Here's the Emerson after spraying lacquer, decal done, etc.  I think it turned out pretty good.

At this point, I need to let the lacquer cure for a week or two, and then I'll rub the finish out and re-install the chassis.

Click on the picture for a somewhat larger version.

The EP-367 needed a decal on the front, centered above the dial opening.  I had a sheet of nice Emerson Radio and Television waterslide decals that I had bought from Radio Daze.  I add the decal to the radio after a few coats of lacquer have already been sprayed on the radio.  This makes sure the decal has a nice smooth base to adhere to -- if the wood still has a lot of grain, the decal can sink into the grain and look crinkly.  You don't want that.

I carefully cut out the decal, and try and get as close to the edge as possible.  Since the radio is already sealed with lacquer, I simply put the decal on the radio near where I want it to go, and drip a few drops of water on it.  After a minute or two, the decal can then be slid off its paper backing.

My favorite tool to use when working with decals is a small paintbrush.  You can use the brush to move the decal off the paper, and to center it appropriately.  I use a small scrap of paper towel to wick up the excess water, then double check to make sure the decal is where you want it.

The small paint brush can also be used to smooth out the decal, to make sure it is not bunched up or anything like that.  Simply brush across the decal to smooth it out.  This can be done several times while the decal is drying to make sure it is smooth and aligned properly.

I usually wait a day before spaying any lacquer on it, and the first coat is usually a light spritz of lacquer just to seal the decal.  Once that is dry, a few more coats of lacquer go on.  After a few light coats, I usually rub around the edge of the decal with a bit of 0000 steel wool to smooth out the edge of the decal, so it cannot be seen.  Then shoot a few more coats of lacquer over the top.  The decal edge should blend in and not be visible.

After filling the grain, I went ahead and lacquered the base of the radio.  I used a flat-black from Krylon and applied a few light coats.  Obviously, I taped all the trim off first, and then used newsprint to cover the rest of the radio.  I like using a flat or satin black, the gloss comes in when the final coats of clear are applied.   By doing the black first, you can easily remove any overspray or goofs using a dab of lacquer thinner.

Here is the Emerson EP-367 being grain filled.  I really like Bartley's dark grain filler.  Unfortunately, they seem to have gone out of business.  I was able to find two cans of the product via an online store in Canada, so I hope I can make it last awhile.  The grain filler is painted on with a cheap disposable brush agains the grain, and left to set up.  Once it starts looking hazy instead of wet, you rub it off with burlap.  I usually do two coats of filler, waiting a day in between and doing a light sanding.

The top of the radio is also where there was some veneer damage.  Again, I decided simply to fill this with a wood putty, sand flush, and then I plan to paint the putting with oil-based paints so that you can't even see it. The wood putty did take a little bit of the tint from the grain filler. 

This is a macro closeup of the damaged area.  It looks bad now -- don't worry!  When the radio is completed, you won't even be able to see the repair (well, that's the theory, at least).

I'm still getting used to the idea of not having to patch in veneer all the time.  While it's sometimes easier to replace an entire piece (say, on a flat top), fixing chips has never been something I look forward to.  Nor do most of my fellow collectors, from what I can tell...the really chipped up wood cabinet radios certainly aren't the first ones snapped up at swap meets!

This is the Emerson EP-367 after stripping the old finish off.  I generally use one of the liquid "furniture refinisher" products to strip old finishes, as opposed to the paste strippers.  My favorite was Parks Furniture Refinisher, but the local stores stopped selling it.  I'm working my way through a gallon of a similar product from Zinsser and it seems to work about the same.  I use a 000 steel wool and a lot of rubbing to get the old finish off.

Once the finish was removed, I could better assess the damage.  The radio has a few gouges on the front, plus a few edge chips on the top.  In the past I've used veneer and patched chips of this kind, but in the last year or so I've changed my strategy somewhat. I now like to fill the gaps with wood filler, then paint the filler using high quality artists oil pigment.  The repair is blended into the existing wood, and becomes nearly invisible.  This tends to be faster and easier for me than patching veneer, and seems like an all-around better method for small edge chips and gouges.

The image to the left shows a macro shot of one of the chips on the top.  While not large, it is very obvious, and certainly needs to be fixed.

This will be carefully filled with a high quality wood filler, then sanded smooth so it is flush with the rest of the radio case.  The case will be grain filled, which will somewhat tint the wood filler.  Then the repair will be painted, and finally, sealed with clear lacquer.

The end goal is an invisible repair, and a beautiful radio to add to the collection.