I recently got a 1924 Stoewer Elite with this gorgeous wooden case. The veneer survived the past 102 years remarkably well, apart from a small chip on one of the rear corners. The finish, however, was showing its age. The wood looked dull, with a couple of deep scratches and the nickel plated parts had started to rust. It needed some work, so I decided to refinish it. In a few places the veneer had started to lift slightly. I filled a syringe with wood glue and used a hypodermic needle to get the glue underneath it. This worked really well and avoided having to lift the veneer too much and risk breaking it. Luckily, the veneer was also thick enough to carefully use an orbital sander to remove the old finish and stain (low RPM, light pressure). I chose a mahogany stain that was quite close to the original, followed by six coats of shellac to bring out the wood grain. Finally, I buffed it with extra-fine steel wool and applied a coat of beeswax for some protection against moisture. It also smells very pleasant now! I’m really happy with how it turned out. It was a fun project, and the shellac/beeswax combination gave it a beautiful satin sheen.