[Guest]

In regards to stripping the old finish- last night I was on the phone with Uverse tech support, and absent-mindedly started scraping the finish on the top of the radio with a single edge razor. I was dragging it, just like you would use a scraper to smooth furniture before finishing. To my surprise the lacquer(?) which was "crusty" came of very nicely. I only worked on a small area, but the veneer underneath(walnut?) looks beautiful.

Obviously, this won't work well on the face, with its rounded over slots, and various ogees. What do the experienced here recommend as the safest stripper?

Also, in regards to my other questions, any advice on-
1) Fabric-I've looked at a lot online, but don't quite see one that seems to match
2) Knobs- I'm just not sure which are right for this unit, and close up pictures are lacking
3) Philco labels- are the ones from tubesandmore.com appropriate

I am looking at this restomod as kind of a warm up for one I've wanted to do for a while- a RCA Radiola circa 1929 that has been in my family since new. The cabinet is dirty, but polishes beautifully; the electrics are untested but intact. Unfortunately, it is without speaker; the paper cone on the original was near dust, and the aftermarket cabinet for the radio(the speaker was behind an apron in the cab) was falling apart, its legs falling off and its cheap veneer peeling like a sunburn.

Thanks for any help!