My first retrofitted radio restoration- Did someone say UPDATE? (yes it was me)

[Johnny B]

So! I've managed to ACTUALLY FINISH a radio.

After the first two... failures... I took this lovely little tabletop home to work on. It's a General Electric TA100, manufactured, by the looks of it, sometime around the mid fifties to early sixties. It's straddling the razor edge between Mid Century Modern and Space Age.

Poor thing was in neglected condition when I took it. The white had faded to an almost orange, there were green paint droplets on the case, and most of the insides were smashed (ie the board was cracked and broken).

So I cleaned the paint off it, polished the case, cleaned it up, repainted the white to a brilliant satin and retrofitted the interior. Have a look!

The radio restored and given a nice little table for showing off

No more green paint!

The back. Very clean looking. Surprisingly the particle board was the best looking piece of the radio.

And the interior. I twist tied all wire connections together, then soldered them, then encased them in plastic glue so they won't touch or be interfered with. I mounted the speaker circuitry into a piece of pine cut to shape and with a hole drilled out for the dial. Because this particular speaker used only one button for all control (ie you turned it to turn it on and adjust the volume) I just glued the original power button into place.

Aaaand the final run. I'm playing the moon landing since it most likely was heard on this set 40 years ago The sound isn't great quality but that's my camera, not the radio:
u tub'n it here


So! Tell me what you guys think. This little number is going up on eBay in a few days for $0.99 to see how far it gets (probably $1.14) and then I'll pull 2 more off the shelf and refit them. Yay for summer unemployment!

 

[Feraud]

You did a nice job of it.
Be sure to provide the ebay auction link when you put it up.

 

["Skeet" McD]

So! I've managed to ACTUALLY FINISH a radio...It's a General Electric TA100, manufactured, by the looks of it, sometime around the mid fifties to early sixties. It's straddling the razor edge between Mid Century Modern and Space Age...So! Tell me what you guys think...Yay for summer unemployment!

Dear JB....Great job! Really fun and clever to have the YouTube bit, as well. This isn't my favorite period...hey, I lived through it and didn't much care for it then!...but you've done a great thing, and done it well. I'm sure WE can all say "Yay for summer unemployment!" as far as you're concerned....hope you're still saying the same thing as the summer goes on! Looking forward to seeing the next, and the next, and...well, you get the idea!

"Skeet"

 

[Slim Portly]

Two words: Out. Standing.

As Feraud said, please link or at least announce this and any future eBay auctions of these lovely items. I guarantee you that I will be among the bidders.

Forgive my Alzheimer's, did you say that they will be only radio receivers, or will they have more modern playback capabilities? (If this was addressed on the YouTube link, I am currently at work and not able to click.)

 

[dhermann1]

Just for clarification, in another thread you said these wre gutted radio shells, with no operating parts, right? If so, this is a great idea. I have a Crosley repro AM/FM radio from the 1970's that's based on a 30's design, but that has FM as well. It would be even cooler to have a real 30's kitchen radio with modern guts, as long as I knew an original tube radio hadn't been destroyed to make it.
Beautiful job! Looking foreward to seeing more.

 

[Johnny B]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Yes, these are gutted radio shells I bought from a man who inherited about a hundred of them out of a collection which had been picked over for sets/parts and then the rest just sort of dumped. Some are in better condition than others. Some are more whole than others but largely they are unrepariable or will never be repaired because it would cost more than the radio is ever worth.The speakers have been largely unmolested in most and I'm using as much of the original parts as I can- if the speaker still works and is in good condition (no hissing or anything) I will run the electronics directly into it rather than replace them with made in China Creative Labs or whatever. This way I can give the radios a second chance and give people the option to own an original radio and have it be more than just a lump of wood or bakelite that will sit and collect dust on a shelf, it can be functional and even a usefull media console.

Forgive my Alzheimer's, did you say that they will be only radio receivers, or will they have more modern playback capabilities? (If this was addressed on the YouTube link, I am currently at work and not able to click

They are iPod/mp3 player docks. You hook one of the radios up to your mp3 player or computer or whatever other 3.5mm output device you have and you can play through the radio and adjust the volume from it. Essentially it's a speaker. This way you can load up a cheap mp3 player with a bunch of old radio shows or music and hook it into the radio and play broadcasts or Amos and Andy in your kitchen via a real 1930s set instead of a stereo system or laptop, for the full experience. Replacing the insides with a modern radio is doable but obviously more difficult as lots of different factors are in play (how much I have to solder/desolder, electrical interference, the lack of a useable dial (AM/FM on a modern vs BC on a 1930s set, etc) but is definitely something I am hoping to do as I get better with these

I'm glad you guys like it. I chose this one to work on because a) it was in more or less good condition as opposed to the absolutely destroyed sets I tried to begin with, b) it was just the best, most gorgeous example of mid century modern/space age I could find in the pile and I wanted to have a picture of such a set with that ball and pedastal clock because I'm selling it on eBay and wanted it done in time for the video/photo shoot.

I purchased the remainder of the year on the storage locker of these things from the guy so I have possession of pretty much all these radios, but I live in a shoebox so I'm only taking a couple out at a time to work on. I should be able to get back to the storage place next week and will take out a couple 1930s and 1940s wood tabletops. Another issue is finding good speakers wholesale- the supplier I bought these from is sold out.

I'll keep everyone posted though, don't worry! After the first few I was getting discouraged but this one turned out fairly well I think even though I'm still improving.

 

[Talbot]

Good work!

May you always buy cheap and sell dear.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Very Nice Work! Looks like it came from a factory that way!

 

[Johnny B]

just gon bump dis

i saw a lot of interest in the original thread so im curious as to what the others think (if they even saw this at all)

 

[ScionPI2005]

I missed this one until just now.

I definitely like what you've done Johnny B! Like the others have said, I too have an interest in following your restorations on ebay (if that is where you are auctioning them).

 

[Johnny B]

Alright! Just got back from the storage locker. It was a lot bigger than I remembered. I took lots of pictures!

Here's the storage room after I removed a dozen radios. You can't tell by the pictures maybe but it is JAM PACKED with stuff. A lot of these are total writeoffs- never going to be repaired, not good for parts, junk really- which is upsetting because they weren't put in this place looking like that, neglect and idiot collectors sifting through them over the years has destoryed them

The star of the show is the adjoining storage room. Look what I found buried under a tarp:

Philco Predicta televisions! There's SEVEN in this room alone!

Anyway unfortunately a lot of these radios are unuseable but I pulled out the first dozen to refit and restore:

Also this guy, a tombstone buried and hidden inside the guts of a console radio

There are a couple portables (including a wonderful Admiral portable, the little purpley one), a couple wonderful small bakelite sets, a bunch of average bakelite sets, and an enormous West German radio, which I think I will start with

They don't look like much now but I am going to clean them, paint them where need be and do what I can with the cases. In a few there are cracks or hairline fractures and I'm not going to repair these, not only for time/money/sanity sake but also because it's part of the radio's history. Soon I will have a few of these done and refitted for sale. Stay tuned!

 

[Cigarband]

Those SEVEN Predictas as is would go for a bunch in the right auction.

 

[Talbot]

Those SEVEN Predictas as is would go for a bunch in the right auction.

I yelled out "Damn!" when I saw those Predicta's:eusa_clap .

Everyone in the office stared

Keep us posted!

 

[dhermann1]

Looks like there's a few that are electronically restoreable, or at any rate have usable chassiseses (what's the plural of chassis?). If you do anything with either of those two little pre war white ones, let me know.
Wonderful stuff, wonderful.

 

[ScionPI2005]

That's one heck of a collection! You're going to have a lot of fun working on those, Johnny B. I do believe you may very well be the Johnnyphi of radios!

 

[Talbot]

Looks like there's a few that are electronically restoreable, or at any rate have usable chassiseses (what's the plural of chassis?). If you do anything with either of those two little pre war white ones, let me know.
Wonderful stuff, wonderful.

ChassI?

 

[Foofoogal]

My dear FIL was a radio repair man in his off work time. Had his own little shop building. My family and honeys were close when I was a kid so I knew the building well.
Anyway, when my FIL passed away honey and I were married and MIL needed money. He had tons of schematics and tubes. Some guy came along and royally ripped us off at the time.
No kidding when I say this is one reason I became an antiques dealer.
This thread made me think of all his stuff. Glad to know someone out there is still doing this kind of work.

 

[Johnny B]

Unfortunately those Predictas don't belong to me; they're part of a different stock room and unfortunately they are going to die in there. The guy won't sell them and has nowhere to put them (they've been there for a few years now). That's why I like to do this; so things like that don't happen to these radios, dying in a storeroom.

Anyway I've got the German radio fixed up and I'm trying to figure out how to disassemble it. It was largely untouched; I guess nobody wanted European internals BUT something had caught fire in it at some point and the chassis was blackened and melted and the diagram gone. I guess that's why this one was in storage and not in a collection somewhere. Right now I'm trying to figure out a new speaker cloth for it. It's a creamy perforated cotton so I'm wondering if a thin piece of Hanes Beefy T would work. I have to test it against the speaker first. Its internal speaker has a small small tear in it; I gently pushed it back together and hopefully that doesn't ruin the sound at all. It's a nice, large speaker.

Anyway this Philco has come along nicely. It's probably going to be the first one completed, then the Motorola, then the German one, if only because a) I've run out of speakers and b) the German one has so many buttons and whatnot I'm trying to figure if I can do something more with it (ie a CD player) or what. who knows. Anyway!

This little number:

has after a nice stripping bath and a lot of careful cleaning and painting become this little coffee bean radio

of which I'm still touching up the edges but this is its new shell. The paint protected the bakelite from damage thank god, so many shells were bleached or damaged beyond any hope of repair.

Next I have to disassemble the speaker unit and rewire it to this radio. I will test to see if the speaker still works; if so, I will use that. If not, I have to build from wood a new "house" to attach the speakers to. Then I can attach the speaker deck to the radio in a custom wood setting and attach one of the buttons to it. One button will be stationary unfortunately just because of the physical properties of my last run of speakers (hopefully the next batch will be one button for power and one for volume instead of integrated). Then I just have to cut a new back for it and assemble and she's good to go to auction!

 

[Talbot]

Johnnie, bad news about the Predicta's. I can only guess at thier fate .

Radio case came up nicely. Looks like your skills are developing. What are you using on the Bakelite to bring it up? I have had good results with Brasso for what its worth.

Does the impedance of these speakers vary? I have seen some odballs in the past.

If you need some dials done, I was looking at a car related website recently and there wasa thread about making your own instrument dials using your PC printer printing on plastic film stock.

Might be worth keeping in the back of your mind for later.

 

["Skeet" McD]

This little number:

has after a nice stripping bath and a lot of careful cleaning and painting become this little coffee bean radio

of which I'm still touching up the edges but this is its new shell. The paint protected the bakelite from damage thank god, so many shells were bleached or damaged beyond any hope of repair.

Next I have to disassemble the speaker unit and rewire

Dear JB,
That's looking grand! just grand! Congratulations...and congratulations to whoever ends up the lucky (next) owner....

"Skeet"