Hey Guys,

Like most, it seems I have piles of sets everywhere, especially since I've been away from the hobby for awhile (though that doesn't seem to slow the number that follow me home :scratch2:) For the last year or so I've been building a combo workshop/display room with plans on getting out all the old equipment and having some fun. But here's where I'm stumped.... How best to display table model sets? Consoles, sure, put 'em back to back and load the tops up with display items and UHF converters. But portables and table models end up looking like a giant stack of TV sets, especially if you don't have a dedicated wall. :thumbsdn:

So has anyone built shelves for display or come up with a novel approach? I have columns down the center of the building and thought about building "partitions" with shelves between/around them. Would love to hear your thoughts and see some pics. Thanks! -Cory

I just stack the table sets ontop of the consoles.

Impressive collection there Adam! :yes:

I stack 'em up like cord wood! :) .....
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN0538.jpg
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i469/ElectronicMemory/DSCN0429.jpg

The stacks would be taller (probably to the celing) if my folks were not on me about not having any aditional sets in my room cause they are afraid that the floor will collapse from the weight.

I have held myself to a 3-high stack limit. Once had a weak swivel base on a Motorola console give way due to overstacking! I really wish I had a better way-it takes space. Really small sets (the early Japanese portables, etc) are easy to shelve and sets like Adam's avatar fit great on a 12" shelf. Other than that, it can be tough.

Since you have a "blank slate" space to work with, I'd think about how museums display their treasures.

Museums avoid the wall-o'-crap effect, with things piled helter-skelter or crammed too closely. Important items have enough visual "elbow room" that you can appreciate them. This photo from a recent estate sale illustrates the wall-o'-crap method of displaying things (no, I don't know that guy):

http://antiqueradio.org/art/ClaviolineSale.jpg

Every museum owns more things than they can display at one time. Objects are rotated in and out between storage and display. Different groups may be brought out for a special exhibit, and so on.

In my workshop, things are piled up in crazy-man style, where nobody can see the mess. In our house, we try to keep the living quarters reasonably normal. I rotate things from time to time, between crazy world and less-crazy world. That way, every nice item gets a turn sooner or later, and I don't get tired of staring at the same stuff forever.

If your space will combine workshop and display, perhaps you can make some visual separation between them. "And now, if we turn the corner, we enter the TV room."

If you have a lot of display-worthy tabletops, perhaps a wall with deep built-in shelves is as good a solution as any. The $64K question is, how much do you display in that space?

Just a thought . . . .

Phil Nelson

This is one of my shelves-o'-crap. Well at least there's kinda a theme going on up there. I’m blessed with around 10,000 square feet of display area. The public seems to really enjoy looking at the old stuff, but it’s a challenge to keep things out of small arms reach. Yep, I also collect beds. :D

And no the radio’s have never been for sale. I'm still trying to figure out how to display largish TV's while keeping them out of harms way.

Yep, I also collect beds. :D


I'm so confused.

That was a little bad humor, I don't really collect the beds. Not much room in our little house, so I have my radio's on display at my place of business.

This is one of my shelves-o'-crap.
That's a pretty nice display. Looks like some choice items up there, too.

Phil Nelson

Until recently I didn't have a decent space to display anything, enter my Aunt and her Daughter (my Cousin).

We spent three days cleaning and organizing my house, threw away my old comfy chair that was thrashed, tossed out the Couch, took about 3-4000 VHS tapes to the Thrift Store, threw out old shelves, put up new shelves for the DVD's.

Now my living room is actually a place where I can relax and enjoy myself.
I can also display a couple dozen sets in there including most of my consoles.

First picture is a "Before" the rest are after.

I hate this "Lumix Digital Camera, there must be a way to get a decent picture out of it but it's beyond me.
My old Olympus was great but not supported in Win 7.

Now my living room is actually a place where I can relax and enjoy myself.
I can also display a couple dozen sets in there including most of my consoles.


Hey, in that first picture you had your place looking like a real man-cave. :D

Funny how a couple women can turn a guys life around. Very nice looking collection. :yes:

When we decided to enlarge our kitchen and bedroom a few years ago I managed to also work a first floor TV/Radio room into the plans. There are shelves at one end for the table sets. It holds just part of the collection but allows good display and viewing for myself and visitors.

I like all these displays so far. I used to have my sets on display but now they're in storage 'cause....well... I'm kinda homeless:) But, it's all good!

Piled up in the shed! We have our house up for sale, so we had to "de-clutter" it!

Our goal is to get a house with a basement for mine and the wifes hobbies.

I have most of mine stored (safe/dry/neatly), and a few on display in the house. The only mass display I have, is my Sony collection, which takes up 1 room. Several dozen small-screen color Sonys plus a complete set of LCD Sony color and some small-screen CRT & Lollipop tube Sonys. Those, plus the 510-lb 30" console, and Sony's first plasma sets, and all 4 sizes of Profeel, and the first XBR with the foot pedal remote pedestal, etc. No current pics... Need to take some.

Charles

Wow, a lot of great collections guys! And I'd certainly like to avoid the 'wall-o-crap' if at all possible. Well this certainly gives me some ideas-

Tom, your display looks just like my room as a kid. Add in an 8' Sylvania color combo and it'd be complete : )

BTW, I just noticed my join date shows 2010, but I recognize a few names from the old site back when I had a lot more free time. Cool to see new faces, too!

I do the wall of stuff (amended). My main display is my CTC-9, round Zenith, two rectangular Admirals, tabletop post porthole Zenith, Predicta, RCA 8TS30, and 12" Philco. I have a secondary display, but I need to add wiring to accomodate them. Pics coming in the next day or so.

Our goal is to get a house with a basement . . . . . .

You might give a second thought to the basement idea, if at ll:30PM one night, you had gone down into your basement and seen your Bendix Aviation radio with its phantom dial, that had been in your family since new in 1947, along with with a Pilot 3 inch TV sitting on the floor underneath it and looking up at you with its one sad and very, very wet eye because it was drowning in a pool of water!

Most of the extra stuff was in our basement for short term storage as we had moved everything out of the family room to replace the crappy carpeting that the builder had installed in 2006.

We live on a hill and thought that our basement was flood proof.

The Pilot was underneath on the floor simply because it would fit between the Bendix's legs. These along with most of the original negatives of both my family and my wife's family pictures and all our prints that were never put in albums were in the basement.

I have rewashed hundreds of original photo negatives and a huge pile of photographs. The only photographic loss was a few prints where my wife got a bit impatient while we were soaking them prior to separating them and the emulsion pulled off.

The photos took priority, even while we were getting the water out of the basement. In fact, three months later, I still have about a hundred 1940s negatives sealed in water in a zip-lock baggie and frozen, to prevent mold, while waiting to be rewashed.

The Pilot had previously been repaired (but not restored) by the original owner, and I repaired it again in 1976, but it still had never been restored. Before the flood, it still worked but the CRT was getting a a little dim.

I moved the Pilot to the garage, popped open its case and hosed it off, and left it there to dry, and the cabinet does not seem to be hurt. Of course, this will mean that this set gets its long overdue electrical restoration.

The Bendix was left in place and moved to blocks and I wiped off the legs with alcohol to prevent mold. It has dried without any visible damage.

All of my remaining test equipment was in the basement, and while it did not get wet, it lived in very high humidity for over a week.

The actual biggest flood loss was from the wall of books that were moved from the family room to replace the flooring. We were able to dry the older books with almost no damage, but some of the newer ones were a total loss.

We never were able to determine the exact cause of the flood, but a freak localized storm with over 6 inches of rain in three hours helped. (A farmer's rain gauge about a mile from me overflowed at 6 inches. A rough estimate gave about the same amount in an empty solvent container that I had left in the back yard to air out before storing it. The official rain gauge at the airport about 10 miles north, was 3.5 inches. The other nearest official gauge 20 miles south of me was knocked out by the storm and did not register. In the subdivision where I live, only three houses in a row were flooded, and mine was the center one.)

James

I hate this "Lumix Digital Camera, there must be a way to get a decent picture out of it but it's beyond me.
My old Olympus was great but not supported in Win 7.

Sorry to go a bit off topic here, but you don't need to load your computer with very bloated camera software.

I assume that your Olympus has a plug that fits the USB slot.

On Win 7, right click [Start] and select "Open Windows Explorer"

Plug your camera's USB cord into the camera and then into any USB port on your computer.

When your Olympus powers up, it probably will ask you a question and at that point you select the [PC] option on the Olympus screen, at which point the camera screen will turn off.

(If your very old camera fails to power up, turn it on manually.)

You can then use Windows Explorer to probe your camera to find your pictures. Once located go back one folder and select that folder and then copy that folder to any place you want it on your Win 7 computer.

Always select, copy then paste, but never delete anything on your camera using your computer as this sometimes can mess up your camera's logic.

Note: It helps if you have "Display file extensions" turned on in your folder options, to quickly idenfify the jpg files, but it is not necessary.

Every picture that I've posted on this forum was shot with a circa 2002 Olympus using only native Win 7 functions!

As a matter of fact, Windows Explorer will work for almost all digital cameras with a USB connector on all versions of Windows computers back to Win ME and possibly even to Win 98.

James (Still stuck with an analog mind in a digital world)

I have never used any proprietary software with a digital camera. We have a relatively old Olympus camera at our repair shop which predates 2004 and we would always just take the memory card out and put in in a card reader and download the files. I do the same thing with my new digital camera.

As far as displaying equipment I try to create areas which may include TV's, phonographs, table radios, etc. plus lamps and chairs to sit down and watch/listen. I need to take some photos of my current setup but here is one from 1994.

i spy a vintage sherwood receiver. whats that gold face one? it looks like a bogen, is it? looks tubular..

Thanks for the suggestions guys but this camera (Olympus 3000 Zoom) has never been accessible through windows explorer, even on XP. Win 7 won't even acknowledge it's been plugged in.

I can install Camedia Master and the USB driver for XP on windows 7, it shows up in Device Manager but it just sits there and won't communicate with the camera.

A card reader is a possible option, I also have a spare XP machine but it's a tedious process using another machine and transferring pics with Flash Drive.

i spy a vintage sherwood receiver. whats that gold face one? it looks like a bogen, is it? looks tubular..

Yes that is a Sherwood receiver. I don't have it any more, I took it to a radio station I worked for and left it in use there when I left. The gold face receiver is a Channel Master solid state.

I picked up this Edsal shelving system for some of my tabletop sets. They're plenty deep and the whole unit can handle 4,000 lbs

It's not exactly ideal for actually using them, but it keeps them out of harm's way.

The rest of my sets are scattered around every room.

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4134/4930399995_0e2f63027c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/4930399995/) http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4101/4934051400_a1028869a6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/4934051400/)

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4144/4949709443_858b440d9b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/4949709443/)

Banderson- In the last picture above, the porthole on the second shelf up from the bottom on the right side- what is that set? I love the look of that one.

That's a Stromberg Carlson TC-10. Here's the back story on it: http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=248005

This is our temporary holiday time display of the Mighty Majestic. It is outside of the door to our apartment in the hall for all to appreciate.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6523376533_154181aacf_z.jpg

Here is my primary and secondary areas.

Sorry to resurrect an ancient thread but I recently moved into a new home and I am struggling with how I am going to set up a display space. When I first moved in I placed sets in different rooms to spread things out, but then I thought a TV in the dining room looked completely silly. My collection is minuscule at the moment and I am going to keep the number low so the collection doesn't take over the house. I've heard that many people have a "radio room" where they display their collections. I've kicked around the idea of having a guest bedroom/radio room since my home isn't big enough for a room all on it's own. I don't like the idea of table top sets sitting on top of console sets but I think a two level shelf for table top sets might look alright and help to save some space. Does any one else want to share or show pictures of how they set up their display space?

I keep 90% in storage (carefully and correctly stored), and I have one TV at a time in the living room (as if it were "the" TV of the household). To me, that feels more real, than when I had 250 sets all visible when entering the house. I do have a wall unit with all of my Sony mini-Trinitrons on it, with a clear plastic panel over the front of the shelves to dust-proof (and earthquake-resistant-ize) the collection. I have started a collection of very primitive plasma sets from the 90s, an when I get a chance, I'll line those all up mounted on the wall of the hallway.

Charles

I currently have 7" sets scattered all around my place and decided I needed to do something more practical. Specifically, I want to take advantage of my over 9' ceilings. No standard shelving system is going to do exactly what I want so I'm going to roll my own from scratch.

First, I came up with a balsa wood prototype. Imagine the wood blocks are TVs :)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8549/10210040306_0d27b76189_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/10210040306/) http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2868/10210037896_2c0905f6b5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/10210037896/)

Now for the full sized thing. I'm going to use off the shelf dimensioned lumber from a local hardware store. All 1"x2" mahogany and maple.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7293/9737471661_22f4e86fb4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/9737471661/)

I picked up this refurbished Ryobi miter saw cheap and it works great.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/10088878566_d7f00fdffc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/10088878566/)

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=177310&d=1356051609
Here's the Admiral TV I restored, that I got off the bay. It's similar if not the same model I had as a kid (this one in this picture sitting in the same corner of the same room I grew up in where the old one sat), that one was my father's mom's, who bought it new around 1950.

I don't see your photo...

I ran out of space with vintage radios long ago, so don't have room for many TVs. We have a Predicta Holiday I'm just finishing up (fired it up last night, and getting a great pic!). We also have a 1954 Raytheon 17" that I'm going to restore pretty soon. The Predicta will be in the living room, not sure where the Raytheon will go.

Wherever I can put them right now where they won't be in the way. For the future, in a bigger place, I would prefer to keep most of them out of sight most of the time and rotate them in a 70s/80s crossover decor scheme so things don't look too weird. My most recent non-electronic addition: a low-profile captain's bed. It gives me more storage space and eliminates the need for a box spring, my current one being completely shot. The mattress needs replacing too, but I should be able to write off that purchase no problem.

^ GEEZ, that was a long time ago! That was long before I got my 1976 Electrohome console whose space I couldn't even think of sharing with other sets. Actually it was before I got any of my current sets. For the time being most of them will be in my storage room except for when I want to work on them. In the future, in a much better part of the country, different sets in different rooms I guess.

I used to have a twin captain's bed I had to climb up into. It had a storage unit underneath with two stacked drawers and a cubby-hole on each side with a shelf. I'd like to have another one, the one mentioned above is crap in comparison. The drawers were falling apart and are gone now and the empty spaces turned against the wall.

Displaying my sets is very important to me. If it's not done correctly it can look just like a stock-pile and, individually, loose their appeal. I try to make symmetry by say a vintage TV center flanked by two tombstone radios on tables, flanked by two consoles on either side. I also like to display period items on them which further enhances their appeal. I put period small deco lamps, clocks, lighters, ashtrays, pictures, etc. on them. It's fun to search these items out too. I usually use cheap Target furniture as tables or an antique small table/night-stand occasionally.
Joe

Hello it is hard to lift those heavy sets over your head to display them I have ten and a half foot high ceilings most of my sets are on the floor stacked 3 high or on consoles I have 1 display unit with 10 sets stuffed on it...Timothy

I've just completed my TV display space. I finished half of my basement by myself from the ground up with the intention of having a theater/TV display space. I keep very few sets and I want each set to have the space that it deserves. I try to have one original advertisement or other piece of ephemera framed and hanging above each set. The room is my main entertaining area thanks to a wetbar and flat panel theater. It's really great to be able to show the collection to family and friends who come over to visit. It always sparks a conversation about TV history. One of my personal favorites is when I have older folks over and they talk about their first TV experience. There's a bit of room for expansion for one tabletop and one console, but that will take time.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7400/10611846085_dd1a912251_b.jpg

That is awesome!

Here I have some AA5s on display in a bookcase. Those Emersons breed like rabbits... :D
http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=165116&d=1255217882

Hey pretty nice area I have the same GE. 801 as you have on display maybe one day my tv area will look like a museum....Timothy

I've just completed my TV display space.That's beautiful. We just started a remodeling project that should provide a modest display space for me. Your setup gives me some ideas. Was your photo taken with a fisheye lens?

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

Two in the kitchen (my girlfriend's favorites) and one or two in every other room except the bedroom unless my early 80s solid state 19" daily driver counts as a vintage set. Not to me, but there is a topic forum for that. I am down to six, no wait seven; there is one on the front porch (her other favorite)! I tell her that I COULD be collecting cars. Evidently that would be OK for her. Imagine that! Chicks!?!?!

I keep 90% in storage (carefully and correctly stored), and I have one TV at a time in the living room (as if it were "the" TV of the household). To me, that feels more real, than when I had 250 sets all visible when entering the house. I do have a wall unit with all of my Sony mini-Trinitrons on it, with a clear plastic panel over the front of the shelves to dust-proof (and earthquake-resistant-ize) the collection. I have started a collection of very primitive plasma sets from the 90s, an when I get a chance, I'll line those all up mounted on the wall of the hallway. Charles

All I can say is,,, WOW!:D

Was your photo taken with a fisheye lens?


It was taken with an iPhone5 in "pano" mode.

What are you thinking for your remodel? The two most important part for me were having the sets in the area that we spend the most time, and allowing each set to have its own space. I didn't want some dedicated "back room" where everything was hidden away. By having an original framed piece of ephemera above each set it helps to make each one special on its own and give it "shoulder room" to stand out individually.

We are building a new detached garage. The old attached garage will be finished off to become two rooms -- my workshop and a display space. So I have approximately half of a two-car garage to use for display. I need to figure this space out. They just poured the new garage foundation.

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

I packed my stereo away in storage and mounted my flatscreen on the wall to free up some space. It only took about a dozen holes drilled in these 140 year old walls to find some studs :o
I'm using a Google Chromecast to make this "dumb" TV "smart".
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7435/13747316203_14114767cc_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/mWNAaa) https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2833/13747320833_de1c00f09d_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/mWNBwZ)

Much better :yes: Now if I could just get rid of those wires :scratch2:
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/13784243265_9ca6b4919a_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/n14RhD)

Now that's quite a center channel speaker:D

Maybe a piece of wiremold 2300, adhesive-backed, to hide the wires?

Here is the prewar section of my Man's Cave. I do like to have original ephemera an advertising to enhance the sets. I agree with @ VTS 1134 that is is cool to have people over to view the sets, especially old timers who can share their early television experiences. Most people are amazed that there was television before WWII, and that these sets are 75 years old. The strong art deco design also intrigues my guests.

Here is the prewar section of my Man's Cave. I do like to have original ephemera an advertising to enhance the sets. I agree with @ VTS 1134 that is is cool to have people over to view the sets, especially old timers who can share their early television experiences. Most people are amazed that there was television before WWII, and that these sets are 75 years old. The strong art deco design also intrigues my guests.

HOMINA ! HOMINA ! HOMINA ! (grin)

I've just completed my TV display space. I finished half of my basement by myself from the ground up with the intention of having a theater/TV display space. I keep very few sets and I want each set to have the space that it deserves. I try to have one original advertisement or other piece of ephemera framed and hanging above each set. The room is my main entertaining area thanks to a wetbar and flat panel theater. It's really great to be able to show the collection to family and friends who come over to visit. It always sparks a conversation about TV history. One of my personal favorites is when I have older folks over and they talk about their first TV experience. There's a bit of room for expansion for one tabletop and one console, but that will take time.
Very impressive museum-like display! Once you include an RCA TRK-5, you instantly bring your TV collection to A-class! That is the ultimate vintage TV in my opinion. The TRK-9 is more stylish, but the smaller sized 5 is my pick. I've seen many factory RCA 630 tables, but is that actually a factory 621 table? I've never seen one before.
Joe

... is that actually a factory 621 table? I've never seen one before.
Joe

It is not, but it sure is damn close to perfect for the set isn't it? I searched for a stand for the set for many months before I found this one. I thought of painting the stand black like I have done on another one in my display but I never got around to it.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7327/14049145694_3babeac846_z.jpg

i've just completed my tv display space. I finished half of my basement by myself from the ground up with the intention of having a theater/tv display space. I keep very few sets and i want each set to have the space that it deserves. I try to have one original advertisement or other piece of ephemera framed and hanging above each set. The room is my main entertaining area thanks to a wetbar and flat panel theater. It's really great to be able to show the collection to family and friends who come over to visit. It always sparks a conversation about tv history. One of my personal favorites is when i have older folks over and they talk about their first tv experience. There's a bit of room for expansion for one tabletop and one console, but that will take time.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7400/10611846085_dd1a912251_b.jpg

So awesome!!! Wow!

...

Much better :yes: Now if I could just get rid of those wires :scratch2:
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/13784243265_9ca6b4919a_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/n14RhD)

You could install a recessed power outlet (the kind intended for electric wall clocks) fed by some housewire like romex behind the flat screen, and fish the CATV cable and the speaker cords thru the wall, one hole behind the flat screen, and another below near the floor.

It is not, but it sure is damn close to perfect for the set isn't it? I searched for a stand for the set for many months before I found this one. I thought of painting the stand black like I have done on another one in my display but I never got around to it.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7327/14049145694_3babeac846_z.jpg
Thanks John. Yes, now seeing it close-up I can tell it's a generic table, but it really does suit the set perfectly. Years ago, at a local radio swap-meet, someone told me that they found a blonde 621TS at a local estate sale still sitting on it's original blonde stand. Who knows if it was true though. In decades of collecting, and focusing on vintage TV's, I've never seen one anywhere.
Joe

Wow some awesome displays and collections! Mine is SO basic I can describe it in very few words... In my living room a Philco Danish Modern is in one corner (birth year set), and in the other corner lives a 621TS on an original 630TS stand with my favorite, a 621TS on the bottom shelf. I've had the same 3 TV collection now for over 2 decades.

I finally got around to building the custom shelving system I had model many months ago. It ended up being based around 6' tall pre-made sides from Menards home improvement center. I cut a third in half to make them 8' tall and added extra shelf supports. I ended up fitting 9 sets in all.

https://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/tool-storage/freestanding-storage/12-storage-rack-frame-1-piece/p-2716142-c-12652.htm?tid=3803670543193294263

That helped a lot, but it's still pretty crowded in here!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/692/22092401991_e3062c74a3_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zEekqB) https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5632/21459539934_26b0b0c87c_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/yGiKzQ) https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5750/21459539044_175df11b98_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/yGiKju)

I finally got around to building the custom shelving system I had model many months ago. It ended up being based around 6' tall pre-made sides from Menards home improvement center. I cut a third in half to make them 8' tall and added extra shelf supports. I ended up fitting 9 sets in all.
Nice job Bob. That really allows the avid TV collector to free-up their display space. You're really closing-in on acquiring the best of the early post-war sets!

Well mine are scattered thru our home. But these wonderful pics of your displays has me thinking I should put them in our very large living room.

Hey Bob I see the Capehart I sold you finally showed up .

Nice job Bob. That really allows the avid TV collector to free-up their display space. You're really closing-in on acquiring the best of the early post-war sets!

Thanks and that's just a portion. I have around 100 sets total now! Going to try selling off duplicates soon.

Hey Bob I see the Capehart I sold you finally showed up .

Yes indeed, so did the National TV-7M :) I expect the knob quest could take quite a while!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/735/21853261236_03c887a248_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zi6Fd9)

Resurrecting an old thread... I am working on another room for TV display and I thought I'd ask around here if anyone has done what I'm thinking. I would like to build floating wall shelves for my tabletop TVs along a long wall. The shelves will have to be stupendously heavy duty, but I think I can figure something out. Putting the sets on floating shelves will allow me to stagger them. Right now they are just a horizontal line of televisions which isn't very visually interesting. Does anyone else have anything like this in their display space? The one photo that I LOVE! is the one below that some one posted on ARF. I want to create something similar

http://www.louhaskell.com/data/wall-finish2.jpg

I've done shelves with 90 degree support brackets below before (not sure how the ones in the picture stay up without them :scratch2: ). I've got one in my A/V closet supporting MUCH more gear than I can lift at once. and I've got a test equipment shelf mounted to the wall over my work bench that gets a LOT of heavy stuff placed on it.

Back when I was into radios only I had some real nice looking brackets, and shelf wood ready for such a project, but never got to it...

Brackets or however they did it in that picture you will have three fundamental issues with putting TV on shelves like that: Finding shelf wood that deep/sturdy, the leverage factor of the depth adding extra strain to the hardware, and finding 90 degree brackets deep enough to do the job.

If I ever go with wall shelves it will only be for radios and my smaller(shalllow 50's-70's sets)/lighter TVs....As it stands the radios I'd put on the wall would free up a good floor standing shelf I could use for TVs.

{Quote} I hate this "Lumix Digital Camera, there must be a way to get a decent picture out of it but it's beyond me.
My old Olympus was great but not supported in Win 7.[/QUOTE]

Eric H. Nice job of reorganizing your display. I would suggest that you use photo shop or other computer photo enhancement program to improve your photos. Also, try and not have those bright, distracting source lights that seem so prominent in all your photos. I just used my photo program that is built into my Mac to brighten up & sharpen your photos. IMO it does help a bit.

-Steve D.

I have several of these Ikea floating shelves I got at an estate sale. The instructions claim a pretty low weight capacity rating, I think around 20 pounds. I attached them to studs instead of using anchors, so maybe they can hold more that way. I think one has more than 20 pounds of Trimline phones on it.

You can buy brackets to make your own, these claim they can support 50 pounds, but with an 8" deep shelf, too shallow to support TVs.

http://www.rockler.com/blind-shelf-supports

I've been rearranging stuff, trying to fit more sets in my back room. Right now I've got 23 TVs and 16 radios in here. The first 3 pics are what I have in the back room, the last pic is in the front room. (They're crappy cell phone pics because both my digital cameras seem to have broken:thumbsdn:)

This place I just moved to has a finished basement, and I moved most of my working sets down here. First 3 pics are the front wall from right to left. Next pic is the right wall. Then 2 parts of the back wall which are separated by the stairs.

Nice! How many can you run at once without blowing a breaker? :D

This place I just moved to has a finished basement, and I moved most of my working sets down here. First 3 pics are the front wall from right to left. Next pic is the right wall. Then 2 parts of the back wall which are separated by the stairs.

Nice set up.

Is that an 8-track changer?

If you ever decide to sell that chrome Zenith table top I'd make you a generous offer on it. :thmbsp:

Nice! How many can you run at once without blowing a breaker? :D

Most of those Zeniths and similar monochrome sets Adam has draw 1.6 amps. Tube color is about 3.3, much less for the Chromacolor SS, heavy as they are.

The answer is a combination of those two. I think maybe 10 of those BW sets can run more than 3 hours (16 amps load) on a 20 amp or 7 sets if its a 15 amp breaker. Take away two BW, to add a color set.

I built a new room with six outlets around the perimeter, all on a 20 amp breaker with no other receptacles on that circuit, even lights. There will be 12 BW consoles and 5 color TV's. I probably will not have all of them fit to run at the same time:sigh: and THAT is a retirement dream.

That's an RCA 5 8-track changer. It actually worked when I got it, I've never even taken it apart to see what it looks like inside.

I'm not looking to sell that chrome Zenith. After I fix my 1970 Zenith color console with the hybrid chassis, I'll put that one in the living room and put my 1974 Avanti with flat chassis which is up there now in that empty space next to the chrome one down here.

I've had 15 of them on at once (but only for a few minutes, and that didn't include any of the tube color). But then, I don't know if all the outlets in this room are on the same circuit or not. And that 67 Zenith rectangular tube color console is the only one I have down here that I haven't gotten working yet.

I thought I had posted pictures, but apparently I hadn't. Anyways, here is my collection. As you can see, I collect more than just TV sets. Thankfully I have the room for everything.

I thought I had posted pictures, but apparently I hadn't. Anyways, here is my collection. As you can see, I collect more than just TV sets. Thankfully I have the room for everything.

Thats pretty nifty. How deep is that upper shelf?

Here's a few pictures of one of my display rooms.

Here's a few pictures of one of my display rooms.

Very nice and neat display. Great collection of dealer banners.

-Steve D.

Thats pretty nifty. How deep is that upper shelf?

The loft? Its about 3'6" deep. Have enough room for me to walk behind it, that is when I don't have things stored back there. LOL

This place I just moved to has a finished basement, and I moved most of my working sets down here. First 3 pics are the front wall from right to left. Next pic is the right wall. Then 2 parts of the back wall which are separated by the stairs.
That tabletop Zenith on top of the white color console Zenith, I think it's a 17" or 18" screen set. I have seen only one more like it which was on eBay maybe a year and a half ago. Same one by any chance?

It's the same one, 17JC55 chassis from 1977. That white 1974 Zenith 19" solid state b/w next to it was part of the same guy's collection which wound up on ebay.

I've never figured out which remote it uses. The Zenith manuals I have say SC600. But I've never found an SC600Z mechanical remote where the frequencies are right (and I've tried the ones with the orange, white, and blue on/off button). I've used a SC1000 electronic remote with it, and then it works like it should (with 5 separate frequencies: on/off, vol, ch up, ch down, mute - not 4 like the SC600 mechanical remotes). But because this tv doesn't have zoom, and all the SC1000 remotes have the zoom button that one isn't right either. I've been wondering if there isn't some mysterious 5-button electronic remote without the zoom which Zenith made specifically for this model.

Sounds like it uses a remote I've seen on eBay maybe twice but I can't remember if they had a zoom button. It's a shorter, wider electronic remote whose form factor was commonly used but these had a single volume button. Usually these remotes have volume lo/hi and channel lo/hi buttons side by side. As I recall the single volume button was in one of those rows of two.

Like this. Got one console (Motorola 19k14wa) and two Watchmans (FD-10A, FD-40A). I'm looking to expand the collection with a 7 incher and/or a color roundie :naughty:

The 2 mechanical remotes on the left (SC600Z) don't work with this set at all, none of the buttons do anything. (But I think there is a 3rd version with a blue on/off button I don't have).

The one on the far right was the first electronic remote Zenith started using in '77, called the SC1000. (I have a '79 19" table CCII with the zoom that uses that exact remote, and used to have a '77 23" CCII console that used it.) With that remote all the buttons do what they say, except for the zoom which this set doesn't have. Which makes me think that somewhere out there is one that looks like that without the zoom that belongs to my set. And because 5 of the buttons do something, I don't think it used a mechanical remote (which I've only seen with 4 buttons - unless they had something like they used to have with the older SC600s where you had to hit 2 buttons in sequence to adjust the tint).

That shorter electronic remote, the SC800, I think is newer and went with the first System 3s. All the buttons on it do what they say with my set - except for the volume. The volume just seems to have 3 positions and one button will cycle through them (like on the remote on the far right). With this remote, the 'volume lo' button does that and the 'volume hi' button does nothing.

The Zenith factory manual just says this set uses "SC600". I think that there might be a SC600 version of that SC1000 electronic remote with only 5 buttons that went with this set - but I have no definite proof that such a remote existed.

That shorter electronic remote, the SC800, I think is newer and went with the first System 3s. All the buttons on it do what they say with my set - except for the volume. The volume just seems to have 3 positions and one button will cycle through them (like on the remote on the far right). With this remote, the 'volume lo' button does that and the 'volume hi' button does nothing.
According to one of Doug's videos higher-end Zenith sets came with electronic remotes starting in 1976.

Here are the three different types of SC800 remotes from my stash; I don't think the tri-color logo was used on System 3 remotes, and I know I've seen a couple of examples with a single volume button.

Please excuse the angle, I had to take it like that to keep the flash from washing out the details on the one in the middle.

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=195505&stc=1&d=1504673376

I've started a new tradition at our household... I have set up an area in the living room for one (or several small) set(s) to be displayed on a rotating basis. So far this has been used to display and "run in" of sets that have just "cleared the bench". Results have been very positive, most non-technical visitors show modest to high interest in these odd looking vintage sets.

The first sets to be exposed to "public display" were the two suitcase sets that I recently finished.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4353/36910272416_5ac9226634_z_d.jpg

After several weeks they were rotated out and replaced with a GE 10T4 that just received a re-cap.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4436/37086536370_7f8225564a_z_d.jpg

Today the Admiral 19A1 re-cap was finished, and it has "hit the hearth".

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4341/36633936874_b5bca34d53_z_d.jpg

We are having great fun with this, and I must add that my wife is very supportive, the new tradition will continue.

jr

Jr.

I continue to notice that many photos of displayed sets sacrifice the TV's themselves in order to show how bright the screen images are. Not singling you out, but your photos are typical of many submitted to this thread. I have brightened your suitcase sets as an example by brightening the photos up a bit. However if they were originally taken with proper lighting they would be much sharper in detail and contrast. I hope you and others take my comments as an observation and not as a criticism.

-Steve D.

Thanks for the comments... I'm still experimenting, it is a fairly dark area of the living room (where the vintage sets look good to the eye). I actually had to turn the brightness down to avoid totally loosing the background... no 7JP4 was harmed to make the picture :) Ipad exposure was reportedly 1/15 of a second at asa 640, so there was some movment blurr and grain.

I just installed PS Express and will experiment with that a bit, hopefully it will help me produce a better balanced picture :scratch2:

jr

I’m really enjoying this thread and all the great displays. Congrats to all. Love seeing what others are doing and the sets.

As to Steve’s comment. It will be a compromise to display both a properly exposed screenshot while at the same time getting a properly exposed shot of the cabinet. Most folks do not possess high end cameras, and even so, it won’t be perfect. I have been taking screenshots since 1969, with a 35 mm Nikon analoqe film camera and now digital. If you are going for the best quality screenshot, the room needs to be darkened. If you want to see a properly exposed shot of the cabinet, the lit screen will be over exposed.

I understand that folks want to see the television set displaying a nice screenshot. I try to compromise and show the set bright enough to desern details while still displaying a well exposed screenshot. It will never be perfect.

If you want to show the best possible quality screenshot, you need to completely darken the room, fill the viewfinder completely with the television image, freeze the frame if possible, focus to the center of the screen and set your aperture. In this way, the camera sensors will be measuring only the light from the screen and not the room wich will compromise the quality of the screenshot.

There are a couple of ways to improve screen shots, but they require extra work, more than people may want to do for a progress report.

1) Take two separate shots, one of the picture with room lights off and one of the set with room lights on. Combine them (in Photoshop). This combo technique (by physically stripping in the screen) was used for decades in advertising when it was desired to state "actual TV image."

2) Take a single shot with the picture bright but not overexposed and the cabinet dim. In Photoshop, dodge and burn as needed, and also adjust the blacks in the picture to eliminate the fog of stray light.