Help ID Veneer?

[Scott Hildenbrand]

Ok.. I need to know is what kind of wood the veneer is. Specifically on the top and face area of the case.

father in-law said that he thought it was walnut. A look at the front and he may be right.

the woods got a red cast to it, not like walnut at all. The grain looks right though.

So my question is, what is the veneer used? Anyone at all have a clue?

And no, I don't have any places near by to take a sample to and match.

For a closeup of what it should look like finished. Here's a shot someone sent me of theirs.

hit the ZOOM icon for a big closeup (huge pic)..

BTW, It's an RCA 811k radio I'm restoring.

Thanks for the help! Scott--

[Jim]

> My father in-law said that he thought it was walnut. A look at the front

> But the woods got a red cast to it, not like walnut at all. The grain

> Just hit the ZOOM icon for a big closeup (huge pic)..

It looks to me like either walnut or mahogany. I doubt that RCA would have used mahogany though.

Jim

[Scott Hildenbrand]

>>> My father in-law said that he thought it was walnut. A look at the front

>>> But the woods got a red cast to it, not like walnut at all. The grain

>>> Just hit the ZOOM icon for a big closeup (huge pic)..

Walnut doesn't typically have a red cast though does it? I've got some walnut veneer to use but it's lacking any red, more of a base brown.

[Jim]

>>>>> My father in-law said that he thought it was walnut. A look at the front

>>>>> But the woods got a red cast to it, not like walnut at all. The grain

>>>>> Just hit the ZOOM icon for a big closeup (huge pic)..

Sometimes the manufacturers use finishes that change the color ever so slightly. Sometimes the sawmills bleach the raw wood to remove imperfections in the color. It can be very difficult to decide what the wood is even when you have it in front of you.

And, it might not be either one. It is not uncommon to find generic hardwood stained to appear like some more expensive wood. I have used walnut stains that left a reddish cast to the wood (when applied to either oak or ash). There are products that do not leave much red, and there are others that do.

Jim

[Doug Miller]

Your FIL nailed it, IMO. Walnut gets lighter with exposure to light and air, and that has the look of old walnut.

[Old guy]

But the problem is going to be to match its appearance, whatever wood it is.

I'd vote for walnut, I have a nice old walnut dresser in my office here that my dad cleaned and refinished, and its color is about halfway between walnut and mahogany. And he didn't use any coloring on it, just varnish.

I've read somewhere that the steam kilns drive the red color out of walnut, and give us a dingy brown, compared to air drying.

If the grain comes close, the rest will be done with the magic of lightly tinted glazes, I'll bet.

Old Guy

> My father in-law said that he thought it was walnut. A look at the front

> But the woods got a red cast to it, not like walnut at all. The grain

> Just hit the ZOOM icon for a big closeup (huge pic)..

[Dave Jackson]

When I zoom the "close shot" it definately looks like mahogany. --dave

>>> My father in-law said that he thought it was walnut. A look at the front

>>> But the woods got a red cast to it, not like walnut at all. The grain

>>> Just hit the ZOOM icon for a big closeup (huge pic)..

[Leon]

Yes air dired can have a purplish cast. A mill that I buy from kiln dries walnut because the customers like the more uniform brown that results.

[Stewart Schooley]

Scott,

When I ignore color and look at only the grain pattern, I see mahogany. This is particularly true for the areas beside and below the dial. This area is more of a straight grain and has a distinctive mahogany look. However, the pattern is different from the top and I can't tell from the pictures , but I am assuming that the center top and the area around the dial are two pieces of veneer. Is this correct?

The sides and the front corners look to me like what most people would call a figured mahogany. See this photo;

I can't tell from your photos is the grain pattern on the two pieces on each side of the top. Do they have a noticeable figure to them or are they more of a straight grain? Figured mahogany will probably be harder to find, and more expensive.

Whatever you use for those two areas, I think the grain pattern should be as strong in contrast to the basic wood color as the pattern is on the rest of the cabinet.

Of all the woods in the world, I think mahogany has the biggest variety of grain patterns. You can see them all at this site;

more thing. When you have re-veneered the cabinet and are ready to stain, I would start with a very, very thinned stain over the entire cabinet so you can see how the new veneer is taking the stain compared to the rest of the cabinet. If there is a difference between the two areas, make adjustments with weak stain where it is needed.

This will be time consuming, but necessary if you are to bring the final cabinet color into the unified whole you want.

Good luck Scott, maybe another time I'll see you on RAR+P.

Stewart

[Stewart Schooley]

Scott,

Two more pictures of why I say the wood is mahogany. First photo is similar to the area around the dial.

photo is similar to the top. With walnut this type of pattern usually has a more pronounced V shape. With mahogany the V shape is usually more rounded like in this photo and on your radio.

[Steve]

Scott;

The wood on the corners looks like crotch-figure black walnut to me. But the wood with the vertically-aligned grain around the dial looks like mahogany.

--Steve

[dadiOH]

Scott Hildenbrand"