I picked up a 1936 Silvertone 4586a for 100 bucks. The cabinet needs refinishing but the veneers are in great shape. There's a bit of veneer repair needed near the base but it appears minor. The bezel and glass appears original with only a small crach in the bezel that I'll repair. I pulled the chassis and it needs recapping so I'll do that and align it afterwards. The dial pointer is off, pointing to 1700 when the cap is at full mesh so I'll need to figure that out. The speaker is in great condition with no tears in the cone I'll also replace the grille cloth with something appropriate.

The dial also requires cleaning and I'm not sure how to clean it or what to use.

I've recapped radios but never refinished a cabinet. Any thoughts?

Regards,

Dave

Hi Dave, be very careful, on some radios the dial was painted with a water based paint like my Coronado, any water even a spray with window cleaner will ruin it.

that's why i'm asking. i figure anything that breaks like the dial will be difficult to impossible to replace without buying another 4586.

i'm trying to post photos but i'm not sure how to get them to show up...

Resize for a maximum of 800 pixels on the longest side (600 is usually adequate), then save in JPEG format. The dialog for uploading is at the bottom of the composition window.
All details here:
https://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewto ... 2&t=167677

some photos. i guess i'll also need to disassemble the vernier to clean, lubricate, and align the pointer.

From what I see in your photos, the cabinet looks pretty good.
The cabinet finish is only original ONCE .
I would clean the cabinet with go jo cleaner and wipe it down with a damp rag after it is clean.
I would then use a product called ''Trade Secret''.
and go over the whole cabinet with it. Let it sit for about an hour and then wipe it down
with a clean rag.
Use rubber gloves and don't get it on other stuff.[it won't come out]
Trade secret can be bought at home depot. If you don't like it you can start to strip and refinish the cabinet.
I have used this method many times and the trade secret covers up many of the small scratches.
You can always go over it again with some wax.
Here is one that I did, and the cabinet was about the same as yours.
good luck
Dan in Calgary.

My concern is that area on the left front corner about 1/3 up from the bottom. That area of about 1" x 5" is basically bare wood. I'm not sure how to repair that area.

It didn't clean up well as I suspected so I stripped it and am preparing to refinish it. It'll get sealer, a couple coats of shellac and then a bunch of lacquer. It's a good looking cabinet without the finish.

Hi Dave, what a beautiful cabinet! you are doing a great job. cant wait to see it done.
Rich

It's getting there. It's got 2 coats of shellac as a primer, 3 coats of grain filler, 2 more coats of shellac and 2 coats of toned lacquer. I mixed 1.5 ounces lacquer, 1 ounce thinner, and 12 drops of transtint dark walnut and shot 2 coats on the grille, base, and shoulders using a paasche H airbrush with 35 psi air. Next is some red mahogany tint in clear lacquer over the entire cabinet to darken it up a bit. I'm new to toning lacquer and very unsure of myself when it comes to mixing colors. Wish me luck.

...and here it is with one coat of tinted lacquer (10 drops dark walnut, 7 drops red mahogany, 4 oz lacquer, 2 oz thinner). I'll do 2 more coats with the same toner and then start laying on clear lacquer. Still shooting at 35 psi.

I wound up putting 4 coats on the entire cabinet. All that's left is a dozen or so clear coats, then I'm off to work on the chassis while it hardens for a week

I'm out of lacquer so I must be done. There's 8 coats of clear on it over the 6 coats of toned lacquer. I'll let it sit for a week or two and then I'll rub out the finish.

...double post