New to Antique Radios

[Wild Root]

I agree. I have some radios that have a few spots but, they're small and they ad charm and age to the piece. I think we need to see some photos to offer the best advice. Remember, a little Howards Restore-A-Finish can also fix light spots! But, post a few photos of your set and we'll offer some advice after we see what you've got!

=WR=

 

[hotrod54chevy]

if you've got a vintage radio and are in need of some help,check out www.audiokarma.org and go to their discussion forums..:arated: i'm a member there and those guys really came to the rescue on my 54 magnavox and 60s RCA,especially my buddy Big Dave who showed up locally to help
-frank

 

[Absinthe_1900]

If they are small marks I would not refinish the entire cabinet.

The radio makers all used colored laquer to finish the cabinets, so the best route is tone spray. (Mohawk makes a great tone spray)

One trick for small repairs is to use a small artists brush with a bit of thinned artist oils out of the tube (pick a brown that is a close match) then blend with tone spray.

I've also used tone spray for the spot repair on some furniture with good results.

If you haven't messed with a radio cabinet before, pick up an inexpensive "junker" to work on first, then you'll get a feel for using some of these finishing ideas.

Sites like this are a good read:

http://antiqueradio.org/ges22x.htm

 

[CharlieH.]

Thanks for all the tips folks! Now, here are a couple of pictures:

As you can see there are several dots of white paint, one of the veneer strips is missing a chunk, two of the screws are missing and the dial scale is completely gone. I have the graphics for it, but I can't print them because apparently, the ole ink-jet machine doesn't take foil very well.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

Don't refinish that cabinet! I think it's got great character to it and could be cleaned up with a little work and patience. As for the small veneer chunk, I've got stuff missing bigger pieces than that and I've left it. Maybe a very small artist's brush (like a round) and some paint thinner could help with the paint flecks. Absinthe has some good suggestions with the touch up job, but even so, I kinda like it with the character it's got. It adds a certain bit of history to it. At any rate, I certainly wouldn't refin the whole cabinet. It's a nice looking radio, though!

bink

 

[Wild Root]

Buy some Howard's Restore-A-Finish! Dark Walnut is the color to buy, it will hide a lot of the scratches and leave the caricature. Take a razor blade and carefully take the paint spots off. You'll need a dial and indicator (needle or pointer) you may contact Ron at Mr. Philco.com I posted a link to earlier. He may have an idea on how to get the parts you need seeing there are lots of Philco collectors. Parts aren't too hard to get also, you'll need the plastic cover over the dial. Some people are reproducing those too.

Good luck with that set!

=WR=

PS. You'll need to get an original replacement for the grill cloth. Check this site out:

https://secure.tubesandmore.com/

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Try cleaning the cabinet with some naptha, you may be able to rub the white paint spots out CAREFULLY with some polishing compound. (Furniture type)

You could get some medium brown Briwax to wax the cabinet, and color in the scratches. (Blending sticks work well for this too.)

I'll look for a link I have for fixing veneer chips, it's not that hard of a fix.

Google Bill Turner & dial covers, he makes excellent covers. mailto:dialcover@webtv.net

Veneer repair:
http://hometown.aol.com/eb062559/VENEERREPAIR.html

this is a good general read:
http://members.aol.com/EB062559/WALTON.html

dial scales:
http://members.aol.com/RockSeaEnt/

 

[CharlieH.]

Looks like I got a nice spring break project here!
Thanks for all the information. I'll try to post the "after" pictures when I'm through. Again, thanks!

And by the way, doesn't the Zenith Walton look like the aliens from War of The Worlds?

 

[Elvgren_girl]

Hi everyone, I am so glad to see a post on radios as I've begun to collect a few myself. And glad to see the restoration/maintenance tips as my parents have an excellent Trutone console that they are keeping in direct sunlight and it bothers the crap out of me.

There are many reputable radio dealers and masters of repair at radioattic.com. Many of you have likely seen this already but I think it bears repeating. I've made some purchases from them as well.

Here is my lovely Bendix Aviation 110 model. It's as perfect as it could be. A wide tuning band... shiny swirly bakelite... at night I can get stations as far away as Ohio...

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f193/phelony_jones/IMG_0104.jpg

 

[Pilgrim]

I'm fortunate in that I actually own two tube testers - one is a large suitcase size semi-portable, the other is an attache-size portable. Both work well. Tube testers won't be found at Radio Shack, but if you do some web surfing and searching there's a good chance you can find one in your area. You might check with any vintage radio clubs or sites.

In my experience, tubes last decades with little degredation of performance. But what goes bad is electrolytic capacitors. The caps are quite inexpensive, although it takes some labor to replace them. Most old caps have their specs printed on the sides, so in most cases any competent repair person can replace them. If you have sound problems and the tubes test OK, head straight for the caps as the next likely suspect.

BTW - I'm sitting in my office, and right behind me is a 1937 Philco floor radio that works nicely - it has three radio bands. I tookk a shot of it with my phone camera and emailed it to myself, but it hasn't arrived. I'll try to load it in Photobucket later and add the shot in this thread.

Here it is now....

My Philco is the floor model of this tabletop (Model 37-630), meaning that it has the same chassis, just in a larger wood case with a bigger speaker. The tuning meter in this tabletop version is exactly the same as in my floor model. Note that the placement of the three control knobs and the lever that switches between bands are identical on both radios.

On other shelves in my office are Zenith, RCA, General Electric, Philco, Sony, Admiral and Telechron table-top radios. In addition, there is an RCA 77DX mike, A Shure 55S (looks like a Knight's helmet), and an Auricon Model E-6 microphone. As a former professional broadcaster, I have used the 77DX often, and I love the sound.

I'm sure most of you will recognize the 77DX from the photo below: