[Jamie]

Ok, you can try saving it. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

If it were mine, I'd use Howards Restore-a-Finish on it. You can get it at most antique shops. Get some #0000 steel wool and work the Howards in as best as you can. If it is going to work, you will see it sort of dissolve the top layer of lacquer and your scratches will disappear. If it works, you can leave it as it is, or you have the option of adding some clear lacquer over the original finish. If you decide to do this, after the Howards dries, clean the cabinet with mineral spirits, let it dry, then go over it with a tack cloth (very important step!). Spray a light coat of clear lacquer over it and let it dry. I've saved a lot of old cabinets this way. They look very good.

If Howards doesn't work, there is still hope. Clean the cabinet very well with mineral spirits. Go over it well with a tack cloth (to remove any little hairs or lint), then give it a light coating of Mohawk Toner (I would use dark walnut, but ask Ron which color). The color is very important. You need to match the old finish. This is to cover up the scratches. You then follow up with some clear. This is a last resort before stripping. I have a very nice Philco 38-9 that I used this technique on. I also have a couple that it did not work... they were stripped and refinished.

Now, a disclaimer - spraying toner over a scratched finish doesn't always come out well. It is a last resort kind of thing. Sometimes it looks and feels acceptable and you do, mostly, save the original finish. Sometimes it looks bad and the final result is ugly with rough areas. If it doesn't come out well, then you have to strip the cabinet and start over. At this point, as a last resort, you've got nothing to lose. You would have to strip it anyway.