I took a long lunch break today and picked up this RCA 8T241 :)
About 7 months ago I visited this sellers shop and scored a Motorola VT71 blond, Predicta Princess and a B&K 1077B. Back then they were asking $125 and I passed on it.

Friday it was listed for only $25 and I jumped on it.

It looks to be in pretty good shape inside and out - even has the back. Luckily, I found that missing piece of veneer in the floor. It should be easy to glue back on.

It's still out in my car - way too heavy to carry up two flights of stairs :drool: I'll try removing the CRT later tonight. That's how I managed to get my 630TS up here.

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/01-01.jpg http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/01-02.jpg http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/01-03.jpg http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/01-04.jpg http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/01-05.jpg

I think I'll tackle this set before I attempt my 630TS. I believe it's a similar chassis :scratch2:

Kewl !

Great find !! :banana:

Is it any wonder that most TV collectors have bad backs ?

As I recall this is a simplified version of the 630 (1946-30 tubes) I think that 824 means 1948-24 tubes.

Great find !! :banana:

Is it any wonder that most TV collectors have bad backs ?

As I recall this is a simplified version of the 630 (1946-30 tubes) I think that 824 means 1948-24 tubes.

LOL. When I first tried to pick it up, I though it was bolted to the table it was sitting on o.O

Time to hit the gym!

I think you're right about that tube count.

Be careful lifting these heavy TVs. A TV serviceman that I knew about 35 years ago died of a heart attack after lifting one of the 1960s long console color sets. Of course, he was also very overweight and a heavy smoker which did not help.

I used to be mostly a floor model kinda tv guy. But you guys keep posting pics of these gorgeous table tops. Love um.

Cool find and a great price! :thmbsp:

I have the 243 version of this set and can vouch for the weight of the set, it's a back buster, not that any 40's set is exactly light.

I'm still alive and my back is OK :)

I remembered the trick to removing the CRT from the front. Turned out that all the rubber CRT mounts had rotted away and it was really loose. Only the yoke was holding it in place.

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/02-01.jpg http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/02-02.jpg http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/02-03.jpg http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/02-05.jpg http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/02-06.jpg

Now I see why the fine tuning knob felt weird - the rubber belt had hardened.
http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/02-04.jpg

It's so nice when all the parts and knobs are there :yes:
http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/02-07.jpg

Genuine RCA picture tube. Initial dead on my B&K 440 - just touching the "good" region after an hour @ 6.3 vac. That's about average for all by 10BP4s.
http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/02-08.jpg

Control panel is in decent condition.
http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/02-09.jpg

Nice little service port underneath revealed a pristine chassis. No obvious signs of any repair attempts.
http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/02-10.jpg

Dunno when I'll get around to this set. I've already got enough projects for the next two years :D

Wow, very nice find. That set is in great shape, the chassis is even clean! I have two of these sets. One was from the local NBC affiliate here in Chicago.
I drove to Detroit two years ago to pick up another one. It was free on Craig's list. It had been stored in a garage for the last thirty years and shows it. I wanted the 10BP4 from it, as I had careless stored the original and it got broke when my mom cleaned the basement. I now have both sets in my new home but haven't started restoration. Looks like you have all the parts, but PM me if you find something bad. I may be able to spare something.

Wow, very nice find. That set is in great shape, the chassis is even clean! I have two of these sets. One was from the local NBC affiliate here in Chicago.
I drove to Detroit two years ago to pick up another one. It was free on Craig's list. It had been stored in a garage for the last thirty years and shows it. I wanted the 10BP4 from it, as I had careless stored the original and it got broke when my mom cleaned the basement. I now have both sets in my new home but haven't started restoration. Looks like you have all the parts, but PM me if you find something bad. I may be able to spare something.

Thanks for the offer - I'll keep you in mind!

Do recall any type of padding between the CRT mounts and the CRT? There's one in each corner.
Mine are all bare metal with no trace of any coating. Bare metal against heavy glass under vacuum seems like a bad idea :no:

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/03-01.jpg

There's a blonde version on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/1948-Antique-RCA-Victor-8-T-241-Tabletop-Television-Set_W0QQitemZ130333936945QQcategoryZ3638QQcmdZView Item) right now. Not exactly the most attractive cabinet in my opinion. Wonder why they didn't find some wood with interesting grain for the front?

Hey I'm glad you grabbed that, was it in a shop in like a weird little plaza of suites all in dark red brick? I think it was in Northbrook on Commercial Ave. I passed on it too for 125$. They had some cool stuff in there but nothing I would go nuts over at the time. Seems like you grabbed all the good stuff:) I was there about 7 months ago too, we must have been like ships passing in the night.:D

Hey I'm glad you grabbed that, was it in a shop in like a weird little plaza of suites all in dark red brick? I think it was in Northbrook on Commercial Ave. I passed on it too for 125$. They had some cool stuff in there but nothing I would go nuts over at the time. Seems like you grabbed all the good stuff:) I was there about 7 months ago too, we must have been like ships passing in the night.:D

Yep, that's the place :yes: They had a bunch of metal portables, test equipment and radios back then.

I didn't get all the good stuff though. I just didn't realize at the time what some of it was :tears:

A few weeks later they had a big everything must go sale that I missed. I was really surprised that this set was still around. It's mostly all gone now - just a few combo radio record players left.

They're focusing on vintage bikes now. I took a few pics with my cell phone while I was there.

Do recall any type of padding between the CRT mounts and the CRT?
On the 630TS the metal supports have little cushions made of rubber or plastic. Over time, I suppose they slip off or go to pieces.

What to replace them with is left to the reader's imagination -- glued-on pads of some type, creative business with heavy shrink tubing, or (if nobody's watching) a few licks of electrical tape. You don't need a ton of padding. Anyone who moves these whales every time they vacuum the carpet deserves to reap the bitter harvest :)

Phil

Thanks for the suggestions Phil. This chassis is similar to the one you're working on isn't it? I couldn't find any markings on the chassis, but it looks similar to your photos.

I checked the sets I have. The one from Detroit has what I would describe as rubber bands around the metal supports. I can see why they are typically missing, as it pretty much disintegrated. The other wierd thing about the CRT mounting is the grounding of the DAQ. It is just a couple of wire loops on either side the yoke.

I checked the sets I have. The one from Detroit has what I would describe as rubber bands around the metal supports. I can see why they are typically missing, as it pretty much disintegrated. The other wierd thing about the CRT mounting is the grounding of the DAQ. It is just a couple of wire loops on either side the yoke.

Thanks - I have a few rubber bands lying around :)
I've seen wire loops used on lots of sets for the dag. I don't think it's all that critical anyway since there's already a doorknob cap to filter the HV.

looks similar to your photos.
The general layout is quite similar from what I can see. No belt-driven fine tuner on this one, though. It has a separate knob above the channel selector. The knob moves a slug up and down with a lever, like a miniature oil derrick.

I have the tuner out for cleaning right now, by coincidence. There was some monkey business going on with this one. The RF oscillator adjustment screw for channel 7 was hanging slantwise, almost out of its hole. The screw for channel 12 was rolling around loose in the cage. "Gawrsh, Mickey, I wonder why channels 7 and 12 never pull in any good?!?"

Phil

There's a blonde version on eBay right now. Not exactly the most attractive cabinet in my opinion. Wonder why they didn't find some wood with interesting grain for the front?
I like the looks of that blond one better than the darker ones. I have one (non-blond) with a poor cabinet, waiting for some attention since 1980. Mine has the fake burled-wood look on its front panel, if I remember right.

Aw crap! Now that I look more closely it appears to be some sort of photo finish. I thought that was solid burl or at least veneer.
I was planning on refinishing that front. Maybe I'll just have to lacquer over the existing finish flaws and all.

Aw crap! Now that I look more closely it appears to be some sort of photo finish. I thought that was solid burl or at least veneer.
I was planning on refinishing that front. Maybe I'll just have to lacquer over the existing finish flaws and all.

Yep! I think they all have the same pattern... here is mine ... photo1

I just used some little stick-on rubber "feet" on the CRT support brackets... work great!

jr

Thanks. Looks like yours is in pretty good shape. Mine's a bit chipped up and alligatoring.
I'm heading out to Menards - I'll see if they have any sticky feet.

Phil - I have the "oil derrick" too :) The rubber band and pulley on my set allow for a concentric fine tuning control.

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/04-01.jpg

Good luck with your set. I think I'll make mine my "winter project". It's nice to have someone to compare notes with.

Bob

If a photo finish has little scrapes down to the white paper backing, you can conceal them with brown oil paints and a fine artist brush. Then lacquer over, and the cabinet will pass the six-foot walk-by test.

Here's the tuner after cleaning. Wish I had done it as soon as I had a raster. It wasn't hard to get out, after all. I tried to take photos of the innards as I cleaned, but it's just too cramped.

On my tuner, the RF oscillator tube has a round spring clip to hold the lead shield against the upright metal support. A twist of wire would work, too.

If you're not going to tackle yours until winter, I will have this as an article on my website. I hope to finish in a week or two, after some new parts arrive. Note to self -- that doesn't include replacing the torn cloth. I should order something now.

Phil

Wow! I hope I can get mine half that clean. How did you get that tube shield so shiny?

Good idea about the oil paint touch up - I think I can mange it :)

Yeah, not going to work on this set until winter. Gotta finish my 20X122 then I'm going to tackle my Philco 49-1040.

I hadn't noticed that lead shield before. Weird - wasn't the usual steel good enough?

The shiny shield is aluminum, so soft you can practically shine it with your tongue. Steel or tin-plated shields . . . forget it.

The lead shield is to minimize microphonics in the oscillator tube from mechanical vibration. Same reason they would never mount the speaker right next to the tuner. So, you want to lash that shield down securely.

The tuner works the same whether the outside's clean or dirty, but after slaving an hour on the insides, I reward myself by spiffing up the parts you can see in a photo.

Phil

Incidentally, if you haven't found a chassis number elsewhere, try peeking under the CRT bell. That's where mine (KCS38) was stamped.

Phil

Nope, no chassis number there. I pulled the chassis last night and couldn't find one anywhere.

I just remembered that a local antique shop has a couple T-100s :scratch2:
Naw, that would be crazy! I can barely move around my place anymore - too many TVs.

Is the cabinet on the T-100 the same overall size as the 12" T-120?
they look pretty much the same except the T-120 doesn't have the cloth grille.

Both are about 21"W x 21"D but the T-100 is about 15"High and the T-120 is about 18"H.

jr

I've put it back together and stacked it on the last place available. There she'll have to wait a few months :)

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/05-01.jpg

NICE!

My parents had exactly the same bedroom furniture when I was a kid... I really liked the drawer pulls with the domed orange/brown plastic? on the top. there was a vanity also, with a low middle section between what appeared to be two night tables. above the drop section was a tall mirror about 2- 3 ft wide with a curved top. Cool seeing this again :thmbsp:

jr

Thanks!
They have catalin pulls I think or maybe it's bakelite. That's a Lane cedar chest on the left. I'd like to get a matching vanity, but there's no room. Was your parent's something like this?
My place was built in 1873 and the room dimensions are really silly. Some 7' X 7' - my bedroom is only 7' X 10' :sigh:

Here are pictures of my other pieces of Art Deco and Danish Modern furniture (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/sets/72157622373796245/detail/).

Here's a tip if you find a set that hasn't been powered up in a long time.
This 10BP4 showed 0 emission at first. That's pretty much how all my 10BP4s have tested at first. Let them run for an hour at least before considering them dead or weak. Running for a while @7 V can help too. Try this before trying to rejuvenate them. Sitting around for a few decades seems to put them to sleep.

Here's this one after 30 min @. After ran hour it was into the green :)

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/rca%208T241/06-01.jpg

Thanks!
They have catalin pulls I think or maybe it's bakelite. That's a Lane cedar chest on the left. I'd like to get a matching vanity, but there's no room. Was your parent's something like this?


Not quite, the mirror was not round, it went straight up with constant width from the drop section and was rounded only at the top. The cedar chest was very similar to your Lane, but had diagonal pattern wood grain panels in the center, and a cast pull with the catalin plastic? on the lid to lift it. Great pix BTW! :thmbsp:

jr