Bush DAC11 refurbished

[mark pirate]

I nearly walked away from this set at my local boot sale, it was in a real filthy state, and as I have a AC11 in my collection, did not need another!

But, on looking at the rear of the set, I realised it was the AC/DC version, complete with its 2 pin Bush mains connector (which seem to fetch silly money on auction sites) it also was a local set, as it had 'supplied by Smiths Radio of Brighton' on the back, after a bit of haggling, it was mine for £6

On removal of the back, it was obvious it had never been off since it left the factory, the chassis was caked in a thick carpet of dust and fluff. I disconnected the mains filter cap and powered it up slowly on my variac, and was greeted with plenty of stations and good quality sound with no hum whatsoever, so the smoothers and the notorious UL41 were good.

I removed the chassis, a very easy job on these, as there are just two screws to remove, plus a plug to the speaker and dial lights and another for the frame aerial, the chassis was taken outside and cleaned off with a paintbrush and Hoover.

This set was probably owned by a 60 a day smoker, as the chassis was quite brown under the dust, this was sorted by cleaning with WD40 and a rag.

I replaced THAT cap and dosed the pots and wavechange with servisol and ran the chassis up on the bench while I attended to the cabinet.

The cabinet was really filthy, covered in years of dirt and nicotine, so it was taken in to the garden, stripped of the tuning dial, speaker and grilles, I washed it with kitchen cleaner and a sponge. I had to change the water in the bucket twice as it was dark brown, YUK!

I dried the cabinet with and old towel and turned my attention to the dial, both grilles and the knobs, the grilles were given a good scrub with kitchen cleaner and a nailbrush. These came up like new, as did the knobs, in fact it was only after cleaning them, that the text on them became visible.

The dial glass was carefully cleaned, along with the light tray behind. I then T-cutted the cabinet to restore the shine and remove some paint spots, then wiped over the cabinet with white spirit, prior to using some scratch cover.

The cabinet was then refitted with it's speaker grilles and tuning scale and the speaker was cleaned and fitted.

I refitted the chassis and replaced the dial lamps, the knobs were given a polish using T-cut, the felt washers were cleaned and the knobs refitted, the cabinet was given a final polish to complete the job.

I am pleased with the results, the set really does sound good, due no doubt, to its large speaker, it also pulls in lots of stations on its internal aerial, very little improvement was noted by connecting my longwire aerial on MW/LW, but shortwave was greatly improved.

Both the AC11 and DAC11 were introduced in june 1949, at a cost of £17 13s 7d. They both use 'U' series valves in the same chassis, the main difference is the use of a dropper instead of a transformer, this particular set has a date of Dec 1952.


Mark

The before photos....

[mark pirate]

And the after photos.....

[Mark the Mender]

Nice one Mark, looks just like it was made!

cheers Mark

[Lloyd 1985]

Are you sure thats the same radio?!
Brilliant job, it does look good! I didn't know there was an ac/dc version. I've got an AC11 tucked away under the bench in its original box. It does sound nice, and I haven't done any work on it at all I like how easy it is toget the chassis out on these.
regards,
Lloyd.

[Mark the Mender]

Edit, should read just made!

cheers Mark

[Steve_P]

Bush sets of this era do work well. Beautifully restored as well. I bet it outlasted the shop!!

Cheers,

Steve P.

[neil29]

Thats another lovely result Mark . i had an AC11 at one time but as usual never did restore it. and eventually sold it along with several other radios. but not to worry ive been collecting again and i have some other goodies to while away the time with. cheers neil.

[Brian R Pateman]

Originally Posted by Steve_P

Beautifully restored as well. I bet it outlasted the shop!!

Cheers,

Steve P.

Surprisingly not.

[Andrew2]

Mark, that is just fantastic! I love to see an old set brought back to its original splendour. I had a Bush set very similar to that in my bedroom in the early 70's, but it had a row of preset buttons along the bottom of the dial.

[mark pirate]

Thanks for all the compliments guys, I really do enjoy this hobby, there is nothing better than bringing these old sets back to life, I just wish I had more room.

I didn't know there was an AC/DC version

Hi Lloyd, I knew there was an AC/DC version, but this is the first one I have seen, the only difference in appearance is the knobs, my AC11 has flitted with flatter knobs, as used on most Bush sets of the era. There must have still have been DC mains around, as there is no price difference between this set and its AC only brother.

Despite the state this set was in, all the rubber wiring is in excellent condition, even round the dropper, probably helped by the large cabinet, this set does run a lot cooler than a DAC90A.

I bet it outlasted the shop!!

I checked the link, kindly posted by Brian, it is definitely the same shop, although the 'phone number has gained a few numbers, it is the same. I will seek it out when I am next in Brighton, they may still be a family run concern.

I've been collecting again and I have some other goodies to while away the time with

Hi Neil, it is addictive, I find it very difficult to walk past a set
I too have more than enough sets to see me through this winter, also five 405 line TV's to do (I am also going to finish the Bush T57 you kindly gave me a couple of years ago ).

Mark

[ajs37]

An amazing transformation Mark! I think nicotine acts as a chassis preserver - every radio I had with nicotine stains has a gleaming chassis underneath - a pleasure to clean (the cabinets are a different matter though!) - I don't get my chassis as clean as yours though.
Cheers
Andy

[yestertech]

Wow - That's amazing !
I see what you mean about the nicotine tint on the insides. Yeuch !
It's certainly come up a treat and the transfer on the top is nicely preserved.
You must take it back to the shop and show them !

Andy

[mark pirate]

You must take it back to the shop and show them !

Hi Andy, I will take a trip to brighton this month. I will visit the shop to see if they are interested, I am curious to find out what year they started trading.

I have been running the set all day, it stays spot on tune, sound is really good, it also seems less prone to interference than sets fitted with a ferrite rod aerial.

I totally agree with the comments regarding a coating of nicotine preserving the finish, the cabinet has really come up well, shame that the only scratches on the cabinet were recent.

Mark

[Retired]

Hi,

Very well done indeed Mark; it looks wonderful and what a transformation.It would enhance any collection.

Kind regards, Col.

[Colin]

Lovely job Mark ...

[yestertech]

Originally Posted by mark pirate

Hi Andy, i will take a trip to brighton this month, i will visit the shop to see if they are interested, I am curious to find out what year they started trading.

According to co. house ,their date of incorporation was : 15/04/1942 !
Looking at the streetview pic these days they seem to have a window full of cheap TV rentals for students.


Andy

[Heatercathodeshort]

Hello Mark,
You cheated! That second line of pictures has been lifted from the Bush service manual.. Very well done. A really nice job done on a receiver for the love of it, rather than the value. Regards, John.

[gingpeakin]

Hi Mark

That's what it's all about. Brilliant.

Ging

[mark pirate]

A really nice job done on a receiver for the love of it, rather than the value.

Hi John, A lot of people would probably not bother with such an 'ordinary' set, but as a fully paid up member of the bush fan club, this set deserved to be restored, it was a pleasure to work on, the chassis took only a couple of hours work, the cabinet & fittings taking up the rest of the day!

For me, it is not about the value of the set, it is about the pleasure of restoring the set to the best of my ability, i do own some rare & interesting sets as well as more mundane examples, but on the bench they are all treated equally

According to co. house ,their date of incorporation was : 15/04/1942 !

Thanks Andy, nice to know of a shop still going after all these years, when so many have gone, i have two more sets supplied by dealers in worthing, both of which are sadly long gone.

Mark

[howard]

Well done Mark

Gosh what a difference ! That set really shines inside and out !

Howard