Pye P45 (1950) - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

mark pirate · 31st Jul 2013, 9:54 pm

This set was one of a job lot of five I picked up a couple of weeks ago, I was saving them for winter, but as the weather has been lousy this week I decided to restore this set.

It was sort of working, but was quiet and distorted, so I started by removing the chassis, this is really easy job, pull off the knobs and remove two screws at the rear, unplug the speaker and the chassis slides out.

The only sign of previous repairs was the volume pot had been replaced many years ago, all components and valves were the originals.
I gave the chassis a good clean with a paintbrush and a Hoover, followed by white spirit on a rag.

I replaced the usual suspect caps, using trader sheet 1085 as a reference.
I still had distorted audio, but as the EL41 looked awful with much silvering and stains, this was replaced and the set now sounded good.

A check on the resistors showed all were still in tolerance, the electrolitics were also fine, as was all the wiring.

I stripped the cabinet of the dial glass and speaker baffle and went over the cabinet with T-cut, this removed decades of dirt and paint spots and brought the finish up a treat, I gave the cabinet a good going over with Topps scratch cover, the dial glass was cleaned and the speaker mesh was scrubbed clean and refitted, and a new pair of dial bulbs were fitted after cleaning the light tray.

The chassis was refitted along with the knobs, these came up really well with a good clean and a final polish with T-cut.

I really like these Pye short superhets, they work very well and sound good too, this one has come up a treat, it is a real shame that the scratches on the cabinet are recent, other than that the set is in remarkably good condition for it's 63 years, and works very well on all wavebands.

All told this set took around six hours from start to finish, and was a joy to work on.

Mark

mark pirate · 31st Jul 2013, 10:00 pm

And the after photos....

paulsherwin · 31st Jul 2013, 10:14 pm

Beautiful job.

Freya · 31st Jul 2013, 10:57 pm

remarkable restoration to one of these often overlooked sets.

Stephen

bobbyball · 1st Aug 2013, 10:19 am

Looks like new again!

Aub · 1st Aug 2013, 10:13 pm

And all in only 6 hours!

mark pirate · 1st Aug 2013, 10:47 pm

Thanks for the positive reply's chaps, it really has been a pleasure to restore this set, the cabinet has turned out better than I hoped, these sets are really well made. when cleaning the chassis I came across a few places where the chassis paint had been touched up during manufacture, a good sign that these sets were built to a high standard.

I agree that these sets are overlooked, this one had been well used and would probably work even better for replacing the valves, but the fact it was basicly still working after 63 years is a testament to the quality of the set.

It is now sitting next to my Pye LV51F TV from the same year, I really like the way Pye built their sets, And am happy to have added this set to my collection.

Mark

Nickthedentist · 2nd Aug 2013, 9:26 am

Just to echo what the others have said, you've done wonders there! The cabinet looks like it's just left the factory, the chassis too.

I had a slightly earlier version with octal(?) valves and only 3 wavebands, think it was the model 15, but the cabinet was very tired compared with yours. I seem to remember the knobs were surprisingly fragile, maybe because the switches were stiffer than they should have been. I think I passed it on to Paul Sherwin soon after I joined the forum.

Keep up the good work,

Nick.

SeanStevens · 2nd Aug 2013, 9:58 am

Painted chassis always look nice after a spruce up - It seems that the companies that painted chassis made quality goods!

Pye (obviously), Hacker and many others are throwback to a better era (in my mind)

Lovely job - excellent result

SEAN

paulsherwin · 2nd Aug 2013, 10:31 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

I had a slightly earlier version with octal(?) valves and only 3 wavebands, think it was the model 15

It was an 18A. Pye were very keen on the short superhet concept and used it in most of their 40s and 50s products, including in unlikely things like radiograms and multiband SW sets. They do work surprisingly well even with a frame aerial, though the lack of gain is obvious on weaker stations.

mark pirate · 2nd Aug 2013, 10:49 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

I had a slightly earlier version with octal(?) valves and only 3 wavebands, think it was the model 15

Hi Nick, I have that model too, it is the 15A from 1945, Pye's first postwar set.

Mine also needs the cabinet refinishing, but works very well.
There was a problem with the plastics that were used for the knobs, I have seen them go white and distorted as well as looking as they had been in a fire!

There were quite a few variations of these Pye short superhets made from 1945 onwards, all in plain simple cabinets, but this set has really nice bookmatched veneers that really lift the appearance of the cabinet.

Pye and Bush are my favourite manufacturers, followed by Murphy (more lovely blue chassis) and Ultra.

The next set on the bench will be the truly massive prewar RGD 66, but there is a lot of rotten wiring to deal with and the cabinet will have to be refinished and I will be restuffing all the caps.

Mark

Colin Ames · 2nd Aug 2013, 12:08 pm

Good job Mark!

Colin

Meat Pye · 10th Aug 2013, 11:31 am

Nice job! That venneer finish really does have 'depth' to it.

Hybrid tellies · 12th Aug 2013, 4:23 pm

That does look nice, a great job.

Tim · 12th Aug 2013, 4:31 pm

Excellent job!. The last one of those I saw was from a farmers barn and had been home to several generations of mice!

brymac · 27th Oct 2014, 11:26 pm

Just finishing off the second one of these I've restored - photo of the first one attached. They reall can come up very nicely if you Nitromors the varnish off, rub the cabinet down and re varnish it!

This one - which I'm restoring for my son - has rather worn legends on the wave change and gram/tone switches (the other 2 are OK) which are not responding well to my usual "gold pen and rub it down when dry" trick. Any ideas?

And - any point in trying to construct an internal frame aerial a la P75??

Bryan

mark pirate · 28th Oct 2014, 9:37 am

The quality of the knobs Pye used varies wildly, some distort badly, some are fine. I think the depth of engraving is also variable, this could be the problem with yours.
Before trying to renew the paint, I always use a sturdy sewing needle to remove any dirt and old paint.

Mark

brymac · 28th Oct 2014, 10:55 am

Thanks, but sadly, the depth of the engraving in places is zero! I'm reluctant to try to dig into the plastic to recreate the letters....

DAC10 Collector · 28th Oct 2014, 11:26 am

The replacement polyester capacitors you used have certainly merged unobtrusively with the original components.

Mike

brymac · 28th Oct 2014, 11:36 am

Ah - I think you're looking at Mark Pirate's radio, not mine!!!

31st Jul 2013, 9:54 pm	#1
mark pirate Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK Posts: 5,185	Pye P45 (1950) This set was one of a job lot of five I picked up a couple of weeks ago, I was saving them for winter, but as the weather has been lousy this week I decided to restore this set. It was sort of working, but was quiet and distorted, so I started by removing the chassis, this is really easy job, pull off the knobs and remove two screws at the rear, unplug the speaker and the chassis slides out. The only sign of previous repairs was the volume pot had been replaced many years ago, all components and valves were the originals. I gave the chassis a good clean with a paintbrush and a Hoover, followed by white spirit on a rag. I replaced the usual suspect caps, using trader sheet 1085 as a reference. I still had distorted audio, but as the EL41 looked awful with much silvering and stains, this was replaced and the set now sounded good. A check on the resistors showed all were still in tolerance, the electrolitics were also fine, as was all the wiring. I stripped the cabinet of the dial glass and speaker baffle and went over the cabinet with T-cut, this removed decades of dirt and paint spots and brought the finish up a treat, I gave the cabinet a good going over with Topps scratch cover, the dial glass was cleaned and the speaker mesh was scrubbed clean and refitted, and a new pair of dial bulbs were fitted after cleaning the light tray. The chassis was refitted along with the knobs, these came up really well with a good clean and a final polish with T-cut. I really like these Pye short superhets, they work very well and sound good too, this one has come up a treat, it is a real shame that the scratches on the cabinet are recent, other than that the set is in remarkably good condition for it's 63 years, and works very well on all wavebands. All told this set took around six hours from start to finish, and was a joy to work on. Mark Attached Thumbnails

31st Jul 2013, 10:00 pm	#2
mark pirate Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK Posts: 5,185	Re: Pye P45 (1950) And the after photos.... Attached Thumbnails

31st Jul 2013, 10:14 pm	#3
paulsherwin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 27,967	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Beautiful job.

31st Jul 2013, 10:57 pm	#4
Freya Octode Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Falmouth, Cornwall, UK. Posts: 1,990	Re: Pye P45 (1950) remarkable restoration to one of these often overlooked sets. Stephen

1st Aug 2013, 10:19 am	#5
bobbyball Octode Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester Posts: 1,217	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Looks like new again! __________________ Robert

1st Aug 2013, 10:13 pm	#6
Aub Nonode Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK. Posts: 2,039	Re: Pye P45 (1950) And all in only 6 hours! __________________ Life's a long song, but the tune ends too soon for us all.

1st Aug 2013, 10:47 pm	#7
mark pirate Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK Posts: 5,185	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Thanks for the positive reply's chaps, it really has been a pleasure to restore this set, the cabinet has turned out better than I hoped, these sets are really well made. when cleaning the chassis I came across a few places where the chassis paint had been touched up during manufacture, a good sign that these sets were built to a high standard. I agree that these sets are overlooked, this one had been well used and would probably work even better for replacing the valves, but the fact it was basicly still working after 63 years is a testament to the quality of the set. It is now sitting next to my Pye LV51F TV from the same year, I really like the way Pye built their sets, And am happy to have added this set to my collection. Mark

2nd Aug 2013, 9:26 am	#8
Nickthedentist Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 17,864	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Just to echo what the others have said, you've done wonders there! The cabinet looks like it's just left the factory, the chassis too. I had a slightly earlier version with octal(?) valves and only 3 wavebands, think it was the model 15, but the cabinet was very tired compared with yours. I seem to remember the knobs were surprisingly fragile, maybe because the switches were stiffer than they should have been. I think I passed it on to Paul Sherwin soon after I joined the forum. Keep up the good work, Nick.

2nd Aug 2013, 9:58 am	#9
SeanStevens Octode Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bath, Somerset, UK. Posts: 1,033	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Painted chassis always look nice after a spruce up - It seems that the companies that painted chassis made quality goods! Pye (obviously), Hacker and many others are throwback to a better era (in my mind) Lovely job - excellent result SEAN __________________ There are only 10 types of people, those who understand the binary system, and those who don't.

2nd Aug 2013, 12:08 pm	#12
Colin Ames Tetrode Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Monroe, Georgia, USA. (from Coventry, UK). Posts: 77	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Good job Mark! Colin

10th Aug 2013, 11:31 am	#13
Meat Pye Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, UK. Posts: 103	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Nice job! That venneer finish really does have 'depth' to it.

12th Aug 2013, 4:23 pm	#14
Hybrid tellies Nonode Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: 1966-1976 Coverack in Cornwall and Helston Cornwall. 1976-present Bristol/Bath area. Posts: 2,967	Re: Pye P45 (1950) That does look nice, a great job. __________________ Simon BVWS member

12th Aug 2013, 4:31 pm	#15
Tim Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 3,310	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Excellent job!. The last one of those I saw was from a farmers barn and had been home to several generations of mice! __________________ "Nothing is as dangerous as being too modern;one is apt to grow old fashioned quite suddenly."

27th Oct 2014, 11:26 pm	#16
brymac Hexode Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: East Sussex, UK. Posts: 389	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Just finishing off the second one of these I've restored - photo of the first one attached. They reall can come up very nicely if you Nitromors the varnish off, rub the cabinet down and re varnish it! This one - which I'm restoring for my son - has rather worn legends on the wave change and gram/tone switches (the other 2 are OK) which are not responding well to my usual "gold pen and rub it down when dry" trick. Any ideas? And - any point in trying to construct an internal frame aerial a la P75?? Bryan Attached Thumbnails

28th Oct 2014, 9:37 am	#17
mark pirate Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK Posts: 5,185	Re: Pye P45 (1950) The quality of the knobs Pye used varies wildly, some distort badly, some are fine. I think the depth of engraving is also variable, this could be the problem with yours. Before trying to renew the paint, I always use a sturdy sewing needle to remove any dirt and old paint. Mark

28th Oct 2014, 10:55 am	#18
brymac Hexode Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: East Sussex, UK. Posts: 389	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Thanks, but sadly, the depth of the engraving in places is zero! I'm reluctant to try to dig into the plastic to recreate the letters....

28th Oct 2014, 11:26 am	#19
DAC10 Collector Tetrode Join Date: May 2012 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 55	Re: Pye P45 (1950) The replacement polyester capacitors you used have certainly merged unobtrusively with the original components. Mike

28th Oct 2014, 11:36 am	#20
brymac Hexode Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: East Sussex, UK. Posts: 389	Re: Pye P45 (1950) Ah - I think you're looking at Mark Pirate's radio, not mine!!!