Ekco A22 Taunton - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

chipp1968 · 5th May 2010, 8:36 am

On monday I visited the antiques place at Taunton , Not sure where it is , but its very central.Its only open Mondays . Upstairs at the rear is a Black and Chrome A22 at £300 ,unfortunately it has a top crack and the two flanking knobs are missing .Good points has back ,original cloth and the dial is in good condition.

David G4EBT · 5th May 2010, 6:14 pm

Bargain!

If the top crack is across the top rather than from front to back, and about an inch or so long that is a stress crack, characteristic of many A22s for some reason. The thing to watch out for is cracks along the underside of the fragile 'feet' if that's the right term. These are hollow, the radio is quite heavy, and if plonked down on a table - as no doubt many have during their long lives, a nasty crack appears along the length of the foot/feet.

The good news is that these nasty cracks on the 'feet' can't normally be seen (and hence, are a pitfall for the unwary) and an almost invisible repair to the black cabinet can be accomplished using fibreglass and resin reniforcement internally, and acrylic gloss black car spray externally. I renovated one for my son in this way, and the acrylic paint has blended in so well with the black bakelite cabinet that it's almost impossible to tell, even on close examination.

As to the missing knobs, they wouldn't be difficult to cast in resin, with a brass insert, then sprayed black, (or our chum over the pond in the Netherlands would no doubt be able to make a couple if none turned up).

The A22 is an easy restoration, with most components around the outer perimiter of the chassis. All the rubber wiring will have long since perished, with HT and heaters runnig alongside each other and touching in places.

They really must be completely re-wired with silicone flex. (Source: Forum member Phil Marrison). The most challenging aspect of this is to make a new shielded wiring harness for several wires from the mains transformer and smoothing/reservour caps. Not so daunting if you make a drawing of whay goes where.

I've restored three A22s up to now, and have found that there are eight waxy caps to replace, one electrolytic - 25uF 25V cathode bypass for the infamous EBL31 output valve. (A modern one fits easily inside the case of the original, which is mounted upright on top of the chassis). On one set, the smoother/reservoir caps needed replacement - the other two reformed nicely.

I usually leave any resistors in place if they're less than 20% out of tolerance, and generally, have found that no more than half a dozen are needed. Even with resistors well out of tolerance, these sets still seem to work - eg should be 47k was 96k, should be 150R was 480R.

On two of the three I've restored, unfortunately the shrouded drop through mains transformers, (the original of which which looks a but puny) had been replaced with an upright one. Really, these sets are now so costly that if another came my way with an original burnt out mains tranny, I'd go to the expense of a re-wind.

The dials can be problematical, and backs are often missing.

The one on offer for £300 is has its back and good dial and seems quite keenly priced even with its obvious shortcomings, bearing in mind that ludicrous asking prices of up to £1000 are often sought. (Of course, asking is one thing - getting is another).

Once restored, A22s sound delightful, and are especially lively on the shotwave band.

Really, I suppose the above comments would be more appropriate under 'success stories' but I thought they might help to put into perspective what's involved in restoration if anyone might be teetering on the brink of buying the one on offer for £300.

David.

chipp1968 · 10th May 2010, 8:36 am

Hopefully someone may like to see this set then if you think its worthwile, From what i remember the crack was from back to halfway in on the top ,but i didnt study it for long.
£300 for me is too much .I would rather pay more for something more up together.I know that high prices are asked for them,saw a few at NVCF so it may be a reasonable price ,after works done it would look great.
I dont like the idea of painting Bakelite .Do you mean you sprayed the whole cabinet?

5th May 2010, 8:36 am	#1
chipp1968 Rest in Peace Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Somerset, UK. Posts: 2,356	Ekco A22 Taunton On monday I visited the antiques place at Taunton , Not sure where it is , but its very central.Its only open Mondays . Upstairs at the rear is a Black and Chrome A22 at £300 ,unfortunately it has a top crack and the two flanking knobs are missing .Good points has back ,original cloth and the dial is in good condition.

5th May 2010, 6:14 pm	#2
David G4EBT Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Cottingham, East Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 5,766	Re: Ekco A22 Taunton Bargain! If the top crack is across the top rather than from front to back, and about an inch or so long that is a stress crack, characteristic of many A22s for some reason. The thing to watch out for is cracks along the underside of the fragile 'feet' if that's the right term. These are hollow, the radio is quite heavy, and if plonked down on a table - as no doubt many have during their long lives, a nasty crack appears along the length of the foot/feet. The good news is that these nasty cracks on the 'feet' can't normally be seen (and hence, are a pitfall for the unwary) and an almost invisible repair to the black cabinet can be accomplished using fibreglass and resin reniforcement internally, and acrylic gloss black car spray externally. I renovated one for my son in this way, and the acrylic paint has blended in so well with the black bakelite cabinet that it's almost impossible to tell, even on close examination. As to the missing knobs, they wouldn't be difficult to cast in resin, with a brass insert, then sprayed black, (or our chum over the pond in the Netherlands would no doubt be able to make a couple if none turned up). The A22 is an easy restoration, with most components around the outer perimiter of the chassis. All the rubber wiring will have long since perished, with HT and heaters runnig alongside each other and touching in places. They really must be completely re-wired with silicone flex. (Source: Forum member Phil Marrison). The most challenging aspect of this is to make a new shielded wiring harness for several wires from the mains transformer and smoothing/reservour caps. Not so daunting if you make a drawing of whay goes where. I've restored three A22s up to now, and have found that there are eight waxy caps to replace, one electrolytic - 25uF 25V cathode bypass for the infamous EBL31 output valve. (A modern one fits easily inside the case of the original, which is mounted upright on top of the chassis). On one set, the smoother/reservoir caps needed replacement - the other two reformed nicely. I usually leave any resistors in place if they're less than 20% out of tolerance, and generally, have found that no more than half a dozen are needed. Even with resistors well out of tolerance, these sets still seem to work - eg should be 47k was 96k, should be 150R was 480R. On two of the three I've restored, unfortunately the shrouded drop through mains transformers, (the original of which which looks a but puny) had been replaced with an upright one. Really, these sets are now so costly that if another came my way with an original burnt out mains tranny, I'd go to the expense of a re-wind. The dials can be problematical, and backs are often missing. The one on offer for £300 is has its back and good dial and seems quite keenly priced even with its obvious shortcomings, bearing in mind that ludicrous asking prices of up to £1000 are often sought. (Of course, asking is one thing - getting is another). Once restored, A22s sound delightful, and are especially lively on the shotwave band. Really, I suppose the above comments would be more appropriate under 'success stories' but I thought they might help to put into perspective what's involved in restoration if anyone might be teetering on the brink of buying the one on offer for £300. David.

10th May 2010, 8:36 am	#3
chipp1968 Rest in Peace Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Somerset, UK. Posts: 2,356	Re: Ekco A22 Taunton Hopefully someone may like to see this set then if you think its worthwile, From what i remember the crack was from back to halfway in on the top ,but i didnt study it for long. £300 for me is too much .I would rather pay more for something more up together.I know that high prices are asked for them,saw a few at NVCF so it may be a reasonable price ,after works done it would look great. I dont like the idea of painting Bakelite .Do you mean you sprayed the whole cabinet?