Reproduction radio knobs. - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

MurphyNut · 2nd Oct 2018, 10:32 am

A while back I did something I said I wouldn't ever do again, buy a radio with a missing knob (or the wrong one.)
The set in question was a Pilot U225, as it was so cheap I decided to go for it and of course finding that missing knob up-until now had proved to be elusive. (Some might have seen my wanted advert)
The Pilot being an American set, (the U225 made for the UK market) a lot of the parts were probably imported from the the USA and assembled here.
After a while on the net I found a company based in the USA making reproduction knobs and they did my missing one. It didn't come cheap at 20 pounds but as the radio is so nice I purchased one. It came this morning, I'm very pleased, it's not totally the same as the original Bakelite one but it's remarkably close and on the set you wouldn't know.

The company- http://www.renovatedradios.com/product.php?product=477

My picture below shows the reproduction on the left next to an original.

(Mods, please move this if I've posted it in the wrong place)

'LIVEWIRE?' · 2nd Oct 2018, 11:27 am

Presumably a lot of that £20 was Carriage cost, VAT & possibly import duty, since the base price of the knob is shown as $10 (about £8 I believe) The mark-ups no doubt deter many from buying from the USA or other overseas suppliers. I recently had to pay an extra £11 on a pack of 35mm colour print films from Hong Kong, £8 of which was Royal Mail's charge for collecting the VAT imposed by HMRC!

MurphyNut · 2nd Oct 2018, 12:37 pm

£20 total cost to me, it does seem a lot but I picked the set up cheaply so offset against that I was happy to pay it.

2nd Oct 2018, 10:32 am	#1
MurphyNut Heptode Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 979	Reproduction radio knobs. A while back I did something I said I wouldn't ever do again, buy a radio with a missing knob (or the wrong one.) The set in question was a Pilot U225, as it was so cheap I decided to go for it and of course finding that missing knob up-until now had proved to be elusive. (Some might have seen my wanted advert) The Pilot being an American set, (the U225 made for the UK market) a lot of the parts were probably imported from the the USA and assembled here. After a while on the net I found a company based in the USA making reproduction knobs and they did my missing one. It didn't come cheap at 20 pounds but as the radio is so nice I purchased one. It came this morning, I'm very pleased, it's not totally the same as the original Bakelite one but it's remarkably close and on the set you wouldn't know. The company- http://www.renovatedradios.com/product.php?product=477 My picture below shows the reproduction on the left next to an original. (Mods, please move this if I've posted it in the wrong place) Attached Thumbnails __________________ Clive

2nd Oct 2018, 11:27 am	#2
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Reproduction radio knobs. Presumably a lot of that £20 was Carriage cost, VAT & possibly import duty, since the base price of the knob is shown as $10 (about £8 I believe) The mark-ups no doubt deter many from buying from the USA or other overseas suppliers. I recently had to pay an extra £11 on a pack of 35mm colour print films from Hong Kong, £8 of which was Royal Mail's charge for collecting the VAT imposed by HMRC!

2nd Oct 2018, 12:37 pm	#3
MurphyNut Heptode Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 979	Re: Reproduction radio knobs. £20 total cost to me, it does seem a lot but I picked the set up cheaply so offset against that I was happy to pay it. __________________ Clive