You guys are terrible... Westinghouse 697

[jeffmoss26]

Very cool radio!!

[805gregg]

Old radios have come and gone, give me a Bose anyday, what some people call vintage is just old junk, move on.

[lsrx101]

Originally Posted by Steevo

I'd be almost certain that the wood on that cabinet is real veneer. No artificial artifact.

Look at the chips in the finish. There's no grain underneath. That is a printed photographic finish for sure. There are pieces of the cabinet that are really nice veneer, like the top, control panel, speaker grille,etc. The rest is box wood covered with a faux wood finish.
This was common from 1935 on through the 50s.
Real veneers with that exotic grain were never used on consumer grade radios in the 30s or beyond.

Remember, that radio was todays inexpensive MP3 player available at Wal-Mart in 1949. A cheap consumer device, likely a year or so behind the technology "curve".

Today, Its a great piece of post-war US history and worth saving. But it's not a historic piece of art or craftsmanship.

[AndyL]

805gregg - one mans trash... It's funny that the real audiophiles are often chasing the old tube technology, not the newest BOSE that'll be in the junk pile within 2 years...

Are there any any vinyls/veneers that I could easily apply before finishing to get the same effect?

[lsrx101]

Are there any any vinyls/veneers that I could easily apply before finishing to get the same effect?

Huh! what?

[AndyL]

Well if I don't have stain grade wood beneath - can I apply a veneer over to get a similar look - or is there a fancy new technique to get a similar look? I can stain - but artsy faux-wood isn't going to be my strong suit

[Viriiguy]

Very nice find!

[lsrx101]

Originally Posted by AndyL

Well if I don't have stain grade wood beneath - can I apply a veneer over to get a similar look - or is there a fancy new technique to get a similar look? I can stain - but artsy faux-wood isn't going to be my strong suit

Oh. Sorry. I had a brain fart there and didnt understand what you were asking.
The best you can do is dab some stain on the chips. Replicating that finish is near impossible.
The photo finish parts of your cabinet are still in better shape than most usually are. Give it a good cleaning, fix the parts that are done in toner, touch up any other chips with stain and give the whole thing a coat of satin clear.
You'll be surprised how nice the cabinet looks just after a proper cleaning, even with the blemishes. Browse around here:
http://www.antiqueradios.com/
to find out to do it. Radio cabinets, and other wood furniture of that era, tend to take on a dark(ish) patina over the years.
Veneering over the old finish can be done, but it''s really not worth the effort. That radio, even fully restored, will never be worth more than about $200 tops. It's "value" is all in how much you like and appreciate it. For example, I have a 1936 RCA 15 tube console with motorized tuning that's in really nice shape but would only be "worth" about $300 max if I tried to sell it. The value to me as a nice piece of furniture and a cool piece of pre-WWII history goes way beyond the market value.
Console radios are big and take up lots of room so they're not very "collectable" in general. There are exceptions, though: http://www.radiostratosphere.com/
You would have to take out a mortgage to buy one of those.

[lsrx101]

Originally Posted by 805gregg

Old radios have come and gone, give me a Bose anyday, what some people call vintage is just old junk, move on.

Bose? Really?

[superspec]

i bought a 41 silvertone because of this site. it has a real veneer on it.

[AndyL]

Not sure, theres a good bit of uv damage on top... is there an 'easy' way to find a matching stain? Or is it pure trial and error? Not worried about the $ part - this is purely for my enjoyment/appreciation

[superspec]

some people dont seem to understand the enjoyment of an item. none of the people who have seen mine get that i want to strip, refinish and modernize the radio except for 3 people and they are all techies. everybody else is all about the money.

[AndyL]

Well what a fun weekend of moving hell...

Our fancy expensive Sony stereo, cant seem to get anything am or fm - that radio ran all weekend. Finally got interwebs and tv today, yay!

I'm loving this radio more and more... though I have officially lost it to the garage, the wife and MIL decided its too nice for anywhere but the living room, guess I need to hunt for a second

[lsrx101]

Originally Posted by AndyL

Not sure, theres a good bit of uv damage on top... is there an 'easy' way to find a matching stain? Or is it pure trial and error? Not worried about the $ part - this is purely for my enjoyment/appreciation

I need to eat some crow here.
I came across this very radio at an auction yesterday. It does, indeed, have veneer on the front corners. Seeing that one, then looking closely at the pics, I can tell it there too. The parts I mentioned earlier are done in toner, however, for contrast.

Refinishing the cabinet will take a lot of elbow grease. Just like painting a car, the finished product will depend on attention to detail. The satisfaction once it's done is great, though.
Do some research on the materials, techniques and procedures. Again, I suggest starting in the Cabinet Restoration forum at http://www.antiqueradios.com/ . It's like the Garage Journal of Antique Radio forums.

Here's a couple of tips from my own experience:
-Use a citrus based stripper and 00 or 000 steel wool for stripping. This will leave the stain mostly intact and tend not to raise the grain. Chemical strippers tend to open the grain and remove the stain along with grain fillers.
-Use sandpaper very sparingly and be careful on the sharp edges of the cabinet. Steel wool is a better "tool" for most parts of refinishing a radio cabinet. It's easy to sand through the veneer or round off edges. Sand "off" the edges wherever possible.
-DON'T USE POLYURETHANE for the clear coat!! It just looks like crap. The original finish is lacquer, which is getting hard to source these days. It's available but it might take some searching. The good news is that many automotive clears give excellent results. (Just don't tell the purists.)
- You will lose the cool Westinghouse logo when you strip the cabinet. It should be available as a repro as W'house used the same logo for many years. It's a water slide decal that goes on before the clear coat.
-Enjoy the project and don't let it become a "chore". I've seen a lot of, and purchased a few, radios where the PO started on a refinish then lost interest.

Good Luck. Post pictures.

[SGKent]

the fm stations are closer together today than when that radio was built so you won't find it as easy to tune. Were it me, I would add an aux input, add a 12V dedicated power supply to it (easy to come by cheaply) and add something like XM / Sirius to it or plug an IPOD into the aux input. Better music and no commercials. Try to do as little damage to it and the electronics as possible cause in 20 years it might be worth more as-is than modified.

[softailgarage]

Originally Posted by 805gregg

Old radios have come and gone, give me a Bose anyday, what some people call vintage is just old junk, move on.

BOSE? my homemade Dynaco Stereo 70 would blow that over-rated, over-priced junk out of the water!

[lsrx101]

Originally Posted by AndyL

Well what a fun weekend of moving hell...

Our fancy expensive Sony stereo, cant seem to get anything am or fm - that radio ran all weekend. Finally got interwebs and tv today, yay!

I'm loving this radio more and more... though I have officially lost it to the garage, the wife and MIL decided its too nice for anywhere but the living room, guess I need to hunt for a second

Look out! That's how it starts, Andy!
Like anything, antique radios can be addictive. (just like tools, cars, etc.). It's a lot like a crack habit, but radios are generally much cheaper.
The Westinghouse has now endeared itself to the wife and MIL,(that's how they operate) so now you need to find another one for the garage. Now you're on the hunt for the next "hit'.
Given a little research and knowledge, you'll come across a "better" one for the garage, only it wont "work". You'll start thinking about test equipment and maybe veer off into that world too.
Then, one day soon (knowing what you know about them), you'll happen across an even "better" old radio "for the garage" in the most unlikely place, offered cheap. You just can't "not" take it home for that price!

And so it begins.

[lsrx101]

Originally Posted by softailgarage

BOSE? my homemade Dynaco Stereo 70 would blow that over-rated, over-priced junk out of the water!

Amen brother. And it will help heat your house
I don't have my ST-70s anymore, but I have still have a modified Dynaco SCA-35 integrated amp that forms the center of my "home entertainment" system.

[lsrx101]

Originally Posted by SGKent

the fm stations are closer together today than when that radio was built so you won't find it as easy to tune. Were it me, I would add an aux input, add a 12V dedicated power supply to it (easy to come by cheaply) and add something like XM / Sirius to it or plug an IPOD into the aux input. Better music and no commercials. Try to do as little damage to it and the electronics as possible cause in 20 years it might be worth more as-is than modified.

Excellent advice.
However, this set is AM only. FM was in it's infancy at the time.
It has a "phono" input from the factory, which is exactly the input you describe
A 12V supply could certainly be added quite easily, and externally.

[lsrx101]

blublablubla
Getting rid of a dual post