Thread: Help identify stain to use refinishing a 1939 radio cabinet

Here is a link to reddit where i posted some photos and was referred to this site How do I get the dark stain and this old radio? Is it a paint or some time of opaque stain? : VintageRadios

You can use Feast Watson Tint stains mixed in Shellac. Both are readily available. You can buy Mohawk products in Australia but they don’t come cheap. Always start lighter and work up to a darken.

Thanks. You dont think its a tinted varnish or laquer?
Is it just keep putting on coats till it gets to the right colour?

I may have to test the tinted shellac as I was thinking to varnish it with a walnut tinted varnish.

It could very well be a tinted varnish of lacquer. What you would be doing with the tint and shellac is similar - it’s a coating, it’s not soaking into the wood and can be removed with metho if it’s too dark or you don’t like the colour. In earlier times finishes where often made up from lacquers and pigments - self mixed. Quite often these colours can’t be exactly matched with commercial finishing products hence the building up of layers with tinted shellac allows you to closely match the colours, particularly if your new to this.
Auscab would be the best to comment on this, as this is his bread and butter. If he doesn’t answer, PM him He has helped me immensely with some of my restorations.

Thomas Johnson is one of my favourite YouTube restorers. Here are a couple of links related to toning, grazing and staining that are worth a view.

Staining Wood - Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration - YouTube

Glazing and Toning Furniture - Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration - YouTube