Gold Crown I went from plain to beautiful (to me at least) after refinish

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ggg308

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I bought my first table about 6 months ago (a 9' GC I) and wanted to share some pics of the refinishing process.

First, I never imagined I would own a table until I was retired. I'm in the military, and with all the moving I didn't consider owning a table to be practical. However, I happened to be browsing on craigslist and saw this table being sold in Raleigh for $750. I couldn't pass that up so here it is, set up with new Brunswick superspeed cushions and Simonis 760 cloth. Unfortunately, I'm probably moving to England this summer where finding an affordable house big enough for this table will be nearly impossible. Oh well, maybe I can tuck into a corner and play on half the table.

I had no idea what quality of wood I'd find underneath the paint, and was pleasantly surprised to find great looking wood (the right side especially with "tiger stripes" down the length of the skirt). I applied five layers of Tung Oil finish; pictures don't do it justice. The stripes are 3D like and change as you walk past like those "flame topped" Gibson Les Paul guitars from the same era of this table. I had the 2 small skirt pieces next to the ball return box laser engraved with graphics related to the aircraft I fly; it's hard to see in the photos.

Again, thanks for looking and letting me brag a little bit about my table. It was a lot of work but WELL worth the effort. The pictures are spread out over two posts due to the five attachment limit.
 

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You mentioned you are in the military, so first off Id like to say thank you for what you do!

Second, man that table looks GREAT! I like the old GC's, and this is bar far the best looking one I have seen.

If you find you cant take it with you, Id be happy to keep it warm and safe until you return :D

Woody
 
I'm so in awe, I don't know what to say. I can barely change the tire on my car! :eek:

So you sanded away all that white paint? Did you know for sure it was wood and not some sort of plastic underneath?

Wow, kudos to you sir.

<off to get my glue gun to build something>
 
Nice!!!!

FROM 1 SOLDIER TO ANOTHER DAM NICE JOB SOLDIER!!!!!!!:grin-square:
 
Nice work. Table really looks great. I have a older Brunswick and was considering getting a Diamond but the more I play on the Diamonds the more I like my Brunswick. I think they look better and have that deco art style.
 
I have thought hard about taking the chance of doing this to my black and chrome GCIII.

If I knew I would get that quality of wood under the black finish I would do it asap.

How did you strip it? Simply sand it? Paint thinner?

Anyhow, smoking table, that is one huge improvement in looks from before to after.
 
Very nice!!! Thats one kick ass looking table there sir! Also I wanna thank you for your service! Well done!
 
My hats off to you for serving your country and for doing a terrific job on restoring a great table. Wish you well and may you spend many enjoyable hours playing on your magnificent Gold Crown I. Good luck in England.
 
Beautiful

I have always liked GC-1's.
Now get rid of the score counters and fill in the holes.
You'll thank me.The designer who thought they were a good idea
needs the 4 and out from a short stop.
I't's a great table,your grandkids will play on it.
 
I love old Gold Crown tables and this one is really great looking. Great job on the refinish.
MULLY
 
Excellent Job & thanks for your service.

Next time I move mine I'll also be doing the same thing.
 
Wow !! inspiring ! I was just given a 9' table and yours has inspired me to do the same. I can't wait now...Home Depot here I come. GREAT JOB !!
 
Thanks for all the kind words everybody. It was certainly one of the more enjoyable projects I've completed.

Celtic said:
I have thought hard about taking the chance of doing this to my black and chrome GCIII.

If I knew I would get that quality of wood under the black finish I would do it asap.

How did you strip it? Simply sand it? Paint thinner?

Anyhow, smoking table, that is one huge improvement in looks from before to after.
Click to expand...

There were four layers of paint that I stripped off using paint stripper. I needed to do 4-5 applications to get most of it off. I sanded away what was left over with a random orbital sander.

You can get a good idea of how the wood will turn out by taking one of your skirts and staining a portion of the back side. The wood was still bare on the back side of my skirts so you should be good to go after some light sanding to smooth the surface.

For anyone else contemplating a refinish, it really isn't hard at all. You just need to be patient and detail oriented to get the best results. I bought everything I needed at Lowe's for just under $100 and learned what I needed to know after a few hours of browsing the web. It took about 3 weeks to do in my spare time.
 
Congrats Sir!

You've restored a piece of history and created a beautiful thing!!! Hope you don't lose it in the moves . . . cause you did a great job on it.
 
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