Rear Panels

[davidgem1406]

Hello to all,

Rear panels repair problems.

I have 2 or 3 radio rear panels that are damaged or have deteriorated one way or another and are in need of repair or replacing. In 2 cases some parts are missing having broken away at some time.
Having spent quite some time on repairing the cabinets and chassis it would be a shame to finish of with damaged rear panels.

I would guess this is far from the first time this problem has arisen.

So far I have considered using hard board or thin ply for making repairs or replacements.
Hard board is not nice material to work with as when cut it tends to go rough on the edges and then doesn’t smooth up very well. As for ply that will take a lot of working to cut all the slots etc that are required, and may even become a fire hazard. The main drawback of making new panels is the loss of all the existing markings so repairing the existing may be the better option.

Has anybody got any experience in solving this problem and what materials may be available to do the job.

Thanks
Regards
Dave.

[reelguy]

How about MDF? Cut edges can be smoothed off easily although the thinner pieces may not be strong enough without support. Can be painted or varnished ok. Just a thought.

Peter W.

Reelguy.

[Retired]

Hi,

I'd agree with Peter and go with 3mm MDF as modern readily available plywood is rubbish and warps badly also the last sheet I tried to buy at this thickness de-laminated badly as it was put through the saw.

A lot depends how far you want to go in making back panels Dave and perhaps my thread on the subject might be of use?

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=46983

Making radio backs is very interesting and good luck with yours.

Kind regards, Col.

[Peter.N.]

Can you still get pegboard?

[HG MICKE]

A product that I have used that looks the part is Milboard a compressed card 2.3mm thick, similar to the original backs. Milboard is the black card trim used in old cars.
It is avaliable from woolies-trim.co.uk.

Colin

[davidgem1406]

Hi, Thanks for the replies, all welcome.
MDF I had not thought about that but as you say reelguy it's not very strong and at 3mm thick with all the holes made I think it will just break up.
Pegboard! don't really know if its still available not looked for a long time now.
Thanks Retired I will take a look at your thread.
Millboard sound a possibility I will look into that, thanks HG Micke.

I just looked at the link supplied by Retired, thanks, incredible job done absolutely unbelievable. Will have to see what I can do. Unfortunately my facilities are somewhat restricted. While I was there I checked the other links as well, couldn't believe what I was looking at, works of art.

[davidgem1406]

Hello all,
Well I have now taken a look at the Millboard suggested by Colin, that seems to be about the best option for me. MDF would be good but I don't have the facilities, not even an outside shed, to work that, what with the dust it produces.
The question is now what is the Millboard like to cut and drill, or is it one of those materials that needs to be punched out?

Thanks to all
Dave

[Colin Boggis]

Millboard doesn't drill or cut well with a saw. Holes need to be punched and slots cut with a Stanley knife or a chisel.
Colin

[whyperion]

I have the contents of a part stripped 1960s kitchen. I probably don't need all the doors, which are three-ply thin wood over spacer battens (IKEA but stronger till the guys taking it apart used the screwdriver as a crowbar rather than spend a bit of time taking off the hinges ). They're painted with about six layers of gloss, but if you think ply might be useful PM me and I can sort out a size and get it to you for cost of postage.

[brenellic2000]

I know it is probably a bit late to contribute, but plywood does not present a fire hazard! If the radio has got that hot, then anything will burn and any board with holes in it will 'fan' the fire!!

'Cheap plywood' with a single core and superficial veneers does de-laminate and warp badly - you pay for what you get! Aircraft grade or furniture grade 3-ply birch plywood from a proper timber merchant is stable - but you pay for quality!

The daft thing is that its often cheaper to buy a pallet of good quality ply from a wholesaler than a sheet of rubbish ply from a DIY Superstore!

Barry

[Boom]

I never throw any bits of old backs away. For the damaged ones it is often possible to patch them up with bits from other backs.

For some reason the oblong holes used are the same size on nearly all makes of sets (maybe even all).

[whyperion]

Were the backs made by a single supplier to the companies , that then just added by printing their own details ?

[brenellic2000]

Very few hi-fi companies had their own cabinet works - but several did either because that's how they started or through merger. Kevearn/Roberts; Elizabethan; RGD/Regentone... etc - too many to list! Most used contract cabinet makers tweaking the design to suit image and cost - and there is some rubbishy work on budget models not designed to last more than one or two teenage tantrums (as if)!!

When routing with an overhead router (not a Black & Decker!) there is an optimum size of cutter (Imperial of course) for piercing and machining plywood to prevent break-through and wander, leaving a clean cut. Most will therefore be 3/16" or 1/4" cutters.

Pinboard/oiled hardboard was more often than not stamped and/or moulded. MDF is horrible stuff and best avoided at all times. Formaldahyde in the resin has long been banned - but the dust still kills you!

Barry

[davidgem1406]

Well since starting this thread back in Feb last year I still have the damaged rear panels and have not come up with an answer to the problem, so I retired it to the back burner where it has remained since.

My main problem is the amount of machining required and the dust caused as I don't have anywhere to be able to do this type of work. A punching system would be the answer but that becomes prohibitively expensive.

I will pick it up again at some time.

Dave

[brenellic2000]

Dave,

Your answer is pegboard (don't why I said pinboard earlier - too much cider!). It's 'predrilled', easy to saw (fret, coping or hand-saw) and sand. It is durable (oiled is water-resistant/moisture proof). You'll probably have to buy a 4'x8' sheet from a timber merchant (£5-£20) unless the DIY stores have offcuts, for which you'll still pay the same as a sheet!

Barry

[davidgem1406]

Hi Barry,

Peg board was the first thing I ever thought of for the job. There were at least 3 problems I thought of if using it.

1/. It cuts the same as hard board, as that is what it is, with raggedy edges and doesn't sand down very well, always seems to remain hairy (as best I can describe it.
2/. Getting it to fit a cabinet is almost impossible without having to cut down through a line of holes at least on one edge if not on two. That sort of spoils it totally.
3/. Putting all the original marking back on it with all those holes there, no clear areas to use.

Maybe I should get a small piece (600mm x 600mm sort of size) and try it just to see how it goes in reality.

Dave.

[brenellic2000]

Hi Dave,

I do understand your dilema, especially No.2 and 3 which are your major issues. Without trying to teaching you to suck eggs...

1: to prevent a rough cut, sellotape along the lines, both sides and clamp the board tightly against a sacrificial back-board. Try cutting from the soft back to the hard front using a very fine saw (tenon or even hack-saw). If that fails to work, then try the other way and acept the best of the two. The tight clamping will prevent break-through.

2: A neater cut will be achieved with a 'reciprocating saw' used in glass-fibre work and cutting off plasterwork in hospitals. They work by high frequency vibration of a toothed edge - very quick and very safe - they can't cut skin. They are expensive but I am sure you'll find someone who makes a cheap domestic version on e-Bay.

3: Holes: buy a sheet of 1/8" (2mm or 3mm furniture grade birch ply) and use the peg board as a template to drill through where you want the holes to be. The issue then is drill break-through, so again clamp the two sheets tightly together using a batten as the back-board and drill through the ply into the batten. At best you'll have a neatly finished face both sides, at worse one! Don't use the same holes in the batten again!

If you have drill press, all the better, but use a 1/4" shank 1/4" fluted router cutter for a clean cut.

Otherwise train some woodworm... or for bigger holes, sawfly larvae - and they are BIG!

Barry

[davidgem1406]

Hi Barry,

Thanks for that but they don't care where they put the holes..

The pegboard as a template over ply sounds like a possibility, will give it thought.

Dave

[brenellic2000]

From my experience of sawmilling, beetles and sawflies care desperately about where they lay their eggs - usually in the most valuable section of timber to cause the maximum wastage! Wouldn't you cosset your offspring and give them the best start in life?!

Forgot to mention another trick in reducing break-out - score heavily along the line of cut with a Stanley knife (and count your fingers afterwards).

Barry

[Ben_Dijkman]

Perhaps this is something:
http://www.bendijkman.nl/index.php?o...mid=53&lang=nl