Gary Patterson
From:
Gallatin, TN
|
Posted 23 Jul 2018 10:13 am |
|
I hope you don't mind yet another post about this project. Previous posts referred to mechanical issues, but I thought some might be interested in the aesthetics. I acquired this as a pile of parts, with most of the cabinet & necks covered in a hideous "walnut grain" contact paper. Under the walnut was a half-century of aged lacquer, darkened almost to a red color, and obscuring the prominent birdseye grain in the maple, and the beauty of the rosewood (or maybe cocobolo?) apron and necks.
Using Formby's refinisher and steel wool, I removed some but not all of the lacquer from the maple, wet-sanded and buffed. This remains (some of) the original lacquer of the instrument.
For the rosewood, I used naphtha and steel wool to remove grime but leave the lacquer and funky lacquer-check, but to reveal the decorative marquetry banding.
Metal was cleaned and buffed, but still shows some pitting from age. So, this is not "New Old Stock", but now "Old Well Kept".
Still needs some mechanical work underneath, but it's almost ready for a test drive.
 |
|
