Classic Hifi Care

So, I have the components back for my Zenith YT960, but before I put them back in I want to give the finish a little love. I have a couple of water rings on the top and what looks like lifting of some of the finish. I was going to give it a try with Howard's Restore-A-Finish, but was told that WATCO Danish Oil would be a better way to go. I've never used the WATCO, but is sounds pretty easy. Thoughts?

Charles. I have used both but as far as I know they serve different purposes. The Watco is more of a stain, at least the one I used, and that is what I used it for. Howard's is kind of like a stain and wood preserver all in one. I know Howard's will do a great job making everything look pretty, but at least for me, it did not take away any lifting finish. It is also important to use Howard's Bee's Wax as a final coat once the Howard's stain/preserver is used. It really does help to seal in what you just did with the stain/preserver. I hope this helps, and maybe others here on the forum will some ideas too.

Bill

Yes, I'd try the Howards products first for the finish
problems you described.

Charles, could you post some pictures of the areas of concern? That might give us a better idea of what you're dealing with.

I have heard of people using a clothes iron and a damp cloth to pull the white rings out of the wood... no clue if it works or not....

This is the worse spot...

I was thinking Howard's and 0000 steel wool...

It looks like there is something on the finish. That doesn't look like a failed finish to me. Can you, very carefully, try scraping at that stuff to see if you can lift it off the finish? I don't believe I've ever seen contamination like that before. 0000 steel wool and mineral spirits really gingerly to start?

It appears to be missing the finish where the color is lighter. That's why I said it looks like it was flaking off. Rubbing my hand over the area it feels like the lighter areas are lower. You can see what I mean by clicking on then zooming in this photo...

That last picture does show missing finish. Can you refinish just that part of the top? I'm not sure anything will make that look right other than refinishing.

I have never done any wood work before. I'll probably live with it for now. Maybe I'll remove it and take it to get done. It's on the lid. I'm just afraid it will be expensive.

If it is on a lid that can be removed, that makes the project simpler. You won't have to do the whole thing. Matching stain is the hardest part of refinishing for me. Use a 50-50 mix of lacquer thinner and acetone to remove the old finish. This mixture typically won't remove stain. I have a couple love taps on my Imperial I got an estimate to fix. They wanted $1400 and I got to remove the electronics and speakers. I've seen the guy's work. It's probably worth every dime. When we were in Missouri, the Amish did beautiful woodwork, and at a reasonable price.

I got the components back in tonight. Sounds great! I'll sleep on what to do about the lid.

Removing the old finish is the easy part, at least for me, trying to match the rest of the unit is the hard part. For now, some Howard's will make it look better but will not fill in the pockets where your old finish has lifted. I am guessing the previous owner had plants sitting on it and water leaked and you are left with the results. Sorry, I have several units with the same issue.

Bill

Unless you're aiming for museum quality, wood finishing is not that difficult. The damage shown in the photo could be covered up successfully by using some wood stain of the right color. The right color? May require experimenting and mixing. You're aiming to come close, close enough the the eye isn't drawn to the damaged area. Ace Hardware or the big home-materials stores ought to have a choice of brands and colors.

If you get it right, then you can coat it or not. One option is to rub the whole top with 50/50 linseed oil & turpentine. Or maybe coat the damaged area with orange shellac cut with shellac thinner (alcohol), then use 4-0 steel wool to cut the gloss suitably. There are other options. But the secret is not to be intimidated, and maybe when it come to color, experiment on scraps of similar wood before staining the problem area.

Chris Campbell

Thank you for the replies! I'm not planning to sell (unless Steve gets $9K for his!) and it doesn't have to look like new for me to enjoy it. I'll use the Howard's just to make it less noticeable for now.

You might also consider some Old English furniture polish. You can get it in different shades still, I think.

The Old English will fill the spots where the finish is missing?

Old English won't fill the spots where the finish is gone, but it will help hide them....

Do you think it will do a better job than the Howard's? I already bought a can but haven't opened it yet...