Hi Finishing Experts,
This is my first post to the finishing forum (hi! ). I haven't been in the position (time-wise) to actually finish any big projects for a while, but it looks like I'm close to it on this one at last! For me, finishing is one of the most difficult parts of any woodworking project. I need some help/advice to get this project done right......so I hope I have come to the right place!?
I have been restoring a 1947 Hammond BV organ. I found it in a thrift store. It is now clean and I have it working very well (I tell people "It's 10 years older me and in better shape!"), but the finish is pretty bad in places. Here's a photo of it (sorry about the focus). Pedals are behind it at the moment.
It didn't have a bench seat with it, so thanks to some photos (online and from a nice fellow called Byron who makes replicas of Hammond things), I have made my own version in solid walnut - it's not an exact copy, but it's close enough (for me). Here's a picture of it - it just needs sanding and some lid stays adding before doing the finish....that's where you guys come in!
I would like to know a) how to repair the original finish on the organ as invisibly as possible, and b) how to finish my new walnut bench seat so that it looks as close as possible to the orginal organ finish. Does anybody know what the stain/finish on the old Hammond organ was? If forced to guess, I'd say it was some kind of oil-based stain with shellac over, but I'm no expert and I wasn't around in 1947!
Can anyone help?
Cheers,
Dave Fifield