Marconi Dial Mods - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

jmedley · 20th Jul 2016, 8:44 pm

Marconi 346, 347, 363, 366, 367
HMV 481, 485A, 488, 496, 498, 582.

The above model numbers are quoted from the “TRADER” manual 619 and I think they may all have the same station dial

I have a Marconi 346 and and an HMV 481 which have the same station dial.
I was so disappointed with the 346 station dial, it being very dull and quite difficult to read the station names.
I then acquired the HMV 481 hoping that this dial would be a better example, well both dials have all the station info printed on them but they are very dull brown and let very little of the dial bulb illumination through.
I think that they must have deteriorated badly over 75 plus years. They are made from a sheet material almost like very thin bakelite about 1mm thick. I placed one of them on my scanner and made a copy, it came out bright red! Then I held it up against a bright light and it is red.
Now by adding 2+2 to make 5 I guessed that this red may have been near to the original 1936 colour before becoming very dark over the years.
I considered making a new station name graphic for a dial but I am not good enough at computer graphics , luckily my grand-daughter is studying to be a graphic designer and she volunteered to make the station name layout for me.
Well here it is attached, I am impressed and delighted.
I have tried a few methods to create my vision of the dial as it may have been in 1936.
I bought on “ebay” an A4 sheet of 3mm thick, red tinted perspex (acrylic) and cut out the face-plate using the original as a template. I was concerned that since the new one was thicker I might have trouble fitting the 2 station pointers, however it has worked out fine.
I have tried gloss photo paper to print the station names but it lets limited light through, from the 2 x 6volt dial bulbs. The best so far is normal photo copy paper. I have also tried water slide transfers but the text is not so crisp
as on paper.
Normal photocopy paper lies very flat an looks IMHO very good
The "light box has several large holes in it so I don't expect any overheating
of the paper.
This of course is a labour of love, since I really like the HMV & Marconi sets of the late 1930's but for me the dial in this range lets them down badly
I have yet to drill more holes for the small round band indicators which have mostly fallen out over the years. So here are some pics to go along with so far, they are low res. for this forum

20th Jul 2016, 8:44 pm	#1
jmedley Rest in Peace Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK. Posts: 109	Marconi Dial Mods Marconi 346, 347, 363, 366, 367 HMV 481, 485A, 488, 496, 498, 582. The above model numbers are quoted from the “TRADER” manual 619 and I think they may all have the same station dial I have a Marconi 346 and and an HMV 481 which have the same station dial. I was so disappointed with the 346 station dial, it being very dull and quite difficult to read the station names. I then acquired the HMV 481 hoping that this dial would be a better example, well both dials have all the station info printed on them but they are very dull brown and let very little of the dial bulb illumination through. I think that they must have deteriorated badly over 75 plus years. They are made from a sheet material almost like very thin bakelite about 1mm thick. I placed one of them on my scanner and made a copy, it came out bright red! Then I held it up against a bright light and it is red. Now by adding 2+2 to make 5 I guessed that this red may have been near to the original 1936 colour before becoming very dark over the years. I considered making a new station name graphic for a dial but I am not good enough at computer graphics , luckily my grand-daughter is studying to be a graphic designer and she volunteered to make the station name layout for me. Well here it is attached, I am impressed and delighted. I have tried a few methods to create my vision of the dial as it may have been in 1936. I bought on “ebay” an A4 sheet of 3mm thick, red tinted perspex (acrylic) and cut out the face-plate using the original as a template. I was concerned that since the new one was thicker I might have trouble fitting the 2 station pointers, however it has worked out fine. I have tried gloss photo paper to print the station names but it lets limited light through, from the 2 x 6volt dial bulbs. The best so far is normal photo copy paper. I have also tried water slide transfers but the text is not so crisp as on paper. Normal photocopy paper lies very flat an looks IMHO very good The "light box has several large holes in it so I don't expect any overheating of the paper. This of course is a labour of love, since I really like the HMV & Marconi sets of the late 1930's but for me the dial in this range lets them down badly I have yet to drill more holes for the small round band indicators which have mostly fallen out over the years. So here are some pics to go along with so far, they are low res. for this forum Attached Thumbnails