View Full Version : 1950 Zenith


John Marinello
05-30-2011, 10:00 AM
"It has some small scratches in the varnish".

Translated: Any remaining varnish is scratched all to hell.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1950-Zenith-Porthole-T-V-/150611503410?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item2311252932

Sandy G
05-30-2011, 10:16 AM
That looks like the 19" version, too, not many want that one....Aren't the CRTs virtually ALWAYS "Toast" in those ?

charokeeroad
05-30-2011, 10:16 AM
I'm looking for a big roundie like that but this one looks like it went through a rock tumbler.

John Marinello
05-30-2011, 12:18 PM
That looks like the 19" version, too, not many want that one....Aren't the CRTs virtually ALWAYS "Toast" in those ?

They didn't have the 19-inchers until '51. This one's a toughie also, uses a 16EP4.

John Marinello
06-04-2011, 11:39 AM
Well, it's up in an hour. I doubt it will sell at that price. Any locals who need a 16EP4 should maybe test it & make a deal.

charokeeroad
06-04-2011, 12:13 PM
Im looking to restore this old Zenith round screen (porthole) tv from the 50s. Obviously parts will be hard to find but what i really need is a schematic for the thing. I've looked everywhere i can think of on the net, but can't find crap on this dinosaur machine. Any help at all greatly appreciated.

posting pulled

pugs5061
06-04-2011, 04:57 PM
I'm very local, about 10 minutes away. I offered him $100 sight unseen whether the CRT is good or not. We will see.

cwmoser
06-04-2011, 05:19 PM
Zenith Porthole TV's are hot.

I'm looking for them and it seems everyone is looking for them too.

Carl

Reece
06-04-2011, 05:33 PM
"small scratches in the varnish" except it ain't varnish. It's lacquer.

Eric H
06-04-2011, 05:55 PM
"small scratches in the varnish" except it ain't varnish. It's lacquer.

At least it would be if there were any. :D

7"estatdef
06-04-2011, 08:04 PM
I've got three I could be talked out of, two '49 and a '50 models
Terry

JCFitz
06-04-2011, 10:35 PM
Zenith Porthole TV's are hot.

I'm looking for them and it seems everyone is looking for them too.

Carl

My search ended last week when I got my blonde combo. That's not saying I don't want any more portholes though.:naughty:;)

charokeeroad
06-05-2011, 10:03 AM
I've got three I could be talked out of, two '49 and a '50 models
Terry

What would the shipping be to Los Angeles, Grayhound? I still have a little room left.

cwmoser
06-05-2011, 12:29 PM
I want one like John Marinello's "Byron" Porthole TV.
Is that a 19" CRT?

Carl

7"estatdef
06-05-2011, 03:38 PM
Don't think I'm interested packing and all the other business of shipping them. Darn things are pretty heavy.
Terry

charokeeroad
06-05-2011, 06:19 PM
I know UPS will pack for you and guarentee it too. All depends on the overall condition of the set. Has the chassis been restored?

John Marinello
06-05-2011, 08:05 PM
I want one like John Marinello's "Byron" Porthole TV.
Is that a 19" CRT?

Carl

Yes it was a 19-incher, but I no longer have it. It was a minty set.
How 'bout a 16-incher "little brother" to it?

Sandy G
06-05-2011, 08:16 PM
I want a 10" leather-covered tabletop...An' people in Hades want Ice Water, too...And one is as likely to happen as the other, I fear...(grin)

John Marinello
06-05-2011, 08:40 PM
I want a 10" leather-covered tabletop...

You'll have to make one, as they were only available as a 12-incher.

Sandy G
06-05-2011, 10:55 PM
You'll have to make one, as they were only available as a 12-incher.

Oh, well...Guess I'll hafta "Make Do" w/a lousy 12-incher...(grin)

John Marinello
06-12-2011, 06:44 PM
It's back, with a mild price reduction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150617653884&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNARL:US:1123

I enlarged one of the photos, and it kinda looks like the plastic insulator
around the CRT is full of cracks. A replacement might be tough to find?
I'm not sure what causes these to become hard & brittle, but my best
guess would be excessive exposure to sunlight. Most of them remain
soft & pliable.

pugs5061
06-12-2011, 07:25 PM
Well he did call me before he relisted it. Of course my kids took the call and I missed him. I am having second thoughts on my offer but if the CRT is good I'd still do it. At this point I'll just wait and see if he sells it on ebay and contact him if it doesn't sell. Please be advised that if your interested go for it, I am just making sure it doesn't end up in the landfill.

cwmoser
06-13-2011, 05:43 AM
I've restored a Zenith porthole almost exactly like this one - really fun project, my first TV restoration. It will be a beautiful TV when restored.

Carl

John Marinello
06-28-2011, 04:28 PM
It's back, again:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1950-Zenith-Porthole-T-V-/150625397887?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item2311f92c7f

Price reduced again.

pugs5061
07-05-2011, 05:16 PM
Well I now own another TV. I will update you all when I get it home with more pictures and a report on the CRT. My feeling is that if the CRT is good, I did excellent. If the CRT is not good, I have a cool looking nonworking TV that if could ever find a CRT might work someday. The cabinet doesn't worry me too much even if it needs a total restoration. This is where I'll start. My efforts recapping and restoring the electronics will have to wait until I finish my other 2 sets. I'm still a newbie to this, learning more every time I sit down and work on a set. I still want to practice on the 2 others before I tackle something that would be sacrilage to screw up.
Bret

DaveWM
07-05-2011, 07:43 PM
practice is a good thing, if it worked with out any effort it would not be nearly as rewarding.

pugs5061
07-08-2011, 11:21 PM
Picked up this set today and I'm pleasantly surprised! The varnish scratches are nothing to me, (I'm in construction), all this cabinet needs is a good sanding, stain and some laquer. All the knobs are there and the metal cover on the front is there and in good condition. The CRT although I wouldn't call it good yet did manage to get well above the 300 good emissions on my B&K 445 after about an hour "cooking" at about 8 volts. Life test was not there yet. Close but I am going to wait until I have time for the restoration before I say it is good or bad. The chassis has a little bit of rust but not bad and in fact better than my other 2 sets had started out with. The bottom transformer looks almost like new! The set turned out to be a 24G24 Chassis with the same cabinet that cmoser is calling a "Lincoln" with a 16EP4 (Banderson are you interested in a CRT that is close to good?). As said above, I love the looks of this set but I am a newbie here with very little time. It's boating season now and then football season (I hope my son is playing varsity this year!) and then wrestling etc. etc., so I have caught the bug but reality tells me I can't spend hours working on old TV sets! That being said if someone wants or needs items from this set let me know (for the good of the hobby and to help you guys, NOT TO MAKE MONEY HERE). I bought the set for $100 and I bought it because no one else did. I would definetly prefer someone buying the whole set and would be willing to help in the shipping process. If this thread needs to be moved to classifieds then please move it. If no one responds I will wait the couple years til the kids are gone and make myself a cool new(old) TV. Pictures can be forwarded but my online account is down due to nonuse and I really can't post them here without alot of hassle.

Bret Pugsley

bandersen
07-08-2011, 11:33 PM
Hi Bret. I like your attitude :) I picked up a really good 16GP4 from captainmoody a few weeks ago and another good one more recently. Actually very close to Barrington in Island Lake, IL.

They are shorter and 10 degrees steeper, but I hope to make one of them work. Plus my 16EP4 may have a smidgen of life left. I'd rather someone restore your whole set than see it parted out.

If you'd ever like some help getting your sets working just let me know - I'd be glad to help.

pugs5061
07-09-2011, 12:15 AM
Glad to hear that Bob. I'm sitting here wondering if maybe I want to be the one restoring it and having second thoughts. My wife thinks I'm crazy and my kids have no interest whatsoever when I "disappear" to work on TV's. If the CRT was for sure good I would restore it and the post above wouldn't have sounded like it did. It's just that even with the CRT testing I'm not sure it would work. I also don't think I am electronically savvy enough to make a 16gp4 work. On a side note, Island Lake may be closer to me than Barrington, I live on the Fox River near Port Barrington. Maybe I'm just frustrasted with the sets I am already working on, On my Motorola it seems as though my 8bp4 is dead. Fully recapped with full HV I just can't get a raster no matter what I do. The RCA 129 TA I was working on won't give me HV, I think the Horizontal drive is bad, I've been patiently waiting for either of those items to show up someplace without much luck. Can I test the Motorola with a 5AX4?(the test crt if that isn't the right #) A reasonably priced 7JP4 would be ok too but they always seem to be going for $100+. This hobby is growing up as we speak and I feel this is a sign of things to come and YOU personally will be someone who could take advantage of this. I have spent too many hours watching your videos hoping to figure something out and I can tell this is NOT your intent and speaking just for myself it's a breath of fresh air and I will say thank you for spending as much time as you do making those videos.

Bret Pugsley

bandersen
07-09-2011, 11:09 PM
Thanks for the kind words.
The 5AXP4 is magnetic deflection while the 8BP4 is electrostatic. Totally different bases and voltages.
If you're ever out my way, I can test you 8BP4 in my Sencore CR70. For that matter, you could bring over the whole set too. I have a good 8BP4 in my Motorola 9T1 we could try out.

Electronic M
07-10-2011, 08:35 PM
If you part out that porthole and it has the same bezzle and pencil box door as my 24H20 chassis then I would be happy to take your bezzle off your hands. I'll even pay good money for it.

Tom C.

pugs5061
07-10-2011, 09:34 PM
Who am I kidding, my boats' fuel pump went out yesterday and I found myself pulling the chassis and sanding the cabinet on the porthole while contemplating the $1200 I spent on my other hobby with a lot more to spend to get on the water for more than the whole 5 minutes that I couldn't enjoy because my mind was figuring out how to get back to shore with no motor running. I won't be parting this TV out. The underneath of this set has never been touched, all but 4 or 5 of the tubes are original, the crt seems to better than marginal now and the emmisions are in the middle of the green and most importantly the flyback looks to be good. Whether its tommorow or 5 years from now I will do my best to restore it. If I find the time to restore it now I will update everyone on a thread here with pictures. Sorry if I boosted anyones hopes but I'm going to hang on to this thing.

Bob, thank you for your offer, eventually I will take you up on it. I will P.M. you when I can find some time. My weekends are pretty booked for the rest of the summer and my sons games start in late August. I wish I didn't have to sleep and could write code all night like some people and then I could schedule something during the week but I find that I'm not superhuman anymore :D
Thank You,
Bret

pugs5061
07-10-2011, 09:41 PM
Who am I kidding, my boats' fuel pump went out yesterday and I found myself pulling the chassis and sanding the cabinet on the porthole while contemplating the $1200 I spent on my other hobby with a lot more to spend to get on the water for more than the whole 5 minutes that I couldn't enjoy because my mind was figuring out how to get back to shore with no motor running. I won't be parting this TV out. The underneath of this set has never been touched, all but 4 or 5 of the tubes are original, the crt seems to better than marginal now and the emmisions are in the middle of the green and most importantly the flyback looks to be good. Whether its tommorow or 5 years from now I will do my best to restore it. If I find the time to restore it now I will update everyone on a thread here with pictures. Sorry if I boosted anyones hopes but I'm going to hang on to this thing.

Bob, thank you for your offer, eventually I will take you up on it. I will P.M. you when I can find some time. My weekends are pretty booked for the rest of the summer and my sons games start in late August. I wish I didn't have to sleep and could write code all night like some people and then I could schedule something during the week but I find that I'm not superhuman anymore :D
Thank You,
Bret

pugs5061
07-10-2011, 09:42 PM
Double Post Sorry

M3-SRT8
07-19-2011, 10:12 PM
I'm looking for a big roundie like that but this one looks like it went through a rock tumbler.

Looks more like it was attacked by Stukas...:smoke:

pugs5061
07-20-2011, 09:04 PM
Well the boats fuel pump is fixed and the cabinet is almost ready for new stain. The family is happy and its too hot to boat, who would of thought it would be over 100 degrees here in Chicago with mega humidity?
I really like the look of the woodgrain showing through and am thinking about only staining and laquering the cabinet. It seems as though most of you use a grain filler and a sanding sealer. Any comments would be appreciated. Pictures will be forthcoming but not as of yet. Too all of you commenting on the finish, most of what your commenting on is the original finish just peeling off. This set was really in very nice shape, no heavy scratches or large imperfections to deal with and I'm very happy with it.

pugs5061
07-20-2011, 09:18 PM
I have 2 other questions for you guys out there. This TV looks exactly like the one restored by CW Moser with the round button on top of the CRT, where can I find the model name. I know my chassis is a 24G24 but I don't know the model number for the TV itself. The ebay listing called it a 2350Z but I don't know why. I'm thinking it is a "Lexington" and it is definitly an identical copy to the "Lincoln" in all other ways except for the bezel and pencil box finishes which I am comparing to CW Mosers "Lincoln" which I elaborate on below.
The second question involves the bezel and the pencil box door. On this one they both seem to have been painted gold. I hear the door on most of these is usually just polished up because it is made of brass. I thought on Bandersens porthole he painted them like this one seems to have. Does anyone have a color selection?
Thank you for any comments,
Bret

bandersen
07-20-2011, 10:38 PM
I haven't actually done any work on my porthole yet, but both are in good condition so I don't plan on doing anything to them.

I have painted brass parts on other sets that were either painted to begin with or where the plating was so bad I didn't have much choice. Otherwise, I like to polish up the brass then clear coat it.

cwmoser
07-21-2011, 06:15 AM
On my Zenith porthole the bezel was some sort of pot metal and the finish on mine was bad. I sanded it smooth and painted it. It really made a big difference in appearance refinishing the bezel. The pencil box door on mine was solid brass - I polished it to a bright luster.

Your TV is going to be a real beauty. I finished mine over a year ago and I still admire the beauty of this design. Nice also having it play when I want to watch old black and white movies.