OT: Looking for wood-grain patterns

[Kam Leo]

On 10/25/06, Mike McCarty <Mike.McCarty at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> 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


My understanding of your post was that you are looking for large wood
grain pattern(s). My solution is for you to purchase veneer to get the
pattern(s). (It's about the only way you are going to get a large
pattern of an exotic wood.) You take a photograph of the flattened
veneer under diffused light, use gimp or other image processing
software to match the color, and send the file to a press to have the
pattern printed on appropriate stock.

What you are trying to do is not new. Pros do this type of work all
the time using Macs or PCs and expensive software.

If you are really serious get color calibration hardware and software
so the resultant product meets your expectations.