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  #16  
Old 06-25-2009, 09:57 PM
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Drifting off topic... I love the antenna rotor control you have sitting on top of it. I picked one up recently and found a rotor to go with it. It works and I plan on replacing my current rotor with it. I loved it when I was a kid.

John
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  #17  
Old 06-25-2009, 10:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeyurkon View Post
Drifting off topic... I love the antenna rotor control you have sitting on top of it. I picked one up recently and found a rotor to go with it. It works and I plan on replacing my current rotor with it. I loved it when I was a kid.

John
Thanks. I don't have a rotor and couldn't put one on my building regardless so I rigged the wiring so it lights up when plugged in. Someday, I plan on making a digital up/down counter with a slow clock connected to the rotor contacts to simulate an actual rotor turning.
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  #18  
Old 06-25-2009, 10:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 7"estatdef View Post
Wow that cloth is really faded badly! Here's a pic of mine. Seems to be a tan/gold fabric with bright gold strands running though it. If you think it would benefit from a cleaning maybe just using a damp cloth migth clean it up a bit or a little woolite perhaps. Good luck with it I have the same set but it has the seperate power supply/ audio chaiss.
Terry
Ah, I was hoping someone else here would have one. I tried cleaning a small area with very mild detergent. The gold strands seem a bit brighter, but the fabric remains the same.

Does anyone know a supplier of this fabric? I know there's some great radio grille cloth out there, but I haven't seen any with gold strands like this.

Otherwise, I'll just leave it alone. There aren't any tears and it looks OK.
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  #19  
Old 06-25-2009, 11:10 PM
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If you have already tried the usual radio grille cloth sources (AES, grillecloth.com) and struck out, then you'll need to live with what you have. I would be cautious about cleaning the cloth. It gets fragile, as well as faded, over the years. Don't rub it hard. Dabbing may remove some obvious dirt, but it won't restore color that faded out years ago.

As for cleaning the Bakelite cabinet versus polishing it, Bakelite is amazingly tough and resistant to chemicals. I have used old fashioned paint stripper -- the nasty stuff -- to remove paint from Bakelite with no bad effects. The radio shown below looked so nice after stripping that I couldn't bear to repaint in the factory paint color.

So use whatever works when cleaning grime. Just don't go crazy with abrasive polishes.

Phil Nelson
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  #20  
Old 06-26-2009, 04:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Nelson View Post
If you have already tried the usual radio grille cloth sources (AES, grillecloth.com) and struck out, then you'll need to live with what you have. I would be cautious about cleaning the cloth. It gets fragile, as well as faded, over the years. Don't rub it hard. Dabbing may remove some obvious dirt, but it won't restore color that faded out years ago.

As for cleaning the Bakelite cabinet versus polishing it, Bakelite is amazingly tough and resistant to chemicals. I have used old fashioned paint stripper -- the nasty stuff -- to remove paint from Bakelite with no bad effects. The radio shown below looked so nice after stripping that I couldn't bear to repaint in the factory paint color.

So use whatever works when cleaning grime. Just don't go crazy with abrasive polishes.

Phil Nelson
Very nice I wouldn't have painted that either!
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  #21  
Old 06-26-2009, 05:14 PM
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Part III - Cleaning

Thanks for all the advice. I tested out several products and techniques on those broken bakelite scraps. Here's what I came up with.


Here are the knobs that I got with this set plus a channel changer from another. I'm trying to track down two outer, brass knobs and one inner, brown knob. If anyone has some spares, I'd be happy to purchase or trade for them.




Those outer knobs polish up very nicely, but be careful not to over polish. They are plated, not solid brass. I have another set where they are down to the base, grey metal.

I used Novus #2 plastic cleaner on the knobs. Cleaning out the grid pattern is a real pain. I've used a toothbrush and toothpicks - very tedious!



Here's a 'before'picture of the cabinet. It's dirty, faded and has wax and paint splotches.



First, I cleaned it using some Dawn dish detergent diluted in warm water. Plus a little mineral spirits on the wax and paint.
Next, I'm gently buffing with a slurry of water and Brasso. Throw down some plastic - it's messy. I cleaned off all the Brasso with a clean towel and water and allowed to dry.




Next, Novus #2 fine scratch remover. Use this stuff like paste wax. Keep the rag damp while buffing then allow to dry to a haze. Remove it using a clean rag with short, quick strokes.
As Mr Miyagi would say "Wax on! Wax Off!"




I cleaned the inside too




Finally, I use Magnolia Glayzit. Heed the warning on the can - it will turn your floors into a skating rink

Here it is partially reassembled. It's not quite as dark as I had hoped for, but I think that's as good as it will get short of using stain. I'm happy with it.

Note - the CRT has already been removed. You can read about that here: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=235317



I've started poking around the chassis and have all the caps and resistors I should need. There are a bunch of bad caps and fried resistors. The guy I bought it from claimed it worked great

Coming up: Part IV - replacing bad components.

Last edited by bandersen; 06-26-2009 at 06:09 PM.
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  #22  
Old 06-26-2009, 05:25 PM
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zenithfan1 zenithfan1 is offline
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Looks great!! 100% difference! Excellent job my man! Thanks for the detailed cleaning process.
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  #23  
Old 06-26-2009, 06:07 PM
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Looks great!! 100% difference! Excellent job my man! Thanks for the detailed cleaning process.
Thanks. My goal in this thread is to help others with their projects.

P.S. I'm practicing re-stuffing caps. using your tips. it's going well, but my Dremel skills need some honing.
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  #24  
Old 06-26-2009, 06:17 PM
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Here's another tip. A lot of bakelite have little posts that attach to the speaker board using metal clips. These clips are the type that push on and don't come off. I used a Dremel tool with a cut-off wheel to cut a small notch in each one. I think that's easier and safer than trying to pry them off. Most are in good enough shape that they can be reused.

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  #25  
Old 06-26-2009, 08:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bandersen View Post
The guy I bought it from claimed it worked great
That usually means that a pilot light, or the tube heaters, lit up when he turned it on... Not that it works as intended by the manufacturer.
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  #26  
Old 06-26-2009, 08:49 PM
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Originally Posted by wa2ise View Post
That usually means that a pilot light, or the tube heaters, lit up when he turned it on... Not that it works as intended by the manufacturer.
For sure. Here's a little tale of the reverse. I found a blonde Motorola VT71 on craigslist for $50 and noticed she also had a Predicta listed for $125. At the time I had no interest in obtaining one. I like the older sets and knew they were a pain to work on.

So I go to pick up the VT71 and mention that some folks really go nuts for the Predictas and she should ask for more $. She says "Why? It doesn't work even work. Do you want it?". I hesitated and she offered a discount if I took both. So I did Would have really been kicking myself today if I hadn't.

That's a great reason to get sets in person - you can haggle. I've knocked 50% of the asking price of some sets.
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  #27  
Old 06-27-2009, 09:25 PM
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Looking good! Glad this one survived.

My repeated advice-I hope all here will take it. The exception would be a rather small portable: never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never,never, never, never, have a TV like this shipped to you, not even from across the street!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't count the sets I have seen posted here and elsewhere that have been totally destroyed. Be patient my friends-they will eventually show up in your backyard, trust me!
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  #28  
Old 06-27-2009, 09:35 PM
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Loving the progress of this set.
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  #29  
Old 06-27-2009, 10:47 PM
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Depending on the Grill Cloth material, you might try Carpet Cleaning Solution, diluted.

I took the small, gold speaker cloth from inside my DuMont RA-103 "Chatham", dipped it in this solution, and, within a minute, it had separated from the pressboard backing. I immediately patted the pressboard dry, and left the grillcloth in the solution.

You could see the nicotine leeching from the fabric...

After 15 minutes, I removed it, rinsed it gently with lukewarm water, and gently patted it dry. Try not to disturb the edges, or it will unravel. Then, I let it air dry. It didn't shrink.

I remounted it to the pressboard with spray mount, installed it with the Speaker in the Cabinet, and, it looks fab.

I detailed the opening speaker slots with Howard's before the install, so, it all looks great. The fresh Gold fabric peeking from the slots makes it all the worthwhile. Like resetting the Time Clock.

Details, details...

LJB
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  #30  
Old 06-27-2009, 10:58 PM
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Awww, man ! You've done a FANTASTIC job on this set...it is UNBELIEVABLE !!!
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