Scored a CTC 9 locally!

[Eric H]

The top is pretty thrashed but at least it looks like real wood underneath.

[Big Dave]

Recap and you have a great set.

[Electronic M]

Looks like it should live again.

It may be ugly, but it is one way to deal with lousy photo finish...It still is uuuugly, though!

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by Eric H

Does anyone know what type of finish this set had, Photo or real veneer?

I have the same set. The top panel is veneer... the sides are faux.

[miniman82]

lol, a gilded CTC-9!

Looks like it will come back to full life with minimal recapping, vertical circuit is dead, but that's likely just a bad bypass cap/output tube, open pot or boost resistor. You could always do what I did to my Anderson console and veneer it, but WARNING it is very labor intensive!

[Tubejunke]

Originally Posted by Steve D.

Eric,

Normally wouldn't recommend this, but if stripping and light sanding is successful and you have a smooth fiberboard result. How about spraying the cabinet w/primer and a high gloss black paint.

-Steve D.

I know that the set has been found to have real wood, but I thought that it would be worth adding something I learned from the TV show American Restoration. I can't remember what they were doing this to, but they showed a way of imitating a wood grain on something without real grain like fiberboard. What he did was laid down first a light brown coat coat of I think stain and then blended in some darker accents on top of that. Finally he took something like a trim brush; a small brush, and ran long strokes in what to the viewer seemed to be random parallel areas. I say that because the man said that there was a bit of an art to it and it takes practice, so it's not quite random, but more strategically planned.

At any rate, the end result was great. It really looked like wood grain. So, maybe this will help someone else who finds a TV that probably survived a hippie owner in the 60s or 70s who tried to make the world a little more beautiful, but failed....

[Phil Nelson]

Do an Internet search for "wood graining" and you'll find lots of info. A skilled craftsman can create some amazing effects.

Phil Nelson

[Steve D.]

I worked at an L.A. TV station and then at several of the major studios in my career. I was always amazed at how the scenic artists could turn plain, cheap plywood or fiberboard into any type of wood grain the art director desired. This with paint and brush and, of course, years of experience. Certainly helped the budget and made the producers happy.

-Steve D.

[oldtvman]

Originally Posted by Steve D.

I worked at an L.A. TV station and then at several of the major studios in my career. I was always amazed at how the scenic artists could turn plain, cheap plywood or fiberboard into any type of wood grain the art director desired. This with paint and brush and, of course, years of experience. Certainly helped the budget and made the producers happy.

-Steve D.

Steve,

I went to menard'' and bought a roll of veneer to put on the top of my ctc5 Wingate. The original top had deep gouges in it and there was no way to save it.