u/Gimme-A-kooky

No one said I learned to do it WELL, however!! Lmfao!

I’ll be honest: I feel better about showing you this than the terrible outcome I produced on the first run of the doors and sides. I’ve stripped (alcohol & putty knife) this 10x or more in this learning process. It’s maddening… but when you start to understand….. it starts to make more sense.

This is some frankenphone, crapophone, Frankenstein-like, insane “Shabby Chic” Chit without painting it white. It’s not good, but I will say this:

What rolls down stairs; alone or in pairs? it’s better than bad, it’s good!

I learned to French Polish! (Badly, mind you- lmfao, but good enough to get by in the basics)

Have a wonderful evening/day! Thank you for stopping and just being cool in general!

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Now I have to learn to stain {better than I have lmfao} and do all the other nuanced stuff lol… I still promise to make a (as simple as possible) “how to” guide for ppl so they can learn this without all the BS I had to go thru 🙂 in time, I will make it! It’s cool “when the light bulb {kinda} turns on” and you start to “feel” the outcome. I’m still a mere knave, and only just now on the path!

… Almost done with this one here. Just a little more to go on the cabinet, then the motor and it’ll be finished. I don’t care if it’s “perfect”; I care that I learned to figure out ways to do it, and because I love to teach and pass on knowledge, I’m gonna try to find a way to make a slightly less daunting and complicated “intro into learning how to do it”!

… where there’s ONE Victrola, there’s always ONE MORE! lol

The same Vente du Rummage (not really lol, but the ‘Rummage Sale’) bore this fruit!

A super late model, really boring, sale-o-the-day, Saldi della Dia, VV-IVᴬ from like 1919. Why not? Might make a nice gift for someone, once I evict the cockroach exoskeletons lol.

Have a great one! Thank you for looking 🙂

Bonus: WHEN YA SEE IT LOL
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Gotta love the gilded Victor No. 4 (a late model cheap-o enlargement of the Exhibition basically that normally only went with the lowest grade machines of the time. It probably came from a late model export tabletop or a gilded, and early, portable.

… and your deep and philosophical conversations with a person you just met at a rummage sale lead to “I’ve got a Victrola downstairs I’m going to be selling soon…” (“Victrola” here is akin to a “Coke” in the southeastern USA- meaning any beverage, even lemonade, but in this case, phonographs, regardless of brand)

“Oh re… heh… heallllly?…”

“I have it right down here…”

…{Ok…* 😏 *lemme guess, VV-80, a VV-IV, VV-X, run of the mill…)

WOW! A Vic. II with no horn, but with elbow, and actually in remarkable condition! It’s a little bit worn, but I’ve seen worse. What’s left of the license agreement (edit: the motor card appliqué) says 12.20.1909, and the SN (The Data Book) puts it at early 1910 timeframe… likely from around then. Big giveaway, too: the triangular needle receptacle for the bamboo needles is a somewhat newer in the 1910 arena…

(Victor STYLE Vic. II, SN 20912 A)

Anyone have any grand thoughts or additions? I’m interested in the hive’s insight!

Have a great evening. Thank you for stopping by.

I picked up this beautiful mahogany-veneered music cabinet today.

I don’t / haven’t see(n) any maker marks or hallmarks. I’m guessing turn of the century into the early double digits at latest? (1910 ish?) The (assuming) carved Venus**-like figure (shell below her) with the varied and diagonal mahogany patterns just called out to me.

It obviously needs re-veneer done on top and many repairs throughout, but I’m hoping to use it as a stand for this lovely VV-XII from 1909.

I just so happen to be graduating to work on veneer after only just now making some real headway in my journey of (learning the art of) French polishing! It’ll be a complete restore I think (this is good practice and detail work I need to work on).

Any ideas? Anyone seen one like this before?

Thank you for checking it out either way! Have a good evening 🙂

**P.S.- I can’t tell if it’s “Birth of Venus”, some kind of goddess of music, or maybe just someone who just got done with a yoga party, drank way too much beer AND caffeine!

A few more wipes, dealing w/some minor issues & blemishes, and some beading repair*.

* ˢᵒᵘʳ****ᶜᵉᵈ ᶠʳᵒᵐ: ⁻ ⁿᵒ ˢʰ ¡t⁻ ᵃ ᶠʳᵉᵉ ᶜᶦᵍᵃʳ ᵇᵒˣ;ᵛᵃʳ****ᶦᵒᵘˢ ᵍᵒᵒᵈ ᵒⁿᵉˢ ᶜᵒˡˡᵉᶜᵗᵉᵈ ᵃⁿᵈ ᴵ ⁿᵒʷ ʰᵃʳᵛᵉˢᵗ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵗʰᵉᵐ!

tl;dr - Sucks that it was AFU to begin with, but hey: no choice BUT to un F it U. (A is for ‘all’; U is for ‘up’; F is for ‘Care Bears’.

I stained the front facade and will stain the doors. I labored on despite not doing so on the sides- it was kind of a promise made to a friend who’s since passed. I learned heaps from it, regardless. This is how I personally do this. I folly, stumble, fail, watch, fail, and keep learning til I get it.

I hope for any who decide to venture down this unknown but amazingly beneficial road to reach their own level of success as well! It’s hard-earned!

Ta Ta For Now (TTFN); have a great one 🙂 thanks for stopping!

Post subscript: please know that my life experience, travel, and education (autodidactic or otherwise) are extensive. I’ve been to 5 continents, and the two I’m missing are South America and Antarctica.

That’s great for a party trick, but means precisely dick in the real world. Insight aplenty, however! I learn from others and remain steadfast in the belief that the further I travel, the less I know.

… the greater the reward for perseverance in going through the learning process to recreate the ‘mirror’ finish one sees on these elegant machines.

tl;dr - i think a light bulb just turned on for me lol; much more confident with French Polishing & Refinishing as a whole**; there’s a unity in all your senses you have to learn to feel; closer to done; I plan a motor rebuild** **post for this one as well.

Quick synopsis: French polishing is hard work- mostly requires learning & repeating minutiae, a LOT of failure, use of timing, & much time spent learning these tiny “muscle memories”. By no means is this “finished” at this time, either, but I’m going to leave it as is & review later.

Have a wonderful day and thank you for stopping!

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HOWEVER,

******It means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme and it’s only a step up a very, very long stairway to heaven essentially- I have SO much to learn and so many more miles to travel… I maintain that I know absolutely nothing until I fully nail down the basics, and I’m only a small portion of the way there lmao!

It’s not something you learn in a weekend. Weeks to get a feel, months for sure to be able to really ‘understand’ it. Prodigies aside, there will be failure. I had to chemically strip one side twice because CLOTH BITS got into the shellac!!😱😱😱😨😨. This was a good lesson, however- don’t let your ‘rubber’ get threadbare’

Wood veneer (mahogany here) is a lot of fun to work with, but demands 100% exactness in how you go about working with it. Likely smoked or fumed then maybe a light stain was applied in factory to pick up the deeper grain.

Hard woods like this are porous, and have little “nugs” that will fall out (see 7 & 8 of 13)- this is a PRE-shellacking trick that must be completed as it evens the veneer to a flat surface.

Most veneer has this done already, but this veneer is 120 years old, dried, and some of the “nugs” fell out, too. This is where oil and - no shيط -powdered red brick fills in the pores, then is sanded, then shellacked. This machine’s veneer only had a few of these, and was largely and almost fully intact!

I plan to make a kind of “section” of categories for my shenanigans that includes a quick down-‘n’-dirty on how to get started, do lots of preplanning, and learning to know some of the BIG pitfalls to avoid long before you’re started.

I’m still a mere squire, a knave! I’ve graduated to this ability; I will be honest, it feels good!

Once you “get it”, you’ll know. I’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg, but I’m absorbing so much more knowledge as I go along, not only from books but also from rote experience (failure until success, wash-rinse-repeat)

Edit update: Male house finch

Beautiful reds, either way! Such a red permeates, gules!

Is watching paint dry among your top aspirations as well as your absolute favorite diversions?

Tedium- it’s not just another word for ‘boredom’!
Try Shellacking™! It’s crack-a-lacking℠! (a.k.a., the ‘haps on the cracks’)

edit: forgot to add - the last pic- one is the lid, one is the inside of a door, see if you can guess which is which!

Without the crack; or the lack- or LAC, aka the lac bug- which makes up the lac, yet lacks the shells & exoskeletons of said lacs, for that mack… ter.

Ok I’m going to get some fresh air lmao! J/k- tho I do recommend doing so when working with these divine spirits (including imbibing some ‘gnac)!

🎼I’ve got ONE turntable and NO microphone!🎶

Found this super cool, obviously only slightly visibly FUBAR, but not beyond repair (the eternal optimist in me lmao) RCA-Victor R-93 for $30 at an antique shop. Assuming 1931-1933 maybe? No radio- strictly turntable. I welcome any insight 🙂 bonus: anyone know why it wouldn’t have ANY vent holes?! I can’t figure that out- it’s electric! {boogie woogie woogie}

TL;DR - I have one for the group! Looking for some insight into the timeframe &/or specifically about this machine; thoughts; etc.; am doing my own research, but would love to hear the group’s knowledge!

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RCA bought out/Victor merged with RCA in 1928-ish, which was also the start of the Great Depression timeframe in the USA if I’m not mistaken. Please correct me if I’m wrong! I’m going to assume the advent of the radio, analog recording being essentially ‘ancient tech’ by 1925ish anyway, electricity essentially becoming more widespread in availability to the public at large, even in rural areas

It comes in a walnut box (it’s so cute!), has a HEAVY, “horseshoe magnet”-type tone arm/pickup- no kidding it weighs a 💩2,000#️⃣ lmao, is devoid of required (& assuming) one-use replaceable needle, with a heavy motor (am assuming induction type motor), two wired audio “outs” in the rear, and a presumable “on” switch with high and low variation- assuming adjustment for 78 range only?

I’m doing my own research currently; looks like motors aren’t horrible- mostly issues with desiccated rubber and leathers- it seems more of the “horseshoe magnet” pickup not being magnetized any longer, desiccated and ruined parts within that require rebuilding, etc. surprises likely abound. But for $30? Why the heck not?

I stumbled upon this literally. Antique shop in downtown Chicago, something out of a hairy powder fever dream; cavernous, catacomb-like underworld (pic for your viewing {dis/dys/pleasure) with 4’ clearance to walk and generally just around 6’ lol. Only hit my head ONCE on a cast iron sewer pipe, but hey at least it was clean{er} because of all the idiots before (and including lol) me who did the same thing lmao.

There was this weird what appeared to be a cylinder machine, no lid, had a German-made, two-spring *key-wound, not electric,*motor, but there was some kind of soldered wire connector thing near the outer part of the cylinder. I’ll grab a pic next time I’m there.

I love random curiosities, particularly things like these, especially when they just seem to appear outside the “normal scope” of what you find widely and almost everywhere.

Thanks for coming by and looking! Have a wonderful day.

… without looking it OVER first!

tl;dr - optimal (imo) outcome on a well-prepared surface; applied layer upon layer; not even close to finished, however lol

How:

1. it looked

2. it’s supposed to look

3. chemically stripped looks (prob alcohol)

4. a clean, even & initial shellac layer looks

5.-8. ten to 12 follow-on coatings look.

This is garnet shellac flakes.

I guesstimate around 1 cup flake to 3 or so cups of denatured alcohol. I may have to find/try/add some ruby if I can get it; my understanding is it’s not too much different than garnet, though?

Have a great day. Thank you for stopping.

P.S. don’t worry about the drips :) already took care of ‘em 😏

🎼*… It’s the filth of the blight, co-ver up all the damage from the cess-pool;*

While-the-last, tiny fiber of the wood is alright, it goes taunting and prodding me on…

***…***to Re-Stripe the Tiger! 🎶

dun…d-d-d-d... dun.dun.dun …d-d-d-d… dun.dun.DUN!!

tl;dr- re-shellacking (blonde & garnet flake) to bring VTLA #8009’s lost striping out; lost color seems to dull the stripe’s ability to ‘stand out’; may need to redo completely; finish work is VERY needy & requires a 💩⚖️2K#️⃣ of patience!

Proceeding, with patience!

I hope you all have a wonderful day. Thank you for stopping to look, upvote, or even being so kind as to leave a tidbit of your experiences for the public to learn from, if interested!

*still a novice; will graciously & humbly receive any prior experience advice any may wish to give!

I’m hoping this helps anyone trying to tackle this fun stuff, too!

Hi!

I’m certain this 1908 VTLA was up to its knees in an 🌊*** of 💩at one point- probably a basement with sewage access lol- hence the “crinkle cut” design (and the stench of the brown “silt” I cleaned off and that came out of it with H₂O₂). The CLEANING is what did a lot of the residual damage to this thing- but it HAD to be done, no matter the outcome. It was GROSS, like fish babies gross.

Veneer wasn’t meant to endure the punishment this poor piece has seen; alas, we shall make you whole again! I believe this fairly scarce piece deserves it!

tl;dr - I welcome any advice or nuggets of wisdom from the Sages or fellow experimenters & dabblers alike.

Working on the final “finishing” for JUST this lower part so I can finally start refinishing the doors! lol

Thank you for stopping, commenting, upvoting (or not), or just being! Have a great one.

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I got an amazing opportunity recently to learn some pro tips from a master woodworker, one of whose specialties was in fact veneer work.

I just “Veneer Tame[r]d”and “Old Brown Glue[d]” this° veneer down… attempting a fix without installing a ‘plug’ or newly re-sheeting completely (a 💩 ton of work, for sure);

I’m hoping to add this improved skill to my repertoire, considering that almost any Gramophone or Phonograph for that matter are pretty much fixed within a veneered cabinet, even the earliest of iterations!

° it was the minimal height of the damage that led me to just “flatten it” and try to refinish. Too much of a pattern to match to do anything else, really.