OT: Looking for wood-grain patterns

[Mike McCarty]

Kam Leo wrote:
> On 10/25/06, Mike McCarty <Mike.McCarty at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> 
>>
>> Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. The object is not to make the
>> set look good, the object is to make it look original. So, plasticated
>> contact paper is not the goal. The object is restoration to "like
>> new" state. So, the use of like original materials, in like original
>> tones is important to those who do this.
>>
>> Thanks again for your reply.
>>
>> Mike
> 
> 
> Have you tried purchasing sheets or rolls of veneer that match the faux 
> wood.

Veneer is wood. These people want like original materials. This
means paper with wood grain printed on it, then stained to look
like wood.

I realize that many will not understand this desire, but part of
the point of owning a piece of equipment manufactured in 1938 is
that it is *old*. And if the original finish is in such a sorry
state that it really isn't pretty anymore, due to parts of it
being destroyed, then the replacement needs to be like original.
IOW, the replacement is not intended just to look nice. We could
just build a new cabinet out of pretty wood, or paint it a nice
color. The point is restoration, not just beautification.

Personally, I wouldn't want to own such a set. The ones I have
are all nice veneer. But those who collect sets with paper
faux wood finishes want to reproduce this finish using like
original materials and techniques. I think that sometimes people
don't originally set out to collect sets like that, but during the
act of collecting, they wind up with a lot of sets of various
sorts, some of them having this type of finish, and can't
bring themselves to part out a working set, cannibalizing it
to rescue others, just because it has a rough finish.

I guess some people get an emotional attachment to some of their
rescued sets, which defy rational explanation. To put it another
way, who needs more than 2 or three radios, anyway? But many of
these people have hundreds. I can even understand collecting one
or two of each technology, like TRF, Regen, SuperRegen, Superhet,
AA5, etc. But some people literally have hundreds.

So, it needs to be like original, which means paper with grain
printed on it, stained to look like wood, then varnished. Most
try to figure out whether the original finish was lacquer or
shellac, and use the appropriate. Reproduction of orginal color
is important to most, as well.

I don't fully understand, as I said, I wouldn't want one of those
sets, anyway. But there it is.

Mike
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