Roberts R300; cabinet fittings. - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

steve1811uk · 28th Mar 2006, 11:48 am

Hi, just acquired a Roberts R300.

Just wondered if anyone can offer any restoration tips. Particularly the grill has a dent. What is the best way to fix this ? Are these collectable ? They don't seem to be as widely available as the R200. Can light scratches on the perspex be removed ?

Steve

Stewart · 28th Mar 2006, 8:01 pm

Hi Steve,

I've had some good results removing dents from Roberts: With the grille removed from the set (you'll have to remove the main chassis and speaker first) place it on a flat wooden board. Then get hold of a rolling pin and get too it! Don't press too hard or you risk closing up the apertures - but moderate pressure seems fine. Turn over the grille from time to time to minimise the curling effect. If the apertures got crushed closed when the original knock occured you can often pick them open with a needle.

A further trick to think about - try turning the grille upside down if the dent still catches the light - sometimes this hides it quite well, although some may say it doesn't look right... Finally Roberts spares agent can offer replacement grilles for their current Revival range - these can be made to fit an R200...but I'm not sure about an R300 with its wider grille....and it will cost more than you paid for the set too!

The perspex scales come up very well with Duraglit - again you will have to remove it from the scale first, but all but the deepest scratch should polish out. One word of warning - the edges can be be very sharp; I've sliced my finger open on more than one of these!

Good luck!
Stewart

Darren-UK · 28th Mar 2006, 10:49 pm

Hi Steve,

Stewart has said it all really and I also have used a rolling pin on these grilles.

Regarding the R300 being collectable; they are less common than the R200 but seem to fetch similar prices according, of course, to condition. You may already be aware that the R300 shares basically the same chassis as the third and final version of the R200.

Some people are of the opinion that the R200 was an embarrassment to Roberts, due largely to it's several mods/updates, so they simply restyled it and released it as the R300. Whether that's true or not I simply don't know; it's more likely the R200 had run its course and Roberts felt it was time to release a 'new' model.

steve1811uk · 29th Mar 2006, 8:36 am

Thanks for the replies. I'll give those suggestions a go. I've already cleaned the knobs and brass inserts and disassembled everything. One brass actually fell off in the packing box and nearly got thrown away by the wife. It doesn't need much work apart from a new handle and electrolytic capacitor replacement. One battery snap had fell off but was rattling around in the case. The casing is absolutely scuff free.

Thanks for the help. Steve.

28th Mar 2006, 11:48 am	#1
steve1811uk Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Manchester Posts: 33	Roberts R300; cabinet fittings. Hi, just acquired a Roberts R300. Just wondered if anyone can offer any restoration tips. Particularly the grill has a dent. What is the best way to fix this ? Are these collectable ? They don't seem to be as widely available as the R200. Can light scratches on the perspex be removed ? Steve Last edited by Darren-UK; 26th Aug 2007 at 2:01 pm. Reason: Defunct ebay link removed.

28th Mar 2006, 8:01 pm	#2
Stewart Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: N.E. Surrey, UK. Posts: 361	Re: Roberts R300 Hi Steve, I've had some good results removing dents from Roberts: With the grille removed from the set (you'll have to remove the main chassis and speaker first) place it on a flat wooden board. Then get hold of a rolling pin and get too it! Don't press too hard or you risk closing up the apertures - but moderate pressure seems fine. Turn over the grille from time to time to minimise the curling effect. If the apertures got crushed closed when the original knock occured you can often pick them open with a needle. A further trick to think about - try turning the grille upside down if the dent still catches the light - sometimes this hides it quite well, although some may say it doesn't look right... Finally Roberts spares agent can offer replacement grilles for their current Revival range - these can be made to fit an R200...but I'm not sure about an R300 with its wider grille....and it will cost more than you paid for the set too! The perspex scales come up very well with Duraglit - again you will have to remove it from the scale first, but all but the deepest scratch should polish out. One word of warning - the edges can be be very sharp; I've sliced my finger open on more than one of these! Good luck! Stewart Last edited by Darren-UK; 26th Aug 2007 at 2:02 pm. Reason: Search-relevant typo corrected.

28th Mar 2006, 10:49 pm	#3
Darren-UK Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Blackpool, Lancashire, UK. Posts: 4,061	Re: Roberts R300 Hi Steve, Stewart has said it all really and I also have used a rolling pin on these grilles. Regarding the R300 being collectable; they are less common than the R200 but seem to fetch similar prices according, of course, to condition. You may already be aware that the R300 shares basically the same chassis as the third and final version of the R200. Some people are of the opinion that the R200 was an embarrassment to Roberts, due largely to it's several mods/updates, so they simply restyled it and released it as the R300. Whether that's true or not I simply don't know; it's more likely the R200 had run its course and Roberts felt it was time to release a 'new' model. Last edited by Darren-UK; 26th Aug 2007 at 1:58 pm. Reason: Briefened.

29th Mar 2006, 8:36 am	#4
steve1811uk Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Manchester Posts: 33	Re: Roberts R300 Thanks for the replies. I'll give those suggestions a go. I've already cleaned the knobs and brass inserts and disassembled everything. One brass actually fell off in the packing box and nearly got thrown away by the wife. It doesn't need much work apart from a new handle and electrolytic capacitor replacement. One battery snap had fell off but was rattling around in the case. The casing is absolutely scuff free. Thanks for the help. Steve. Last edited by Darren-UK; 26th Aug 2007 at 2:03 pm. Reason: Unanswered question removed.