Sam's started publishing information on radios after WW2. Riders published earlier information. Your Zenith 6-S-321 was made in 1937, too early for Sam's.
You can refinish with lacquer. Unlike old furniature this will only add to the value. Be careful if the radio has painted on grain. Paint remover will remove this grain.
Parts are available and a speaker can be reconed. You can do this yourself or send it out to be done.
Norm
: Hello,and thank you for the fantastic website! I just have a few questions that hopefully one of you may take the time to answere. I have in my posession a Zenith 6-S-321 table top radio that I would like to restore to operation. I am not necessarily looking to do a "total restoration" but, more or less, to get it clean and funtional. The radio is in pretty bad shape...the finish on the wood is flaking severely and there are several chips and scratches in the veneer. The chassis has a small bit of rust and is missing 2 tubes. I feel confidant that I can do the chassis work...recapping and replacing the missing tubes( I do intend to save the old paper capps for maybe a more pro restoration in the future)and restringing the tuning cap etc... My main concerne is in doing the exterior of the radio. Would it be okay to just strip it and refinish w/ a clear or tinted lacquer? The finish is flaking and the faux grain seems to be painted on. This particular model seems to be rather "rare" in that i cannot find too much info on it. I have no concept of it's value or worth. While I have located a couple of schematics on this site...they mainly seem to deal with modifications to the existing circuit for a audio input. I have access to SAM's Photofacts but have been unable to find this model or chassis...does anyone know if SAMs covered this radio or must I rely only on the RIDER schematics? And is it possible to recone the speaker? It seems to be pretty dry-rotted! I don't intend to proceed with this radio until I have more facts...so any feedback would be much appreciated!!! Thanks, Wayne