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Old 4th Jun 2020, 11:19 pm   #1
Richard_FM
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Default Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

We've had a few threads about electrical bodges in the past, but I don't think I've seen one about cosmetic repairs or attempts to improve the looks of a set which have been poorly executed.

I've heard stories of wood & Bakelite radios being painted once those finishes were no longer fashionable.

Even the professionals sometimes skimped on French polishing wood, & just slapped on some wood grain fablon on older sets when refurbishing them.

When woodgrain stopped being fashionable I imagine some owners of early Ferguson TX10s and other sets of the era were temped to paint it over with matt black paint towards the end of the 1980s.

I've heard of some back of a van merchants doing the same thing with matt silver paint a few years later.

If anyone has any stories feel free to post here.

From looking at some collections of restored sets online, some sets have needed some work to try to return them to how they looked when new.
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Old 5th Jun 2020, 12:09 am   #2
JoshWard
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

Here's one I have recently dealt with. It's a Pye P76F which came in a job lot of sets from another forum member. Sadly, at some stage in the past, it had been painted a rather vivid shade of yellow! The finish was very rough as well although it had been done thoroughly. The cabinet had clearly been dismantled to do it.
I tried to strip it off and had some success but sadly the paint had sunk in to the grain of the veneer. I also found a number of areas of missing veneer that had been filled. Perhaps this is why it was painted in the first place. As it was already in a poorly way (also missing knobs, back panel and two valves) I decided to have a go at sanding it all back and repainting it in a slightly more 1950s colour scheme. I was pleased with the results and even found a set of the correct knobs in my spares which I painted to match. I added bluetooth to the gram input and replaced the valves. The end result took a lot of time and cost far more than what it's worth (twenty quid on two new valves!) but at least it lives again.
No doubt in another fifty years somebody will take one look at it and think 'What on earth did they do that for?!'
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Old 5th Jun 2020, 9:12 am   #3
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

I have a philips bakelite radio I picked up at my local car boot (when it was running, the car boot that is), the case is in several pieces having been dropped, the car boot seller admitted he had just done it and was rather miffed as he hoped to get a good price.
I intend glueing it back together and re-moulding a few missing bits. I then intend painting the case, sympathetically of course. I will not feel guilty, it will still be a rescued radio that would otherwise be dumped.

Peter
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Old 5th Jun 2020, 9:19 am   #4
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

Somewhere I have a TRIMphone (dial type) that somebody has painted bright colours and stuck coloured paper dots all over (giving a 'polka dot' pattern I think). It was quite well painted and looks surprisingly attractive so I've kept it like that (I have several other TRIMphones that are 'normal').

I'll try to dig it out and post a photo.
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Old 5th Jun 2020, 2:10 pm   #5
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

Here you are. Weird but not as bad as you might think....
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Old 5th Jun 2020, 2:34 pm   #6
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

Back in the mid sixties, I bought an AR88. The old crackle paint on the cabinet and panel was rather ratty and although mum didn't actually say anything, she didn't need to. So off came the panel and the cabinet and they went for bead blasting and stove enamelling at a firm in Brighouse. The choice of colours was a bit limited and crackle definitely wasn't on the menu. So it became silver-hammer. One goof was I forgot to do the bottom cover plate of the cabinet. It's still black crackle. Fortunately it was an early set with an engraved panel.

For a while I liked it, then I went through a phase of regret on finding out it was a very early set, but now I'm relaxed about it. I've owned it longer than anyone else has and there's either a lot of me in the set or a lot of the set in me - I can't work out which!

Still, it's the only silver hammer finish AR88 I've heard of.

David
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Old 5th Jun 2020, 3:52 pm   #7
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

Talking of ar88 wen i used to do service calls on tvs one house i went to had an ar88 that had a polished wood case including the front panell next to the tv Mick
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Old 5th Jun 2020, 11:30 pm   #8
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

Quote:
Originally Posted by TonyDuell View Post
Here you are. Weird but not as bad as you might think....
Looks like Pudsey Bear's phone.
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Old 6th Jun 2020, 12:58 am   #9
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

Dare I mention Mr Blobby?

Check for Noel Edmonds' fingerprints. I remember reading a news item about a whole theme park 'Blobbyworld' or something like that, which had fallen into severe disrepair (hooray!). A monument to tastelessness.

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Old 6th Jun 2020, 1:19 am   #10
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

That was a pretty "tacky" TV program.
I looked up the theme park to see photos of feral trees growing out of "tacky" scenery.
I like the way nature is claiming it back.
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Old 6th Jun 2020, 12:37 pm   #11
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

I remember "Blobbyworld" not being a success, mainly because by the time it was built the original novelty of the character had faded.
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Old 6th Jun 2020, 2:24 pm   #12
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

AR88s do seem to come in for numerous makeovers. Mine is an -LF which turned up in Fanthorpe's of Hull back in 1982 or thereabouts. The finish is as it was when I bought it, with the case in blue Hammerite or similar, and the front panel of something approximating to melamine, in white with black-filled engraving.

Paul
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Old 6th Jun 2020, 6:18 pm   #13
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

Could it be Traffolyte? a three ply layer of white-black-white hard plastic, when engraved it shows the inner layer.

David
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Old 6th Jun 2020, 7:01 pm   #14
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler View Post
Dare I mention Mr Blobby?

Check for Noel Edmonds' fingerprints. I remember reading a news item about a whole theme park 'Blobbyworld' or something like that, which had fallen into severe disrepair (hooray!). A monument to tastelessness.

David
OT but,
Yes, was located at Cricket St. Thomas between Crewkerne and Chard on the A30, visited it many times as my Gran (who lives in Crewkerne used to get a season ticket) and Gran's used to be our go to place for holidays. Billed as the worlds/UK's? first TV theme park. Had most of the BBC children's characters represented there.

See youtube channel Dunblobbin: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCj...mG5hh7w/videos

It's now a Warner Leisure Hotel and operated as both that and an animal park for 10 years before the animal park was closed (as I understand they had to keep the animal park open for 10 years as part of the deal to be allowed to build the hotel, but Kids and an adult only hotel don't really mix), the grounds are however still open for visitors. Mr. Blobby's house supposedly has been removed to stop people trying to find it (that section of the grounds being fenced off/out of bounds).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdxsNOjo6do
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Old 7th Jun 2020, 8:39 pm   #15
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Default Re: Bad or odd cosmetic repairs or upgrades you've encountered

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Could it be Traffolyte? a three ply layer of white-black-white hard plastic, when engraved it shows the inner layer.

David
Hello David,

It's not something I had ever heard of, but I do believe you're right. Good to know after all these years that when cleaning the front panel I probably needn't employ any extra care to avoid having to renew the infill! The job is certainly very neatly done.

Paul
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