I know a flossy restaurant that has an 80% condition Deardorff 8X10 on a wood tripod as it's main decoration. It just stands there, in the way, while the hoi poi wonder what it is.
My good friend was hostess there for a decade. I ate for free once. Horrible fancy food. I will never go back.
The walls have large B&W Giclée out of focus prints.
The restaurant name is 'Sepia'.
John, I hope your original question got answered sufficiently.
I guess.
I wasn't looking to refinishing it. I just want to get that unidentifiable black sticky stuff off her and bring back a little of the color and shine that's been leaving along with that sticky stuff, and protect what's left of the original finish. I figure if I know what kind of finish she has, I can look for compatible products.
There's plenty of stuff on the internet on cleaning varnished surfaces but so far, nothing like what I'm dealing with.
I now know why some old cameras were painted battleship gray LOL!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
I would say "less is more" when it comes to finish maintenance. I use Gibson Guitar Polish, since they use Nitro Lacquer, just as Deardorff did. (I spray it on a soft cloth, wipe it on and buff it off immediately.)
Even strong alcohol will start to attack the lacquer, so go easy. I'm a little worried the butchers wax you used may have had solvents in it that might have penetrated and weakened the finish.
"Crazing" does sometimes happen with lacquer finishes, and in the extreme, the finish may start to flake off. I had a V8 like this and was able to save the original finish and fill in where it had flaked. Ken Hough called me a Masochist, said he would have stripped and refinished, but I'mm happy with my result. See it here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/139841...7619020277350/
You can "roll over" the image (on a desktop computer) to read notes on the image.
Originally Posted by John Kasaian
In the high-end violin business, old is good, original is good, having a life and showing it is good. We spend a lot of time trying to figure out what was original, and the first rule is to not lose that, and how to protect it as invisibly as possible. Anything that goes on has to be able to be removed without any lasting effect. It draws a lot from art restoration. I don't mind if my cameras look old. . . . because they are old. I feel the same about facelifts.
Thanks, but I'd rather just watch:
Large format: http://flickr.com/michaeldarnton
Mostly 35mm: http://flickr.com/mdarnton
You want digital, color, etc?: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stradofear
Thanks Tracy, that's just the information I'm looking for! I picked up a can of Gibson Guitar polish from the local Guitar Center this afternoon.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Why not Berg Boot Oil? Thought you were a mountain man. Remember the smell of that stuff heated up?
That oil might be the same stuff I've been trying to scrape off her, LOL!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
the stuff I use comes in a little pump bottle.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/gibson-pump-polish-for-guitars-banjos-mandolins/420150000000000?cntry=us&source=3WWRWXGP&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_rWbgIqh2QIVHJ7ACh2r6QXwEAQYASABEgKGtfD_BwE&kwid=productads-adid^221957295815-device^c-plaid^323968300023-sku^420150000000000@ADL4MF-adType^PLA
John,
I can't speak to old Deardorffs. But wood radio cabinets from the '30's and '40's were typically finished with lacquer. Many's a time I've brought new life into an old radio cabinet by using hand cleaner. Specifically I've used "Goop" brand hand cleaner because it's readily available in tubes in the local grocery store. And it smells far better than the equivalent "Go-Jo" brand which stinks of volatiles, telling me that it's more aggressive.
The hand cleaner is the plain variety and NOT the kind that has pumice stone embedded in it as the pumice would scratch the finish.
It acts as an "amalgamator", dissolving and re-flowing the finish. It also acts as a surfactant to remove dirt, which is often nicotine from cigarette smoke in the case of an old radio. And for that it works surprisingly well.
However, I am not advocating its use on a fine old Deardorff.
But, if you've got foreign substances polluting your camera's finish and nothing else works, it may be a thought to take a tiny amount of Goop and see if that and some careful hand-buffing will clean it up.
But please proceed cautiously! Else save the Goop for your hands or in case you find an old radio at a yard sale.
But be careful there, too! Some of those radios, depending on scarcity/demand may be worth more than a Deardorff!
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