The cabinet wasn't too terribly bad looking from the on-line image I saw, but once I got it and could see it up close it was rather apparent that the previous attempt at refinishing was poor and sloppy at best.
Back in 2005 I wasn't really familiar with refinishing cabinets myself either so all I did at that time was to just get it working and align it.
But then the whole thing sat ( apart) in the corner all these years waiting for me to get the knowledge, or "know-how", and desire to do the restoration.
Here's the way it looked when I received it: 
Last night around 11 pm I started stripping it. Then I stained it with Minwax Gunstock penetrating stain.
I applied the 1st topcoat of Wipe-on-Poly before going to bed this morning... and it dried as I slept.
This afternoon and evening I applied another 3 coats and it is drying as I write this. So I'll have to wait now until tomorrow to buff it up and apply a final waxing with Boston paste wax.
So the re-assembly and photos of the cabinet will have to take place tomorrow as well.
The old plastic dial cover was rather yellowed but otherwise in reasonable shape. I could have tried to cut out a template using Masonite and then heat-mold a new cover using a sheet of polycarbonate as I've done for many radios before.
However, since this one wasn't too bad I decided to see if I could give it some new life by soaking it in a 50/50 bleach & water bath. It came out looking petty good but I'll know better when I do the re-assembly tomorrow.
In the mean time I spent a few hours cleaning up the old metal chassis and neatening up the component placements and making everything look nice.
Here's the results of that effort:
( tomorrow I'll post the cabinet photos)
But then, UN-fortunately ... or maybe fortunately, as soon as I got the chassis in the cabinet... the radio started exhibiting static crashing noises, not unlike silver-mica-disease. ( however this set uses conventional IF cans so it's not that)
However it's driving me screwy.
Arrrgh.
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/062/M0025062.htm
I think I've localized it to the 14Q7.
If I insert a modulated 455khz to the disconnected grid of the next stage 14c7... all is quiet.
But if I re-connect that grid and insert the signal to the disconnected grid of the previous stage 14Q7... the static noise is there again.
But I can't find a spare 14Q7 around here to be sure by swapping it, and it tests fine.
So I'm scrounging for a substitute tube.
Maybe I can jury-rig in a 12SA7 as a test?
To make matters worse after I pulled the 14Q7 to test it... something else just happened and ... It wont power on. (murphy ... right?)
Maybe I have no filaments heating now?...
...that should be easy to find though.
Cross fingers... I'll fill you in later... lol
I don't have a single "14" tube in the joint.
... and the filament is open on the 14C7 too.
So I just ordered a few of each 14C7 & 14Q7 from Bob at www.Findatube.com
$3 bucks each = New!
I hate waiting... lol
Maybe I'll temporarily just put the chassis back in the newly refinished cabinet and get some photos of it this evening when I get home from dinner.
Later...
For testing you could use 7C7 or 7B7 in place of 14C7. For 14Q7 try 7A8. There is also a 14S7 and 14J7 that might work.
Norm
:Looks like the mystery's solution will have to wait.
:I don't have a single "14" tube in the joint.
:
:... and the filament is open on the 14C7 too.
:
:So I just ordered a few of each 14C7 & 14Q7 from Bob at www.Findatube.com
:$3 bucks each = New!
:
:I hate waiting... lol
:
:Maybe I'll temporarily just put the chassis back in the newly refinished cabinet and get some photos of it this evening when I get home from dinner.
:Later...
Wow!!!! What a peach you are!
That was EXACTLY the temporary solution I needed.
I didn't have a single "14" tube in the joint... BUT it turns out I actually do have a reasonable little clutch of "7" tubes around here!
I didn't have a 7C7 or a 7A8 but ... but what luck.. I do have a 7B7 and a 7B8.
So the tube I replaced was that 14C7 with the open filament. I subbed in that 7B7 ... and VOLIA!
... it worked perfectly.
The interesting thing is that...so far, the static bursts are all gone now too! Surprise...surprise and Wonder of wonders!
So I wonder now ...if THAT was really the underlying cause after all?
Maybe that filament was somehow shorting inside causing the static bursts?
I decided to ALSO swap out the 35L6 with a 50L6 too to give the 7B7 a little less over-voltage to deal with while I let this run a while tonight.
Norm, I can't tell you what a GREAT boost that was ole pal! ...
I not only got things going here...but it allowed me to find the solution to this puzzle too.
... and most of all.... I learned a little.
What more could I ask for? ... lol
I thank you sir...
Here's the results of last night's effort to rub it out and put a coat of paste wax on it as well.
I had to replace the soiled old grille cloth and luckily I had a piece of metalic-gold upholstery fabric that just fit the bill.
I cleaned up the old discolored dial cover too by soaking it in 50/50 bleach and water. I then polished it on both sides with Brasso and rinsed it off with Windex and finally a little spray cleaner wax.
I think it's very acceptable now, and a lot easier than trying to make a new one.
The brass-colored metal trim around the dial was pitted so I cleaned that up and repainted it with gold spray paint and when dry I coated it with Wipe-on-Poly.
The knobs also got some new life with a good cleaning and a protective coat of lacquer.
Here it is: