquer thinner & acetone. Applied very very liberally with a steel wool pad, the old finish will literally wash right off.
::
::2.) Stain with products like Minwax penetrating stain such as Special Walnut, or Gun-stock, or English Chestnut.
::
::3.) I most often use Minwax "Wipe-on-Poly" (satin) as a top coat. It's so easy to use. Just wipe it on with a rag... and you're done! No drips, no runs... beautiful.
::
::4.) Buff lightly with 0000 steel wool and then apply Boston Paste wax with 0000 steel wool pad or a damp cloth. Then buff out with soft rag.
::
:Hi Peter, that radio looks great, your method of refinishing sounds very interesting. Going to copy it down and give it a try. I personally like the satin finishes but seems like everyone I restore has to have a mirror finish and that can be quite a lot of work. Also Lou if you read this you can check out "Lacquer Finishes" on Youtube. Peter I have a couple of my own radios to do and I'm going to use your method, it really does look great! Best 2 U, George T
:
Hi Peter, noticed that your knobs don't match. I have a couple like the one on the left. Send me an email and we'll see if these are a match. You can have at least one of them or both if needed no cost to you. Best 2 U, George T

Wow, ... Thanks George!
I was hoping someone had one...
What a nice gesture.

Thank you.
I sent an Email.

:Wow, ... Thanks George!
:I was hoping someone had one...
:What a nice gesture.
:
:Thank you.
:I sent an Email.
:
:
Hi Peter, where or how do I find your email address? I'm not seeing it. George T

I think you've got it now from the email message you replied to.

But.. it's ( Peter -at- pbpix -dot- com )
You can also get it from my website ( www.pbpix.com )

Daggone you Peter! I have a few dozen wood table radios scattered about the house that my dear wife hates to dust. Perhaps refinishing them - as beautifully as you did - would make her chore easier?????

Hi Dan:
Thanks... lol

It is very rewarding after all the sweat and toil to get some nice results to give one a sense of accomplishment!

So Yeah... It was looking nice and plenty shiny enough.

However, talk about slippery!

I got creative a little... lol
and .... NOW this one is actually so slippery that I have to be careful just picking it up. Really.

I think that the Boston paste wax alone might not have made it all THAT slippery.
.. but after I was all done ... Up on the shelf above my bench, I spied a really old can of Silicone-Spray, Clear-Shoe-Polish ( probably from the 1970s) and so... just for fun, I sprayed a little on my buffing rag just to see if the can still worked. It certainly did!
So I ended up with a little more slippery-shine than I intended.
Boy it's like a greased pig!