|
Vintage Radio (domestic) Domestic vintage radio (wireless) receivers only. |
|
Thread Tools |
21st Feb 2018, 5:18 pm | #1 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,150
|
Cossor 501 project.
Finally collected my Cossor 501 today (thank you Greg Simons)
Looks like another total rebuild restoration to go with my 1949 Marconi which I'm also very slowly bringing back to life. Fist impressions are everything is there at least ,all caked in decades of grime and rust. First thing it needs is a new Speaker/Tuning glass surround as the one on it is very brittle and snapped so if anyone can help id be very grateful. Believe it or not although the cabinet is some sort of plastic the wooden square the speaker is mounted on has woodworm! those darn woodies get everywhere so ill be replacing that too asap. Couple of pictures to start. |
21st Feb 2018, 7:42 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Lynton, N. Devon, UK.
Posts: 7,087
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
I've got a Cossor 500 (wooden cabinet, same chassis). Crummy sensitivity, but good sound quality.
Yours has a different mains transformer - mine is mounted BELOW the chassis, with the voltage selector and winding bulge peeping through! Good luck - will watch the thread with interest. It's an easy set to work on! |
21st Feb 2018, 8:16 pm | #3 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,150
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Thanks.
I'm not the best restorer, my main tool tends to be a hammer !! only joking but anything too complicated and I'm stumped. |
21st Feb 2018, 8:16 pm | #4 |
Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK.
Posts: 6,874
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Unfortunately that plastic surround is virtually always shrunk, cracked or just plain missing! but good luck finding a replacement
That chassis was around for a while and I think the last hurrah was the 520 having started as the 494. Different valve line ups and minor changes. I must admit I prefer the 494 it doesn't work any better but it doesn't have that plastic surround It should be remembered that the internal aerial is described as for "local stations" It was designed for use with an external long wire aerial Cheers Mike T
__________________
Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk |
21st Feb 2018, 8:28 pm | #5 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Basildon, Essex, UK.
Posts: 4,100
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
I restored one of these what seems like ages ago but it was probably only 6 years.
The plastic trim around the front shrinks and all the pegs which hold it in place tend to snap off. If there are any which are left then file the holes for them into a slot so that they fit back in. You should be able to glue the cracked plastic trim together with superglue to make a fairly invisible joint. I used epoxy glue to refit the trim onto the front of the cabinet. After a wash with something like spray kitchen cleaner, the rest of the case should polish up to a lovely mottled chestnut colour with a deep shine, or at least my one did after a vigorous rubbing with Bakelite polish. Be careful how you clean the dial glass especially the back where the printing is. A lot of modern detergents can remove old paint from dial glasses. The radio sounds quite good when working, but I seem to remember they were not the most sensitive of receivers. There is a fine example of how one can look on the Radio Museum. https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/cossor...er_501_ac.html Mike |
21st Feb 2018, 8:56 pm | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 7,577
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Yes don't expect miracles reception-wise. I spent ages checking alignment and trimming the set to absolute peak but it only made a marginal difference. Even on a long wire aerial it struggled with some of the more distant stations. On the good side, they are easy to work on and look great when the bakelite cabinet and surround have been restored.
__________________
There are lots of brilliant keyboard players and then there is Rick Wakeman..... |
21st Feb 2018, 9:04 pm | #7 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,150
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
The plastic surround is just snapped in one place, its not too bad shrinkwise so ill probably have to get a 3D Printer to reproduce one as I have access to one with a bit of begging.
|
21st Feb 2018, 9:18 pm | #8 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Evesham, Worcestershire, UK.
Posts: 1,423
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Glad you like the cossor and have made a start on it, hope you liked the super lethal electric light bulb mains adapter!.
greg.
__________________
Picture, sound?, DOOR. |
21st Feb 2018, 10:32 pm | #9 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 671
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Good luck with the restoration, I had a similar one years ago, the sound via the gram input wasn't bad I remember using it with my old Stella tape recorder as the amp and speaker (think it's an 8") sounded far better.
|
21st Feb 2018, 10:56 pm | #10 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,150
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
|
22nd Feb 2018, 4:22 am | #11 |
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Middlewich, Cheshire, UK. & Winter in the Philippines.
Posts: 3,897
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Had many of these from 494 to 520 models. They all suffer from having the bottom coupled aerial coils.
Wonderful mixture of valve types used, even in the same set. The 6V6 output are the best. The dial glass printing is originally in 3 colours on most but some are in 2 colour, all will lose the printing very easily with the lightest of touches or any water. |
22nd Feb 2018, 5:10 pm | #12 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,150
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Well ive spent most of the day stripping the Cossor,most things were rusted up or broken but I managed to get it apart.
As you can see from the pictures ive taken , the woodworm had totally eaten the loudspeaker surround so ive used the old one as a template to start cutting out a new one ready for final fitting. Ive spent a few hours restoring the casing and its come up really well, its going to be a sympathetic restoration so it wont be perfect but I'm pleased with the results. Ive cleaned up the back cover too and rewound the built in Aerial attached to it. I ran up the loudspeaker and it seems to work fine so I will be retaining it. Here are a few pictures so far. |
24th Feb 2018, 1:08 pm | #13 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,150
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Quote:
I've cleaned it with a small paint brush just dampened and used blotting paper very lightly to dry it off and I'm happy to say it,s worked a treat with no uplift. |
|
24th Feb 2018, 2:46 pm | #14 |
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Middlewich, Cheshire, UK. & Winter in the Philippines.
Posts: 3,897
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Well done, I have had to remake several with waterslide when the printing has just wiped off with a dry cloth.
|
25th Feb 2018, 4:50 pm | #15 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Royal Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 471
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
I shall be watching this post with great interest.
Below, pictures of the set I collected yesterday, this being my first encounter with a Cossor set. Appears to be original/untouched. Amazing how different it is from your set ... I like the look of them, it's a fair size too. The bezel/surround is loose & appears to be missing 3 spire clips(?), though one was found on the speaker magnet ... you may be able to see it in the photo. Many thanks to Mike (cobaltblue) for pointers/links, much appreciated Mark |
27th Feb 2018, 10:41 am | #16 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK.
Posts: 2,150
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Good luck with yours also.
Your Cossor looks to have the 2 colour dial glass which differs from mine. Nice set. |
27th Feb 2018, 12:12 pm | #17 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Croxley Green, Hertfordshire, UK.
Posts: 979
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
I'm in the market for one of these, but that "plastic surround" is problematic for me, they have always either shrunk or broke and I don't like the way you can see distortions showing were the surround attaches to the main cabinet. It's a shame this cheapens the look of an otherwise nice looking radio.
I think I'll keep looking for the rarer 494, without that surround, it makes you wonder why they redesigned the set to have this troublesome part when it was far more simple and nicer looking in the first place.
__________________
Clive |
27th Feb 2018, 10:27 pm | #18 |
Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK.
Posts: 6,874
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
I sort of assumed since so far I have seen no documents that explain the change that it was a simple face lift for a tired looking model.
It also allowed the wooden cased 500 to have the same family resemblance. The later model allows the scale and speaker opening to be better balanced and slightly bigger. I don't mind the look of either configuration I sort of prefer the 494 since it's the origins of the model. However I am fond of the whole family. Cheers Mike T
__________________
Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk |
27th Feb 2018, 10:40 pm | #19 | |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Royal Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 471
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Quote:
Your mains transformer is mounted the opposite way to mine ... Amazing the differences over the production run. All the best, Mark |
|
27th Feb 2018, 10:52 pm | #20 | |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Royal Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 471
|
Re: Cossor 501 project.
Quote:
I guess a lot depends on storage, as technology/fashion changed, sets then being passed between family members, an awful lot must have ended up in less than favorable storage conditions. Mark |
|