What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

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tammy
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What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

I made a new case for a Rotofruit penny machine in white softwood. How should I stain it to look like the original door?
Thank you
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Re: what colour to stain a new softwood case for a rotofruit

Post by pennymachines »

Hi Tammy,

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's more or less impossible to make a softwood case look like the oak door. It's hard enough getting replacement oak to match original oak. You can of course match the colour, but that won't disguise the difference. You could experiment on a test piece of wood, mixing 'medium oak' with 'mahogany' stains perhaps.
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

Thanks PM for your reply. You probably right about white wood not colouring as old oak but just wondered if someone like them wood furniturer restorers like drew prirchards lot had passed on any tips thro there programs..if not i will experiment using bottles of tops scratch remover as base then light stainer then yaught varnish watered down with white spirits as top coat.
i will do as you say test results on some off cuts. Thankyou for your response and best wishes
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by JC »

As PM says, you'll never make softwood look like hardwood. And I don't believe you'll be able to match colours successfully, due to the acute differences in wood grain. At the end of the day, softwood will always look like softwood, regardless of colour.
My advice would be contrast: I think a much lighter case would look far better than the case trying to look the same colour as the oak door. Personally, I would try an antique pine or light oak stain. Try a few light colour stains on some scrap timber.
Finally, if you're going to varnish, use a satin varnish rather than gloss - even if you're going to varnish the door also.
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

Thankyou i am sure your advice is good and will do little bits on spare wood and use a matt varnish as you said.
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by treefrog »

Another option is a spare cabinet, given how many machines it’s missing gpo parts and broken glasses you would expect a few cabinets to be in peoples sheds and usually only the ply boards rot.

I have a few machines, but are mostly complete, there was one at the elephant end of last year..

Having two colour contrast as suggested might look quite nice.
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special when lit
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by special when lit »

I've just made a new base for my Electrodart out of pine, & I used some Ronseal 5 year wood stain (mainly 'cos I had some left after painting my gates), & it seems a reasonable match.
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

Looks really good... Thank you - it gives me confidence to experiment and encourages me for looks like light at the end of the tunnel!
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

Thank you to Special When Lit - my son and I have started to colour stain a white wood case with Ronseal 5 year stain which was only £12 from B&Q. Should be loads over for the fence later in year!!
We have cut corners and given the wood two coats with only, 1 hour between. I think it will look the job after a coat or two of watered down (with white spirits) Yacht Varnish which was only a pound a tin from one of the Poundland shops.

Thanks for your help and I will post pictures of the finished machine later.
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by JC »

Bloody hell, is this some kind of a wind-up? You've splashed-on two coats of fence preservative, and then intend to finish it with yacht varnish that you bought for a pound? :#:
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

Pictures look bad because taken when still wet and the first coat...have a little faith, what are the magic words on the sooty show??
Ps putting varnish on latter today.
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by treefrog »

Will be good to see the results and if you ever want a original cabinet, I may even sell one if you placed and wanted add in as have 5 machines I am sure I won’t all get going and the rate of coil failures I am suffering I may have all 5 :cool:
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

The one pound tin of yacht varnish goes on!
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by special when lit »

Looks great, is it all up & running?
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

Thank you. No, not finished yet, as my son has just given it a second coat of varnish, as in the pictures.
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by malcymal »

Good job, well done. Nicely fettled and made nice !!CHEERS!!
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

Thank you, most of the original works are cleaned up and back on the door but will start with my son who really understands these machines putting the Rotofruit parts that I bought as a batch off ebay on backboard of case! Only thing we are lacking is outside case coin entry if anyone has one. We are going to reduce original coin payout tube to either 2p or 10p, and inside soldered penny slide... Which would you go for? My son says he could do it as a multi type payout etc, but I would just like to hear the lively noise of it going again myself!
I love messing about restoring these time pieces, they are full of memories.
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

We have had another go at the ROTOFRUITmachine that my son and I are making from a selection of old bits etc. The cheap white wood case we made looks good with its new lock and key. The front flash is a new sheet printed out on a large printer (as we didnt have original grathics)and then a sheet of plastic placed behind to protect artwork from the bulbs overtime. We decided to light up the two pigmy 15 watt bulbs and next time we have a go, we are going to narrow the inward slide and payout tube from the old penny to take and payout 2ps. The electrics we have a number of large boxes of the old original relays, etc etc. So have decided to fit them all as a winter project. My son really understands these old circuits, but often you can spend a long time getting them to run spot on!
Pictures below, but when the machine is completed and going really well I will post more pictures!
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by tammy »

!!YIPPEE!!
Ps thanks to the member who suggested staining the bright white wood with ronseal £4 or £5 fence woodstain before varnishing case, as it looks same colour as original door frame and really looks the part now...who said you have to spend a fortune of money on penny machine restoration!!
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Re: What colour to stain a new softwood case for a Rotofruit?

Post by special when lit »

Great stuff.
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