Painting a TO
 

FWIW:
Worn case of a Zenith TO, painted with artists' acrylic;
Payne's gray, thinned with water to a creamy consistency
so the brush strokes can be brushed out. It seemed to fill
the little bald spots where the fabric shows through, and
dries quickly to a plastic finish. I used a fan brush. The
Payne's gray is actually a blue-black, and seemed to match
the original color quite well. Not a museum resto, but I
restored the radio to use it a fair amount.
I thought the gloss was just enough to look good without
appearing "polished"... kind of a kid leather look.
Nelson

Painting a TO
 

Photos, resized...

Painting a TO
 

That looks pretty good. I have used black liquid shoe dye (not polish) to
the same end. It goes on very easily with a foam applicator. And, as you
say, the final result is not too glossy.

Phil Nelson