Do I Hear an Echo?

This is a fun one. Yup, its an old Zenith long-distance radio. Manufactured in the mid-1930's and featured routinely in family homes all over the country, these radios were particularly significant to provide the news--and a lot of really fun "family gathered around the radio experiences"--through several decades, but especially during WW I and WW II.

Consequently, there are multi-layered stories that can be told here. It's almost like hearing and echo. The first layer is about the stories this old Zenith can tell about itself. For example, it can tell some stories about its fabrication on the assembly line, and it can tell stories about the people relationships and family environs that were called "home" through the past 80+ years. The second layer is about the stories it knows to rehearse about important news and life-changing events occurring in this country and around the world through those same eight decades.

The refinishing process will require some special steps necessitated by the variety of woods and stains included in the cabinet. But we'll start with a methodical cleaning of the cabinet itself...there are a lot of dust bunnies hiding in there! Along the way features will be taped off and wrapped to prevent damage--both of the electronics that still occupy the upper portion of the cabinet and of the stain, elevation, and color transitions found across the cabinet's face and top.

The centered speaker on this model is positioned between two curved, burled walnut "columns." These handsome sentries received their share of ware and tear through the years, so they are variously scarred and bruised. During the repair process of the second shop day we realized that the burled surface we were working on was actually a very good photo grain applicae! It is wrapped and stretched over a curved (i.e., the "columnar") wood foundation. That discovery has required some appropriate changes in the refinishing strategy. In the second picture, left, you can see we've covered those burled surfaces having repaired the



scars (as best we can without actually replacing the photo finish). Then these were covered away for the next phase in the cabinet's refinishing process.

On the right you can see a detail of the top of the cabinet where the "column" on the left side of the cabinet joins details at it's top. See a portion of the attractive walnut burl on that side and across the top of the cabinet front--it's all part of that photo-plastic wrap, but very attractive for sure.


That's Wood Talkin for today, but check back to see what's happened since your last visit.

Dick

That Marvelous Old Cedar Chest

OK. Here's the progress report on that "is it a Lane" Cedar Chest. That question remains unanswered at this point, but whether or not it's looking good? Well...see for yourself. It's a real beauty. Look at those cute little flowers in its skirt!

But whether it's a genuine Lane Cedar Chest or not probably doesn't really matter when it comes to the quality of this beautiful piece, the story behind it, or its real value to our customer. Yup, and right now it's talkin' about going home.

Perhaps by this time tomorrow we'll have an answer to the "is it a Lane?" question, whether it really matters at this point or not. So, stay tuned for that fun update. In the meantime, check it out and enjoy what you see with us.

That's Wood Talkin for today. Are you listening?

Dick

"I hate it when that happens!"

Here's a situation I've rarely had to deal with. Why? Because it rarely, if ever, happens! One of the cardinal rules when it comes to making professional house calls is about "covering up." That's to say that as an in-home professional you never leave the floor where you are working or the surfaces you are working on unprotected from your repair effort, or from the influence that your effort may inadvertently have on the customers furnishings.

Well, without realizing it "in the moment" I broke that rule. I set a small bottle of solvent on the surface of a side table I was repairing. Yup, you guessed it. The bottle had leaked. Its contents softened the finish of the table to leave a permanent ring when I moved the bottle....just like the one you see (right) in the surface. And yes, that is a rubber band on exactly the spot where the ring once was. But it well represents the presence of the frustrating ring I found and that I then had to remove from the surface of this "Limed" (or "Pickled Oak") style side table.

When something like this happens the repair is on us. It very often requires scheduling the pick-up of the table and a resurface of its top. That's what was necessary in this situation. Oh well, but frustrating situations like this one really can be an opportunity. God-willing my customer will be very happy with the final product. Then, of course, we will too. It means that we've got a happy customer who knows we're dependable; we're committed to our customer's satisfaction in everything we do. So, a situation like this one can actually support our reputation and underscore our integrity.

This pretty little side-table will be scheduled for delivery in the next couple days--right after the final finish coat is applied and buffed. (What you see, above, is in "the next-to-the-last step" of the finishing process.) Soon it will be going home.

That's today's Wood Talkin. Are you listening?

Dick
(Remember, you can email the shop, woodtalkin@gmail.com, or leave a comment, below.)