This one's a Wilcox Gay (:nono: no puns please :D)

I posted the details and pics over at A.R.F. since they can't see posts here unless they are members.

I had to save it even though it cost a bit too much and it's kind of rough, when will I ever get another chance at one.

I found out it's a Majestic chassis, or a Majestic uses a Wilcox Gay chassis, either way it's pretty cool looking for an early 50's 20" set.

The rebuilt CRT has a 1977 date on it, anyone know of Dunham Electronics in L.A.?

http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=155415

Well, just one pic here:

Thats a very fine looking TV. I prefer stuff more in the $20 range, but I'd of been very tempted to save that one too. Will takes lots of effort to get it looking better, but I'm sure you can pull it off.

Kevin

Hi Kevin, $20-$25 would be more in line with what it's worth in that condition but I just couldn't pass it up because it's an uncommon set.

The CRT being good and the fact that it was being maintained at least up till 1977 make the price a little more palatable.

Anyway it's all there and that's the most important factor, cleaning it up and refinishing it will make a world of difference.

That's rare! I had one, and I still have the Wilcox-Gay flop down door. I don't have the knobs or back, unfortunately. That's interesting about the Dunbar tube in there... I knew Ronnie and George Richardson; owners of Dunbar in the 70s & 80s. I bet my hat, that that 20" tube in there, came from a Kaye-Halbert or a Packard-Bell. My Wilcox-Gay set was the identical model, but had a 21" tube in it.

Charles

Kewl set ! Good for you for saving it, too !

Nice find! I didn't know Wilcox-Gay every made a TV. The only thing I knew them to make were disc cutters and reel-to-reel tape recorders.

It's interesting that you mention Dunbar. In the mid 60s I had them regun a conrac crt for me and change the phosphor to p16 for a kinescope recorder. Thay did a first rate job. I pass the building that they used to be in every day. It's one block west of La Brea on Venice Blvd (in Los Angeles) on the way to my office. I keep wishing that they were still in business! It would be really convenient for rebuilds!

Never seen that brand of television before,it does have nice styling though.

You must live in a mansion to be able to collect consoles!

Are you sure that date code is 1977, and not 1967? I'm astonished that someone would bother with a set that old in '77. Has anyone else seen such a thing as this before?

I'm sure on the date, it's printed very clearly, there are also a lot of replacement tubes including some RCA's with the late Logo and some Orange Drops under the chassis.

Are you sure that date code is 1977, and not 1967? I'm astonished that someone would bother with a set that old in '77. Has anyone else seen such a thing as this before?

Dunbar either hand-wrote or stamped the actual date the tube came out of the oven, so it's easy (unlike other mfrs with weird codes to figure out)

I have a 21AXP22 with a 1994 date from Dunbar... Gone to air though :no:

Charles

Cleaned up the chassis today, removed a Mouse Skeleton!

I repaired the CRT base yesterday, found the G1 connection had broken off flush with the glass but I was able to scrape enough glass away to make a connection with a fine piece of wire and replace the base with a new one.

Tested in in my old Conrac chassis and it works great.

Wow! What a difference :yes: That has to be the nastiest chassis I've ever seen :yuck:

What did you use to clean it ?

Wow! What a difference :yes: That has to the nastiest chassis I've ever seen :yuck:


Me too, and I've had several sets that were Mouse infested including a Truetone that had three inches of Apricot pits inside and had a couple transformers eaten but was no where near this dirty.

The set was in use at least till the early 80's so maybe it was just really dirty to start with.

It was really disgusting but surprisingly in good shape under all that whatever it was.

I thought it was just Mouse pee but it may have been a combination of Nicotine, Mouse pee and dirt. The rust left after wire brushing by hand was very light and simply went away with some Rustoleum.

I posted a more detailed account of the cleaning on this page:
http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=155415&start=20

I'm waiting on some Micas for the Sylvania so maybe after I get that finished I can get this on the bench and see what's what, it has a half dozen newer Orange Drops in it already, probably from the 1977 repair.

Side note, the original CRT was a 20CP4D, Electromagnetically focused, the tub ein it now is Electrostatically focused and there was a jumper wire from the focus pin to the Cathode or possibly G2. I don't know what number this tube is, it's not marked, possibly a 20GP4?

Are you sure that date code is 1977, and not 1967? I'm astonished that someone would bother with a set that old in '77. Has anyone else seen such a thing as this before?

John, I have seen it once before on this Hoffman:
http://www.vintagetvsets.com/hoffman10.htm

It had a date inside for a repair made in 1980 and the set still worked a little bit when I got it.

When I was working in a TV shop circa 1978-1981 we never had anything this old come in for repairs. We did fix a lot of Color sets from the 60's but that was about as old as it got.

When I was working in a TV shop circa 1978-1981 we never had anything this old come in for repairs. We did fix a lot of Color sets from the 60's but that was about as old as it got.

My friend in West LA, who owns a shop that opened in 1936, has a few customers who still have color roundies in daily use today, and at least one Zenith console B&W late 50s set. Not TV collectors; original retired households. The oldest original owner/still-in-use set I have worked on, was a '49 Hoffman similar to yours, in about 1985. (wait a minute: Jeez... 1985 seems like last week, but it was more than 1/4 century ago :sigh: !

Charles

John, I have seen it once before on this Hoffman:
http://www.vintagetvsets.com/hoffman10.htm

It had a date inside for a repair made in 1980 and the set still worked a little bit when I got it.

When I was working in a TV shop circa 1978-1981 we never had anything this old come in for repairs. We did fix a lot of Color sets from the 60's but that was about as old as it got.

I never worked in a TV shop; but, back in the early '90's, someone gave me a mid '50's GE 21" console B&W. On the back, it still had a service shop receipt from '71 for an HV rectifier tube replacement.

I've got a friend, who started fixing TV's in '73, and he said that in the early days of his career, he was asked to fix a few '50's era B&W sets.

TV's were still fairly expensive, even as late as the '70''s, and people would come near having an older TV repaired instead of spending much more money on a new TV. This was especially true among older people and other people who were living on smaller incomes.

Me too, and I've had several sets that were Mouse infested including a Truetone that had three inches of Apricot pits inside and had a couple transformers eaten but was no where near this dirty.

The set was in use at least till the early 80's so maybe it was just really dirty to start with.

It was really disgusting but surprisingly in good shape under all that whatever it was.

I thought it was just Mouse pee but it may have been a combination of Nicotine, Mouse pee and dirt. The rust left after wire brushing by hand was very light and simply went away with some Rustoleum.

I posted a more detailed account of the cleaning on this page:
http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=155415&start=20

I'm waiting on some Micas for the Sylvania so maybe after I get that finished I can get this on the bench and see what's what, it has a half dozen newer Orange Drops in it already, probably from the 1977 repair.

Side note, the original CRT was a 20CP4D, Electromagnetically focused, the tub ein it now is Electrostatically focused and there was a jumper wire from the focus pin to the Cathode or possibly G2. I don't know what number this tube is, it's not marked, possibly a 20GP4?

Where can you get the Ascot Purple Cleaner you mention?

The most common designation for a 20" self focused CRT was 20HP4. That CRT was probably the only one that the rebuilder had on hand at the time. The rebuilder I bought from would date the tube label at the time the tube was purchased.

When I had just turned 11 I brought an Atwater Kent model 20 I had been given to a neighborhood TV repair guy. Yes, he looked at me like I was from Mars, but he was kind enough to give me a consolation gift: A 17" bakelite Admiral that he was probably a day away from throwing out. I suspect it had been traded in or abandoned not long before. I would much rather have had the Zenith porthole he had up on a shelf, but that was being repaired for a customer. This was in January of 1975.

Eric,

Some similarties with this set?

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-MAJESTIC-TELEVISION-1950S-/120700524250?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item1c1a4fd6da

Eric,

Some similarties with this set?

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-MAJESTIC-TELEVISION-1950S-/120700524250?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item1c1a4fd6da

Yes, virtually the same except for the name and cabinet.

The W-G was made by Majestic, or vice versa.

I also have never heard of that brand of set. Very interesting! Were they a nationally sold brand?

BTW, These sets are "Color Ready" with a socket for the color wheel on the back apron.

I just realized I never posted any "After" pictures of my set here.

It still has it's control door which is a minor miracle considering what it was like when I got it.

http://vintagetvsets.com/images/Wilcox/newcloth2.jpg

http://vintagetvsets.com/images/Wilcox/chassis2.jpg

http://vintagetvsets.com/images/Wilcox/backfixed.jpg

Wow, Eric!! I am in awe at how well the AFTER turned out :thmbsp::thmbsp:

The 'oddball' sets are the best IMO.