Classic Hifi Care

I would really like to know where this model falls in the Motorola lineup...I am leaning with Bill that this was painted from the factory and someone else went over the factory paint and did a terrible job... how high a dollar can this one be, when it is built with 1/4" MDF board for the sides?

I would guess it is a mid-level unit. Two reasons for this thought, the quality of the cabinet and the change as it is not Motorola's fanciest model. The amp and other components are still Motorola quality. Have you started striping the paint off yet? I am interested to see what you find underneath. If it is truly blonde you will have something rare.

Bill

I stripped a little off of one side of the top ... it looks like the original finish on the legs either blonde or natural ... but MDF on the sides?... that is what gives me pause to say this is a budget priced unit... wish we could find Motorola dealer brochures and settle that question.....

Is the MFD veneered? The photo you provided of the one in Mahogony looks like a nice cabinet with a good finish.

Bill

William wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2024 7:26 pm Is the MFD veneered? The photo you provided of the one in Mahogony looks like a nice cabinet with a good finish.

Bill

I found that picture on the web... no telling which model 43 that was... I see there are at least 3 or 4 versions of the sk-43 usually with letters like 43B,43B1,43M, 43M1, and 43W I assume the letters meant finish , I wonder if B was for the base model? can't tell if the MDF is veneered as it is painted

I would say this was a model SK-43..blonde finish ... Check out the pictures after sanding with 60 grit and under the front speakers where it was not painted...not really sure how to proceed ... everything will need to be removed including the speaker boards and grille cloth and after stripping who knows how it will look , it could be really bad and that is why they painted it...

My understanding is that a blonde finish has a white base with a tinted clear top coat.

I wouldn't consider that a cheap cabinet. They used pocket screws and tenon joints. If it was a cheap cabinet, it would have just been glued together.

Definitely blonde and it looks like the typical blonde look back in the day. This could have been done because furniture needs to be painted look that everyone seems to want now days. The sad thing, who every did the paint job did a really poor job.

Bill

To do this right requires it get dunk tanked to remove the paint.... and they want anywhere from $100 - $400 dollars to do that on a 20 dollar stereo? ...No thanks ... I will probably end up stripping all the components out and trashing the cabinet ....

Are you sure it's not something that you can/want to do? Is the blonde underneath the paint in really bad shape?

Bill

Another thing you can do with a blonde cabinet if it is in good condition is to sand it really well, then paint it black. Ebony was a premium finish back in the day. An ebony Concert Grand in Danish modern cabinet is worth a small fortune. Ebony cabinets blend in well with modern furniture as well. That might be an idea to keep from scrapping an otherwise solid cabinet. With the right grille cloth, you could make it really sharp!......

Refer to the GE stereo I did the Tolex on. That thing was plain nasty with a cabinet that had been seriously wet. I had to rebuild the hinge ends of the speaker enclosures with bondo mixed with sawdust to stabilize them enough to cover. Then I used rather gawdy grille cloth, but it set off the black Tolex real nice. It seems like a shame to scrap a solid cabinet just because it's ugly. This is one of those "nothing to lose" moments that can turn out real nice by using a little imagination. Good luck!

You could also do like Jimmy O does and cover the cabinet with Tolex.

Yes, why trash a good solid cabinet, if painting it would be
something doable ?

Once electronics completed service, someone would
love to buy it, I bet.

I've always used paint stripper on radio cabinets. Their mostly-flat surfaces make for an easy job. Modern 'safe" paint strippers are so safe that they hardly dent the finish, unfortunately. It helps to cover the stripper with plastic like the plastic food wrap in rolls--keeps the active ingredients from evaporating. It just takes longer than it used to when the stuff wasn't safe. Get the old finish off,sand lightly, then you have a wealth of choices--'blonde,'" stained wood, "toned lacquer," etc.

I'll have to see if I can track down the home brewed remover using Epsom salts & lye that my Mom used.

Chris Campbell

I stripped the cabinet of everything including all the wiring...so I started to strip the carcass...it is taking everything off including the blonde finish ...the only real wood is the top, and the front frame, the sides are MDF and they stripped back to the normal brown like peg board color...I doubt I can recreate the blonde finish I may go with a stain or toner . the plain MDF on the sides will be tough to make look like real wood ... been watching videos on how to recreate a wood effect

It is good to hear you have not given up on it. After all, you built from scratch a cabinet for the Fisher guts you had so I am guessing you will make this unit beautiful too. Keep up the good work, Elton.

Bill

It's been crazy at work being end of the month and all ... but I am still stripping the cabinet , I still have the side and the front frame to strip ... now I am torn as to what color to make it, and how to apply it...since the MDF sides are naturally brown , they will need to be changed somehow to match the rest of the cabinet . I have been watching videos of people making faux wood look with nothing more than paint and a little stain on top to recreate the grain... the speaker grilles are already light with a hint of brown in them...I have always like the look of the butterscotch colored fender guitars... I may lean that way ...

Butterscotch would be attractive on that cabinet. I believe it might be a good suggestion to find some more interesting grille cloth. The cloth there has faded pretty badly. Grille cloth is not expensive and is easy to work with. AES has a pretty good selection, mostly for guitar amps, but, then, you are considering making the cabinet the color of a guitar, so......

https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/g ... lex_piping

Yes the cloth is faded , but still is in nice shape, My wife was going to experiment on trying to softly clean it ... if it fails then we will look at replacement cloth , the local hobby lobby and joanns has many different colors and designs as well.....

You're making good progress.

I hope the original grille cloth will clean up.

It has a nice texture to it.

Nice to have a partner assisting you with it.

I enjoy seeing members of the forum getting involved in "salvage" projects. I like bringing items back to life that have lived beyond their "best used by" date. Elton threatened to set this cabinet on the curb. Bringing it back will be a most rewarding project. Thanks for the pictures, too!