Keep original ?

[slidertogrid]

let us assume you have two radio sets both the same make and model but both with their own merits and faults. Let's say one has a slightly rusty chassis that needs repairing and a damaged speaker cone, the cabinet is good.
The other has a scruffy cabinet, not too bad and certainly repairable but the chassis is clean and working the speaker is undamaged.
What would you do? Neither set is particularly rare or valuable at the moment.
Would you swap parts from one to the other making one good set and one scrap ?
Restore both sets keeping them both original as far as the major parts are concerned thereby saving both albeit neither would be perfect?
Do nothing keeping both sets as they are ?
Just interested to see what others think as it is a discussion I have had recently with a friend and our opinions differ...

[Nuvistor]

I would probably make a good one out of the two, but we all have are own thoughts on how things should be done.

[19Seventy7]

I'd personally at least attempt to restore both before swapping parts over. I'd expect some signs of ageing, gives it character and personality, differentiates it from the rest, especially if they're not uncommon. Though it'd make more sense to swap parts, it'd be nice to try and save the pair if possible.

As Nuvistor says, each to their own. I'd personally try to save as much and as many as possible. I see it as if it's survived this long, why not help it along a little bit further?

'77

[Radio Wrangler]

There isn't a button for "It depends..."

David

[TonyDuell]

I'd try to restore both, but I might also swap parts round to have one in good condition and the other, while working and safe, a bit more 'battle scarred'.

[vinrads]

Make one using best parts from both sets. keep the other one unrestored ,Mick.

[deliverance]

Had this dilemma a few times and ended up repairing the ones I bought just for spares .

[kellys_eye]

Although the set(s) are not rare they might end up that way so restoring one and keeping the parts for another, even if it's not your own, would be a benefit to 'the community'.

Repairing the second set to a working condition - although not a full restoration - would increase the likelihood that both units would always be available.

[mark pirate]

I have actually been in this situation, I had 2 Bush AC41's, both were complete sets.

Set 1, this had a scruffy cabinet, woodworm holes and two incorrect knobs.
The chassis was in reasonable condition, powering up via a variac proved the set had some life in it, but the smoothing cap was toast.

Set 2, this set had a pretty decent cabinet & knobs, but a damaged speaker grille.
The chassis again was in reasonable condition, but the on/off switch had been bridged over in the past, the primary on the output transformer was O/C, and the dial cord was broken.

As these sets are pretty common and have little value, I decided to make a good one from the pair.

Set 1 cabinet was stripped of it's speaker grille and the cabinet disposed of, as I really hate woodworm!
It's chassis was the better of the two, so this was restored and fitted to the decent cabinet, as was the speaker grille, the main smoother was fine in set 2, so was fitted to the restored chassis.

The valves from both sets were tested, and the best were fitted to the restored chassis.

The end result was a good working set in good cosmetic condition.

The scrap chassis has since yielded a mains transformer, valve holders, dial lamp holders & various other useful items, so it did not die in vain.

My vote is to make one good set out of two rough ones, you cannot save them all.


Mark

[Sideband]

I'm not really interested in keeping two sets of the same type so I would likely assess the best one and make use of parts from one to make a good one. I recently did this with a Philips 206 bought off eBay which was allegedly 'partly working' but was in such a state I decided it was only good for spares. When a second much better 206 came along I simply made a good one out of the two and the worst one went to a forum member for spares.

I suppose it would depend on the condition of both sets and if I decided that both could be repaired (for instance two DAC90A both with faulty output transformers and the usual waxies) then I would repair both, keep the best one and sell the other.

[PsychMan]

For me its how rare the item is. I don't like scrapping cabinets radios or radiograms, but I did have an SRG 86 with a very poor cabinet, and theyre hardly rare.

The fabric lining inside was mostly gone, lots of deep gauges and scratches in the wood, and the speaker cloth was quite unique but had a a very noticeable hole in it. It was never going to be a great example, but I had thoroughly gone over the chassis and restored it, and the deck.

Sometime later I came across another SRG86 with a very nice cabinet, all fabric and speaker cloth immaculate. It was a no-brainer.

The chassis went into the new cabinet, and in the end the old cabinet was smashed and tipped to allow me to rescue a 1930s HMV radiogram. Unfortunately the deck didnt fit the new cabinet so I decided to build my own cabinet for that, and restore the new deck also.

In the end I have a very nice radiogram, an entire spare chassis, some spare speakers, and a lovely standalone autochanger (when I've finished the cabinet!). Not to mention a lovely HMV 582 awaiting restoration. Sometimes you have to weigh things up and use logic

Adam

[Sideband]

Originally Posted by mark pirate

My vote is to make one good set out of two rough ones, you cannot save them all.


Mark

Yes that is pretty much how I think, plus it's always a good idea to have scrap chassis for various sets in your collection so that hopefully you can keep yours going for longer.

As you say, the scrap ones don't die in vain....valveholders, transformers, nuts and bolts etc can all be put to good use.

[mark pirate]

When a second much better 206 came along I simply made a good one out of the two and the worst one went to a forum member for spares.

If there were no spares sets, a lot of restorations would never get completed.
I forgot to mention that the spare dial glass and back panel were passed onto another forum member to complete his set.

I don't like breaking up sets, but some are beyond saving and a valuable source of spares.


Mark

[Lucien Nunes]

I sometimes deliberately put myself in this position. Now that many old electronic items cannot be both functional and completely original at the same time, there is a duality of purpose when restoring / conserving them. I like to have one generally complete, original example that is never intended to be restored, and one that can be as heavily reworked as needed to achieve 100% functionality.

a) The 'museum piece' unit preserves the physical substance of the item.
b) The restored unit preserves the life and character of it.

This seems a more complete picture than having two working units neither of which is very original.

The challenge is then to decide, when presented with two units, which to restore and which to conserve, and whether there is any validity in swapping parts between them, or exchanging one for third example that is better suited to one or other role. In principle the 'museum piece' should not be touched, but there can be a clear advantage to a strategic swap or loan of an essential component. For example, an original unmodified TV with a good tube, and a slightly hacked one with a soft tube, could benefit from swapping tubes. Then the hacked chassis can be overhauled, and give a good picture thanks to the loan of the good tube. But the two should then be kept together and the loan documented, so that the complete unrestored chassis can get its own tube back in the future if desired. If at all possible, I would avoid swapping parts between units just for convenience.

[Lloyd 1985]

I have 2 Bush DAC90’s in black, one was near mint, and the other was not bad, speaker cloth had a small tear in it, and the dial was a bit worn. I restored the scruffy one and left the other alone.

Another, slightly off topic thing, I have a french clock, broken balance staff, but otherwise mint, I bought some clocks off eBay with the same balance to use as spares, my problem now is the ones for spares are restorable too, so now I’m after spares for those too!!

Regards
Lloyd

[Lucien Nunes]

Gathering donor units can cause unstoppable mission creep. My attempt to fettle to perfection three Bell & Howell 1698 projectors (a pair and a spare) resulted in seven working projectors of three different models, but still no spare working 1698.

[Julesomega]

Obviously, swap parts to make a worker, then post the leftovers in 'offers'

[MurphyNut]

I'd make one good set from the two but only if the model wasn't rare.

[Steve_P]

I would start by making a good one out of all the bits. Then with the rest make another worker maybe not with all original bits depending on how bad they were.

The second one would be the challenge and would probably be the one I would be more proud of and use.

Cheers,

Steve P.

[chriswood1900]

If they are both the same I would build a good one using the best bits from each and keep the other one for spares or pass it on to someone who needs some other parts.
If they were special or rare it would keep originality and possibly given time repair both. Many times I have bought one for spares but ended up get both going, I just can't help it!