Philco 16/16b

[ZenithDude88]

Originally Posted by Boobtubeman

You dont by chance have the speaker still? i have one unit that one was destroyed in transit..

SR

Sadly no, I don't have the speaker, the speaker on mine ended up getting trashed when something fell on it, because at the time I was living with my parents and I had put the speaker and the guts of the radio in my closet in my bedroom and something fell off the top shelf in my closet and put a huge hole in the speaker (which was part of the reason why I scrapped out the radio because at the time I didn't know how to repair speakers and I didn't realize you could repair them) I do have the tubes from it though yet if you need any tubes, and I even have the tube shields from it, including the tuning eye tube shield.

[Titan1a]

1933 11 tube all-wave radio in 5 bands. One of Philco's largest table radios. Includes Type One shadow tuning meter. Has interstation quieting on early models. Will need new tuning cap grommets. Very sensitive! Vernier dual knob gear tuning. Expensive when new and when properly restored worth up to $700. A keeper!

[sean]

You definitely have a keeper there when it is restored. I just restored one about 2 months ago. There's something like 14 Bakelite block caps under the chassis but they are simple to rebuild. For the most part you can leave them connected to the circuit and just loosen them by removing the mounting screw. Heat up the body on all sides except the tar side to soften the tar. I have a tool I made with a piece of brazing rod that just slips through the eyelet rivets that hold the terminals. Once the tar is soft enough I poke the tool through the center eyelet and push the guts out the back. Finish cleaning up the inside and the terminals and re-install new caps.

The large filter can is easy to gut also. Probably easier than the Bakelite blocks. The other 2 electrolytics I cut open, gutted, and stuffed. One of them is a wet type electrolytic and mine was still wet.

The worst part on that radio will be replacing the tuning capacitor grommets and the rubber drives for the tuning control. I came across a YouTube video series someone did on restoring a 16B and they show how they handled the capacitor grommets. For the drives I cut a rubber o-ring and re-glued it around the drive hubs after removing the old hardened rubber.

[Boobtubeman]

Easy guys--- eeeasy

I value ALL the input ive received so far.... The UPS and the DOWNS..

I admit feeling a bit over my head in this one and a bit apprehensive after watching the youtube videos posted, But i have to admit the end result, looked pretty cool.. Seen some things about the radio that i wasnt aware existed... The tuning eye (shadow meter) is pretty neat setup, And the 2 speed tuning is cool...

I now understand the BAKELITE CAPS that were discussed, i was expecting round paper caps with clear uf and volt values marked, this may be a challenge to me on part#s and schematic drawings, (some hard to read)..

Ive used the faucet washers to hold the tuning gang in place before

Hoping my scattered shop and tools are up to this task... Meanwhile, gonna go watch the series on youtube..

Thanks again for your inputs..

SR

[Tim R.]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I've had a set work with it's original block caps....Albeit with terrible distortion, which changing those caps cured.

Paper caps are paper caps, even the best eventually fail. I'd bring a set with original block caps up on a variac any day, but I would not make it a regular player till those caps are re-stuffed.

Amen to that. At first I took the "wait and see" approach to the chocolate blocks, but after two of them failed during bench testing, I just restuffed them all. As you and others mentioned, it was super easy to do and the end result looks factory.

Originally Posted by sean

For the grille cloth I used the Whiskey Rayon pattern sold by Richmond Designs. I thought he used to sell a smaller size than 18x24 but maybe that is what I had bought.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/182622096389

I used a similar, but slightly different, pattern from Richmond Designs on my restoration. I ended up with a ton of leftover grill cloth as well, but I don't see that as a problem!

Originally Posted by Boobtubeman

Ive used the faucet washers to hold the tuning gang in place before


SR

You'd be amazed by the sheer amount of repro parts out there for these radios. I was able to find repro tuner grommets for mine, as well as a new frame for the grill cloth and a knob for the tone control. I think you can even buy a whole cabinet if yours is too far gone...

[DavGoodlin]

FWIW - I replaced the standard Philco chevron pattern on my 501X console, which uses the model 16 chassis. I got it from Antique Radio Supply but not sure if anyone makes that pattern yet. Radiodaze has some parts like chassis and tuning condenser grommets IIRC.

No Philco is restored until those cap blocks are done. My super-fast method: "nip" the internal cap wires from above, remove the 1/4 inch screws, spin the bottom upward without disconnecting anything if possible, heat and push with a small rod thru the middle top terminal rivet, the cap will pop right out so you can put the new one in. beware some of these cap blocks also contain resistors.

This radio is one precision unit, will sound amazing but nothing short of a full recapping is needed. I have had the 501 for almost 30 years and it worked on original caps initially. I sent my 501x's 12" speaker to Sound Remedy for a quality re-cone job.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Tim R.

Amen to that. At first I took the "wait and see" approach to the chocolate blocks, but after two of them failed during bench testing, I just restuffed them all. As you and others mentioned, it was super easy to do and the end result looks factory.



I used a similar, but slightly different, pattern from Richmond Designs on my restoration. I ended up with a ton of leftover grill cloth as well, but I don't see that as a problem!



You'd be amazed by the sheer amount of repro parts out there for these radios. I was able to find repro tuner grommets for mine, as well as a new frame for the grill cloth and a knob for the tone control. I think you can even buy a whole cabinet if yours is too far gone...

I bought a rubber grommet assortment from H-F. A lot of them were the smaller sizes, that could be used for tuning condenser mounts.

[Tim R.]

Originally Posted by Boobtubeman

Picked this up at a yard sale Saturday...And it was HEAVY...

Tubes all tested well, chassis label says 16. whats left of the tube chart says 16b...

Hoping the voice coil is okay as the cone is complete doo doo...

what are your experiences with overhauling this model??

The riders seems a bit hard to follow, is there a better schematic??

Lend me your input...

SR

Nice find! Someone else with a Philco 16B made a series of videos documenting the restoration of his set. They're on YouTube and I'd highly recommend watching all 30(!) of them.

With regards to your speaker, I just wrapped up a Philco 43B that has the same or a very similar speaker to yours. It was chewed up by rodents so after verifying the field coil was OK, I sent it off to be reconed. It only cost about $60, and I was very happy with the results.

Here's the link to part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDlI4cRlJKc&t=1s

EDIT: Just realized the link was posted earlier by Sean...should've read the thread more thoroughly!

[Boobtubeman]

Yeah ive been browsing them

Some neat features when its done. Some of it looks confusing, he jumps around a bit

SR

[Electronic M]

I've had a set work with it's original block caps....Albeit with terrible distortion, which changing those caps cured.

Paper caps are paper caps, even the best eventually fail. I'd bring a set with original block caps up on a variac any day, but I would not make it a regular player till those caps are re-stuffed.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Electronic M

I've had a set work with it's original block caps....Albeit with terrible distortion, which changing those caps cured.

Paper caps are paper caps, even the best eventually fail. I'd bring a set with original block caps up on a variac any day, but I would not make it a regular player till those caps are re-stuffed.

I just cited a statement what the old gent told me, not that I agreed with it.
The last Philco, I did, I restuffed the bakelite blocks.

[Boobtubeman]

Watching the youtube offerings... Feeling pretty confident the block caps will be a messy but fun experience..

Do any of the philco sites carry block by block capacitor replacement spec sheets?
I dont mind doing the messy work, but i definitely dont want to second guess about what exact cap and resistor i will be restuffing them with.. And i dont mind paying for the paperwork if necessary...

SR

[Tim R.]

Originally Posted by Boobtubeman

Watching the youtube offerings... Feeling pretty confident the block caps will be a messy but fun experience..

Do any of the philco sites carry block by block capacitor replacement spec sheets?
I dont mind doing the messy work, but i definitely dont want to second guess about what exact cap and resistor i will be restuffing them with.. And i dont mind paying for the paperwork if necessary...

SR

I can't seem to find the site I used to get the values for my caps, but this looks like it has the info. Be sure to click the "Next Subject" link at the bottom as well:

http://www.antiqueradios.com/philcorestorer/page9.html


For restuffing them, I used radial Wima (German made) caps. Some of the chocolate blocks have resistors in them too. They're just a piece of wire wrapped on a strip of paper and don't seem to go bad.

I was largely able to restuff the chocolate blocks without removing them from the circuit. I unsoldered the leads coming out of the chocolate block, unscrewed the screw holding it in place, heated it up, and pushed the guts out the back with a dental pick. In most cases I could pull the block far enough forward to completely push the guts out.

Restuffing is as simple as inserting the new cap in the back, guiding its leads through the holes in the top, and soldering them in place.

[WISCOJIM]

You may want to look for a copy of Ray Bintliff's book.

http://www.antiqueradio.com/bookrev1_12-96.html

[DavGoodlin]

Originally Posted by WISCOJIM

You may want to look for a copy of Ray Bintliff's book.

http://www.antiqueradio.com/bookrev1_12-96.html

That is a good one, I got it just a year ago. See this http://www.antiqueradio4.com/Merchan...ory_Code=Radio