View Full Version : New TV guy here


UberVacTuber
10-16-2011, 12:00 PM
Hi all,

Dan Jones here from Michigan. I had originally signed on with the AudioKarma site years ago. I've done a few radio and stereo restorations, and felt ready to take on an old TV. Phil Nelson (also a member here) has already been giving me much advice and has been a huge help. Thanks, Phil!!

Years ago my folks were preparing to tear down our old family cottage and luckily we saved the old Admiral 30A14. My grandparents purchased it new in '48 and were the proverbial "first on the block to own a TV".. It sat in a storage locker until early this spring I hauled it out and began to work on it. I've gotten it functional again, and am now doing the detail debugging work. As I go I might be asking a few questions as I've noticed while reading through the site here that Admiral sets have some picture quirks that are normal and inherent to the design.

We also had a larger Muntz TV at the cottage as well. Sadly, it was left there and went down with the ship. :tears: (I keep telling myself that it had a tube brightener and would have been a lost cause anyway...)

consoleguy67
10-16-2011, 12:35 PM
Hi Dan,
Welcome! I hope that your stay here is a great one, and that the great knowledge of the people here will be of great help to you. Enjoy!

Frank

Sandy G
10-16-2011, 03:25 PM
Nice t'have ya ! Welcome !

bandersen
10-16-2011, 05:26 PM
Welcome to VK :wave:
I've restored a few late 40s Admirals and have a bunch more to do including a 30A14. Here's the thread about it: http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=251336

Good luck,
Bob

Komet
10-17-2011, 06:13 PM
Welcome!!

earlyfilm
10-17-2011, 09:49 PM
Welcome to VK :wave:
I've restored a few late 40s Admirals and have a bunch more to do including a 30A14.

Bob,

Since I could not remember what this model Admiral looked like inside, I hopped over to your photo pages to see your three unrestored sets and spotted:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/4818566185/in/set-72157624191905176

Now, I have a huge and formerly-beautiful 1949 RCA cabinet that a simple cleaning and gentle rebrushing with a very, very thinned lacquer and after drying, a few minutes dulling with rotten stone and finally a little Johnson's paste floor wax would have turned this cabinet back into a thing of beauty!

However, instead, the previous owner had slapped on a very uneven coat of polyurethane that had the thickness of molasses and it looks like he used a snaggle-toothed paint brush.

I was resigned to having to sand the beast and start from scratch.

What are your thoughts on how effective this Citristrip would be in removing the thickest coat of polyurethane that I've ever seen?
Any precautions, other than gloves?
Does it have to be neutralized?
How badly does it raise the grain in the wood?

I've never heard of the stuff and googled it and found that no local store carries it, but it is available within driving distance.

James.

bandersen
10-17-2011, 10:34 PM
...What are your thoughts on how effective this Citristrip would be in removing the thickest coat of polyurethane that I've ever seen?
Any precautions, other than gloves?
Does it have to be neutralized?
How badly does it raise the grain in the wood?

I've never heard of the stuff and googled it and found that no local store carries it, but it is available within driving distance.

James.

Funny you should bring this up now. I did that test months ago but just last week finally got the last of the poly off. I won't sugar coat the process - it was a major PITA!

I tried that orange Citristrip, some green Zinsser citrus stripper and Klean-Strip KS-3 Premium. They all worked to some extent, but I still had to do three passes and even use a brass wire brush to get the poly out of all the grain :drool: The Citristrip gave the best results with the least toxicity. I'd go with the KS-3 as my next choice. Just make sure you follow the precautions like wearing gloves.

I wouldn't say any of them raised the grain. This cabinet was really open-grained walnut to begin with.

I used stripped Klean-strip After Wash followed my some mineral spirits to remove any residue.

I'll document the process including photos when I'm further along.

UberVacTuber
10-21-2011, 08:46 PM
By the way, here's a pic of the little fella. Unfortunately I don't have the matching phono/radio console that goes with it.. (the Toledo, OH Goodwill had one on auction last week and it went for $62! :pity:)

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p235/evinrudedude/DSC02974.jpg

bandersen
10-21-2011, 10:11 PM
By the way, here's a pic of the little fella. Unfortunately I don't have the matching phono/radio console that goes with it.. (the Toledo, OH Goodwill had one on auction last week and it went for $62! :pity:)



It's in much better condition than my 30A14 :yes:

I've only seen one matching phono/radio for sale anywhere near me. It was in Indiana a couple years ago for $50 IIRC. At the time it didn't seem worth the trip. I really wish I had gotten it now :(

Looks like your decals have been obliterated. I have a couple sets like that too. Fellow VK member Reece kindly same some replicas using gold embossing powered. You can read about it in this thread: http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=246991&page=4

UberVacTuber
10-22-2011, 07:53 AM
Yeah, I'm only an hour from Toledo and my wife said she'd even be crazy enough to go down with me to get it. It was the same wood color too.. After thinking it over, I just don't have the room for it and I chose to let it go. Plus, I wanted to restore this particular TV since it's been in the family since it was new, so it has special value. So, the radio unit didn't have the same kind of meaning to me either.

As for the decals, Reece and I have already been talking..:banana: