Your Biggest restoration job ? - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

ChristianFletcher · 29th Dec 2004, 12:18 pm

Dear Friends

Earlier in the year I picked up a Cossor chassis at the NEC, I had been walking around it all day and new that nobody except me would be daft enough to spend money on it . So taking pity I paid the man £5. The chassis was red rusty and the tuning cans were badly corroded. It was also missing speaker and output transformer. I now have it partly restored and working. Next I am even panning to build a fancy veneered cabinet for it to live in.

What is the worse basket case you have taken on as a restoration project and what job do you wish you had never started ?

mjizycky · 29th Dec 2004, 1:18 pm

Biggest job? McMichael 382 motor-tuned set. The story of its restoration (more like resurrection) appears in one of the BVWS bulletins.

Job I'd never started? The TV set that had a complete rebuild and then I discovered the LOPT had died...

quantum · 29th Dec 2004, 3:09 pm

Don't know about biggest, but the most time I spent on a restoration job was on a 1936 Rogers console set, bought back in 1981. The set had been brought into the UK after WWII by a Canadian family, and I think they had plugged it in to our mains while it was still set to 110-120 volts. It thus needed rebuilding because of the damage caused by the subsequent shorting in the mains tranny. Of course, in those days, there was no internet or a forum like this, so I had no circuit details and had to trace out everything from the chassis. In addition the 10" energised speaker had seized up, I must confess that I replaced this with a PM unit and a choke as replacement for the field. Now, over 20 years later, it is probably time I did another overhaul job on it...

The job I wished I'd never started, or at least the most irritating, was on a Yugoslavian Barclay set - although not a complex set I repaired it and soak tested it and placed placed it back in its cabinet. Half an hour later it developed another fault, and so the proceedure was repeated. Another fault then developed, and this happened about half a dozen times - I think if I was to switch it on now I'd find something else wrong!

Mike Phelan · 29th Dec 2004, 3:53 pm

As I am documenting my 1936 Ferguson 378 Universal restoration, including logging all time spent, I'll let you know.......documentation will end up in the public domain, one way or another.
Downhill now - sticking things back on the bare chassis

Sideband · 29th Dec 2004, 5:01 pm

So far....a 1938 Philips 470 that had been stored for an unknown length of time. All I know is that it had been plugged in during the 70's to the accompaniment of a loud bang and smoke whereupon it had been dumped in the store room at work. When the company moved last year I found it and rescued it (along with a Superinductance set) and brought them home. I suppose I spent about 3 months working on the 470 which included replacing all the rubber-covered wire, wax caps including the mains filter which had presumably caused the original explosion as bits of it were scattered around the cabinet and re-building the wet electrolytic smoothing capacitors (very messy)! Anyway the end result is a fine working set, gleaming bakelite and after fitting a new PEN4DD probably one of the best sounding AM sets I have.

Now for the 1933 Superinductance set......!

Rich.

Paul Stenning · 29th Dec 2004, 5:04 pm

Mine has to be my Murphy A242 described here http://www.vintage-radio.com/recent-...y-a242-2.shtml

VVT · 30th Dec 2004, 10:30 am

Paul,

A great resto story with some great tips for the rest of us.... BUT, here's one in return. The glass glue made by Loctite that needs UV cure can be a bind to use even in summer months let alone winter months. THe UV is required to activate the polymerisation of the glue. A handy source of UV can be provided by a photographic electronic flash gun - switch the gun to it's highest power and by using the open flash button 'zap' the glued join a couple of times from an inch or two away from the join. Voila a refectly set ( & hopefully glued) tuning scale.

Hoping this helps,

Steve

mickjjo · 31st Dec 2004, 8:44 pm

Well my Ekco AC74 project is certainly the worst wreck I've ever attempted, It came from a local auction house for £9, (I was the only bidder

). So far I've polished the case, welded a new back and side section into the chassis

, made a replacement bottom panel and re-built the wavechange switch. I found a mains transformer from a Murphy that fitted in the original clamp and sourced an original type speaker, since the one in the set was rotten. Most of the coils will need rewinding

, but one day It will live again! I've tackled cars in worse condition but I wouldn't take on another radio this bad....

Regards, Mick.

Sam · 1st Jan 2005, 3:21 pm

There is a set I have in my room I keep meaning to start on. It is a KB BR20 (I think) and a younger me took it COMPLETELY to pieces! I mean completely. the chassis is bare (valve holders, coils, everything removed).

When I get round to it, I will have a vintage radio which has all new components! Doubt I will get round to it if I am honest!

Sam

Sideband · 1st Jan 2005, 11:13 pm

Quote:

So far I've polished the case, welded a new back and side section into the chassis

, made a replacement bottom panel and re-built the wavechange switch. I found a mains transformer from a Murphy that fitted in the original clamp and sourced an original type speaker, since the one in the set was rotten. Most of the coils will need rewinding

, but one day It will live again! I've tackled cars in worse condition but I wouldn't take on another radio this bad....

Regards, Mick.

All I can say is that you are a brave man!!

Rich.

evingar · 1st Jan 2005, 11:47 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickjjo

Well my Ekco AC74 project is certainly the worst wreck I've ever attempted, It came from a local auction house for £9, (I was the only bidder

). So far I've polished the case, welded a new back and side section into the chassis

, made a replacement bottom panel and re-built the wavechange switch. I found a mains transformer from a Murphy that fitted in the original clamp and sourced an original type speaker, since the one in the set was rotten. Most of the coils will need rewinding

, but one day It will live again! I've tackled cars in worse condition but I wouldn't take on another radio this bad....

Regards, Mick.

Jeez Mick, was that stored under water? Seen things come up from the Mary Rose in better nick

Still, well done for taking it on.

My worst case was a Dynatron TV 35 405 line TV, a complete chassis strip down, but at least it had been stored somewhere dry, so fortunately, the wound components (and the important LOPTX) were fine.

Chris

joe · 1st Jan 2005, 11:53 pm

Mickjo's set certainly looks like a challenge. I'd be interested in the result because I have a Philco Peoples Set, AC/DC version in roughly the same state thats gradually coming to the top of the pile.

Another challenge thats waiting is one similar to Sam's. It is a Pilot 55B.
I bought it at a radio rally knowing that the speaker and tuning gang were missing. When I got it home and took the chassis out of the cabinet I found that everything else was missing as well! Just the valve holders and wound components remained. Even the valves bore no relationship to the set, but I would like to get it back to somewhere near its original condition. Its an American made export model for UK & Europe c1935.

Incidentally if anyone has one of these I'd be interested to hear from them.

Joe

jim_beacon · 3rd Jan 2005, 10:18 pm

Mine so far is a T1131 transmitter. After 7 years, I still haven't quite located all the missing parts - I still need one transformer and a couple of chokes.

It will then require the cabinet and all of the chassis (6 19" units) to be stripped, cleaned and rebuilt, and a new wiring harness making for the cabinet.

I hope to run it up on the two meter band one day, although it uses 2KW of input for 40W out, so I don't intend to make a habit of it. Can anyone else still manage AM on 2m? (we should start a seperate thread in vintage comms for this).

Jim.

29th Dec 2004, 12:18 pm	#1
ChristianFletcher Heptode Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: South Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 900	Your Biggest restoration job ? Dear Friends Earlier in the year I picked up a Cossor chassis at the NEC, I had been walking around it all day and new that nobody except me would be daft enough to spend money on it . So taking pity I paid the man £5. The chassis was red rusty and the tuning cans were badly corroded. It was also missing speaker and output transformer. I now have it partly restored and working. Next I am even panning to build a fancy veneered cabinet for it to live in. What is the worse basket case you have taken on as a restoration project and what job do you wish you had never started ? __________________ Every Silver Lining Has Its Cloud https://youtube.com/channel/UCvBpiuUUnErJlNBm6DWb3Ww

29th Dec 2004, 1:18 pm	#2
mjizycky Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: London, UK. Posts: 69	Re: Your Biggest restoration job ? Biggest job? McMichael 382 motor-tuned set. The story of its restoration (more like resurrection) appears in one of the BVWS bulletins. Job I'd never started? The TV set that had a complete rebuild and then I discovered the LOPT had died...

29th Dec 2004, 3:09 pm	#3
quantum Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 785	Re: Your Biggest restoration job ? Don't know about biggest, but the most time I spent on a restoration job was on a 1936 Rogers console set, bought back in 1981. The set had been brought into the UK after WWII by a Canadian family, and I think they had plugged it in to our mains while it was still set to 110-120 volts. It thus needed rebuilding because of the damage caused by the subsequent shorting in the mains tranny. Of course, in those days, there was no internet or a forum like this, so I had no circuit details and had to trace out everything from the chassis. In addition the 10" energised speaker had seized up, I must confess that I replaced this with a PM unit and a choke as replacement for the field. Now, over 20 years later, it is probably time I did another overhaul job on it... The job I wished I'd never started, or at least the most irritating, was on a Yugoslavian Barclay set - although not a complex set I repaired it and soak tested it and placed placed it back in its cabinet. Half an hour later it developed another fault, and so the proceedure was repeated. Another fault then developed, and this happened about half a dozen times - I think if I was to switch it on now I'd find something else wrong!

29th Dec 2004, 3:53 pm	#4
Mike Phelan Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 4,609	Re: Your Biggest restoration job ? As I am documenting my 1936 Ferguson 378 Universal restoration, including logging all time spent, I'll let you know.......documentation will end up in the public domain, one way or another. Downhill now - sticking things back on the bare chassis __________________ Mike.

29th Dec 2004, 5:01 pm	#5
Sideband Dekatron Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK. Posts: 7,578	Re: Your Biggest restoration job ? So far....a 1938 Philips 470 that had been stored for an unknown length of time. All I know is that it had been plugged in during the 70's to the accompaniment of a loud bang and smoke whereupon it had been dumped in the store room at work. When the company moved last year I found it and rescued it (along with a Superinductance set) and brought them home. I suppose I spent about 3 months working on the 470 which included replacing all the rubber-covered wire, wax caps including the mains filter which had presumably caused the original explosion as bits of it were scattered around the cabinet and re-building the wet electrolytic smoothing capacitors (very messy)! Anyway the end result is a fine working set, gleaming bakelite and after fitting a new PEN4DD probably one of the best sounding AM sets I have. Now for the 1933 Superinductance set......! Rich.

29th Dec 2004, 5:04 pm	#6
Paul Stenning Administrator Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Cardiff Posts: 9,072	Re: Your Biggest restoration job ? Mine has to be my Murphy A242 described here http://www.vintage-radio.com/recent-...y-a242-2.shtml __________________ Paul Stenning Forum Admin/Owner and BVWS Webmaster

30th Dec 2004, 10:30 am	#7
VVT Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: CHESHIRE UK Posts: 8	Re: Your Biggest restoration job ? Paul, A great resto story with some great tips for the rest of us.... BUT, here's one in return. The glass glue made by Loctite that needs UV cure can be a bind to use even in summer months let alone winter months. THe UV is required to activate the polymerisation of the glue. A handy source of UV can be provided by a photographic electronic flash gun - switch the gun to it's highest power and by using the open flash button 'zap' the glued join a couple of times from an inch or two away from the join. Voila a refectly set ( & hopefully glued) tuning scale. Hoping this helps, Steve

31st Dec 2004, 8:44 pm	#8
mickjjo Rest in Peace Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Dartford, Kent, UK. Posts: 1,661	Re: Your Biggest restoration job ? Well my Ekco AC74 project is certainly the worst wreck I've ever attempted, It came from a local auction house for £9, (I was the only bidder ). So far I've polished the case, welded a new back and side section into the chassis , made a replacement bottom panel and re-built the wavechange switch. I found a mains transformer from a Murphy that fitted in the original clamp and sourced an original type speaker, since the one in the set was rotten. Most of the coils will need rewinding , but one day It will live again! I've tackled cars in worse condition but I wouldn't take on another radio this bad.... Regards, Mick. Attached Thumbnails

1st Jan 2005, 3:21 pm	#9
Sam Hexode Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Higham-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire, UK. Posts: 338	Re: Your Biggest restoration job ? There is a set I have in my room I keep meaning to start on. It is a KB BR20 (I think) and a younger me took it COMPLETELY to pieces! I mean completely. the chassis is bare (valve holders, coils, everything removed). When I get round to it, I will have a vintage radio which has all new components! Doubt I will get round to it if I am honest! Sam __________________ Can he lead a Normal life, Doctor? No, he will be ... an Engineer.

1st Jan 2005, 11:53 pm	#12
joe Rest in Peace Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Edgware, North London. Posts: 307	Re: Your Biggest restoration job ? Mickjo's set certainly looks like a challenge. I'd be interested in the result because I have a Philco Peoples Set, AC/DC version in roughly the same state thats gradually coming to the top of the pile. Another challenge thats waiting is one similar to Sam's. It is a Pilot 55B. I bought it at a radio rally knowing that the speaker and tuning gang were missing. When I got it home and took the chassis out of the cabinet I found that everything else was missing as well! Just the valve holders and wound components remained. Even the valves bore no relationship to the set, but I would like to get it back to somewhere near its original condition. Its an American made export model for UK & Europe c1935. Incidentally if anyone has one of these I'd be interested to hear from them. Joe

3rd Jan 2005, 10:18 pm	#13
jim_beacon Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bishop's Waltham, Hants, UK. Posts: 939	Re: Your Biggest restoration job ? Mine so far is a T1131 transmitter. After 7 years, I still haven't quite located all the missing parts - I still need one transformer and a couple of chokes. It will then require the cabinet and all of the chassis (6 19" units) to be stripped, cleaned and rebuilt, and a new wiring harness making for the cabinet. I hope to run it up on the two meter band one day, although it uses 2KW of input for 40W out, so I don't intend to make a habit of it. Can anyone else still manage AM on 2m? (we should start a seperate thread in vintage comms for this). Jim.