John, you are right--there are many ways to do this and people have their favorites. Here are Bob Vila's: http://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-.../#.VIcBzDHF-So
I tried the denatured alcohol, and it worked fairly well--at least it got rid of most of the cloudiness of the old shellac, though it did not fully remove it. This seemed to work best on the parts that have been exposed for the past 75 years; the spots that have been covered up seem to retain their finish.
Unfortunately, I have three spots with cellophane tape stuck on--50 years old? older? I used lighter fluid on these spots and a nylon scraper. Some success, but they need sanding I think.
I previously tried Minwax Antique Furniture Refinisher (http://www.largeformatphotography.in...l=1#post517555) on my Century Universal, but I still ended up doing a lot of sanding (http://www.largeformatphotography.in...l=1#post518617).
I think I'm at the point with this camera--without resorting to chemical strippers--that I'm ready to try some light sanding. I will post some before/after pics to show progress....
Of course, I'm still keeping in mind that I'm going to have a brand new cherry rear frame and spring back to try to stain to match the original 2D finish of the front standard and base rails....are we having fun yet? You bet.
The good news (oddly) is that the bellows have been delayed. Seems the 12x20 bellows box (15x22 rear frame) was too big for China Post, so Rudy is having to ship first to HK, then to me.
I'm hoping to get out of town for a road trip next week to southern Utah, Arizona, and NM, and would love to take this camera with me. I thought the bellows would get here and I would still be futzing with the wood and brass, but now it might be the bellows arrival that holds me up. We'll see.
Got to get some sleep, it's 2:30AM here....
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