Basket Case Bush SRG71

[Colourstar]

I rescued this locally last year as it seemed destined for the dump, which seemed rather a shame. However having brought it home I wondered why I'd bothered, as it was in such appalling condition. In the same family from new, it had fallen on hard times, having spent many years relegated to an outhouse. The cabinet is scratched, stained, damaged and filthy. Picture 2 shows how bad the top is. Even the family dog had chewed one corner! On the plus side, the radio chassis and record deck should prove straightforward to revive.

Radiograms like this have little if any value even in good shape, so this will be a labour of love to say the least. This afternoon out of idle curiosity I attacked the top of the cabinet with wire wool and meths. (I'm aware that sandpaper is to be avoided as it can be so easy to sand through the veneer). Anyway after some elbow grease it became evident on a test patch that beneath the stained and scratched finish lay hidden beauty. A final wipe over with a spirit-soaked cloth brought forth all sorts of attractive colour and warmth. On this basis I'm inclined to proceed, as there's really nothing to lose! I don't know whether meths & wire wool is the correct approach. It's slow but seems to work. Would Nitromors be more effective or would that not be appropriate here?

Any advice welcome.

Steve

[kirstyd]

I used to have the stereo version of this radiogram SRG81 from 1959 and despite its small size it sounded really good once it had been serviced . I stripped the cabinet and then French polished it .I also removed the brass trim that was tarnished stripped it polished it and then gave it a fresh coat of cellulose. You can also clean the speaker covering with household cleaner [its not cloth so it wont shrink . Nice machine and well worth the effort. The photo is of the SRG 86 the top of the range model for that year

[kirstyd]

just to add i did use nitro moors and it worked a treat

[Colourstar]

Thanks Kirsty. Yes these old Bush grams have a certain quality and are very well built. It would be nice to give this one a second chance. I was surprised to see that it wasn't stereo- the two speakers are wired in parallel and there's a mono cartridge fitted. I wrongly assumed that Bush RG prefix model numbers were mono and SRG stereo.

Anyway on with the Nitromors then...!

Steve

[Heatercathodeshort]

It is a mono gram with provision for stereo by adding a AU71 amplifier. I doubt if anyone did! J.

[kirstyd]

The SRG 81 looks the same but is stereo . you can tell at a glance by its ivory knobs and the extra pickup head usually mounted in a bracket next to the record player. I have the user manual for the 71 if you would like it send me your address and i will pop it in the post

[joebog1]

Am I being pedantic?, or does one lay on the floor to remove/replace a record??.

Joe

[PaulR]

You may well already know this, but beware of any paint strippers that contain water or are removed by water if you use wire wool to remove the stripper. It leaves tiny fragments of steel which rust and leave brown spots.

[kirstyd]

yes joe once the front flap is down you need to get on the floor to put records on