Was only stating facts. No pissing match. People that either own these tables or are thinking about buying one should know that these are precious antiques and not a table for abuse. I LOVE these Anniversary tables and getting the opportunity to restore them for my clients is a privilege. The polished aluminum is raw and needs to be cleaned and polished to retain its luster. The finish, what ever is used, demands respect to or it will look like crap! Headed to Ft. Lauderdale this morning to install another OS 8' Anniversary C-I restoration
Good article!!! Have a good day sir!
Trent from Toledo
Thank you!
Down here in the south, we don't run across many Anniversaries or Centennials. The Anniversaries that I have run across have all had laminate. The grain structure of the wood in the OP's photos look more like mahogany than walnut. Good to know though.
As for what brand of finish used, I do believe there are LOTS of good products out there on the market. However, regardless of which products anyone uses, the end result will be substantially worse if one doesn't have proper technique.
I stress the "fish-eye" issue. I have been restoring pool tables for the past 20 years (pianos for the past 13). I have seen first-hand what oils from skin and use of furniture polish can do. It can make applying a new finish a NIGHTMARE!
My Sherwin Williams rep once told me of a production shop that had fish-eye issues. Come to find out it was from perfume that one of the workers was using. I don't know if that's what their problem actually was, but, I guess it could be.
As I said previously, spraying on the new finish will give better results for ALL furniture. One technique for preventing fish-eye is to spray VERY light coats of either sanding sealer or vinyl sealer. Basically, dusting the piece in multiple passes until enough VERY small droplets have basically filled in the spots that want to fish-eye. This can not be achieved with a brush.
Grain filler will fill in the pores of the wood and yield a MUCH better product in the end.
I refinished a set of rails for one of our hotels here in downtown New Orleans about 2 years ago. I used Sherwin Williams CAB acrylic lacquer. I went by there last week and noticed, although the rails did have SOME scratches (normal with wear), they basically looked as good as the day I reinstalled them.
If anyone wants any tips on refinishing, don't hesitate to drop me a message. I'll be happy to help.