From time to time I have encountered collectors that were looking for the small "Deluxe" emblem used on the CTC4 or CTC5. Often the Deluxe emblem is missing or broken. The original part was cast zinc and often got broken because the zinc part is brittle.

I have been considering casting a small production run using an original emblem to create the mold. They would be cast from either pewter or lead alloy and then brass electro-plated.

The production run would be limited to probably no more than 50 parts. I would anticipate that I would need to get about $15/emblem to cover my production costs.

I would like to poll the group to see how many of the emblems people might like to purchase. If I get enough interest to cover my investment I will invest my own money and make a limited production run for collectors to purchase.

Some years ago I made a run of "General Electric" emblems for Harry Poster to put on GE portble sets. He was very happy with them.

If you are interested in getting a Deluxe emblem, please post here and say how many you would committ to buying.

Is the emblem on the 4 & 5 the same one used on the 7 and the B&W sets of the 50's?

I needed one for a 1958 B&W set a while back but have one now, I still need one for my CTC7 and it appears to be the same as the B&W emblem.

If you could produce one for $15 I will commit to buying one.

Count me in for two.:yes:

I would also like two. :yes:
Kevin

Bob, if you do make them we will promote them on our site.

Is the emblem on the 4 & 5 the same one used on the 7 and the B&W sets of the 50's?

I needed one for a 1958 B&W set a while back but have one now, I still need one for my CTC7 and it appears to be the same as the B&W emblem.

If you could produce one for $15 I will commit to buying one.

Yes. I have a CTC7 Pensburry and it has the same Deluxe emblem as you have pictured. About 3 inches long. I am not sure about B&W sets.

Bob, if you do make them we will promote them on our site.

Thanks STeve, I will keep that in mind.

Bob

I'd be in for 2.

I need like 3 of them, the 'D' is snapped off my Wingate and it never hurts to have spares! Never know- I removed the script from my Anderson console, maybe now I can put one back on.

I wish I could find someone who could make reproduction Space Command logos. I have a
'58 Zenith that needs one.

I need like 3 of them, the 'D' is snapped off my Wingate and it never hurts to have spares! Never know- I removed the script from my Anderson console, maybe now I can put one back on.

Hi Nick,

Yes, it is usually the D that is snapped off. I have seen a number of them including a couple of my own with the D missing.

Bob-

I will buy one for sure. My CTC-7 has a good logo, but a spare (or one for a future acquisition) will be good to have. Thank you for pursuing this project.

Count me in for one for my CTC-7.

Thanks!

-Clark

The Deluxe logo on my CTC-5 Wingate was "borrowed" from my CTC-5 Strathmore Deluxe which was in storage & since sold. It was tricky removing that very fragile plastic logo. I felt the Wingate was incomplete w/o it. Have to say that even dusting the cabinet, you have to be careful not to snag that logo w/the dust cloth. I may pop for a spare and will let the person I sold my other CTC-5 know about this thread.

-Steve D.

Hello Bob,

I too need a "Deluxe" emblem for a CTC-7 I have. However, I would also like to get two spares to have on hand. So I would commit to purchasing three of the emblems if they become available. Hope you are able to get them made. Please keep us posted.

Gilbert

Looks like I'll need another one for my new CTC-7, so sign me up for 3 instead of 2.

Last week I located and removed a virgin "Deluxe" emblem on one of my B&W sets in storage. This morning I took the emblem over to the felow who will do the casting of the parts. It will be several weeks before the parts are available, and then I have to still get the emblems brass plated.

I will post with another update when I have the raw castings in hand.

Thanks for the update, Bob. That's good news.

I'm going to update my commitment to two emblems. I think hi_volt's idea of having a back up sounds wise.

Thanks,

Clark

virgin "Deluxe" emblem on one of my B&W setsLike this one?

http://antiqueradio.org/art/temp/RCATVwithDeluxeEmblem.jpg

This free cabinet just popped up on the local craigslist. I might be tempted, just to get a spare emblem, but the ad says, "two people will be required to bring it down three flights of stairs."

Phil Nelson

Phil,

There are 2 versions of the Deluxe emblem. The one we are making is about 3inches wide and is cast. There is also one that is about 7 inches wide and is formed in sheet brass. I cant tell from the photo if this is the 7 inch or the small cast one we are making.

Bob,


You stated the "Deluxe" emblem you will be using as a mold for the duplicates was from an RCA B&W TV. So you are absolutely sure the emblem is exactly the same dimensions size wise w/the attachment pins as those found on the CTC 4/5 color receivers. I guess what I'm staying, your reproductions are an exact match and will push in to the existing holes on the CTC 4/5 color sets? See photo attachment post #14.

Thanks,
-Steve D.

Hi Steve,

I did not actually compare it to a Deluxe emblem on a color set by removing the emblem from the color set. However, cosmetically it appears to be the same emblem from what I can see without removing the emblem from the color set. I can't imagine that RCA would have produced different versions of an emblem that all look alike. However just to make ceertain that there is no difference inthee locations of the pins, I will measure the distance of the holes in a CTC4 cabinet that is missing the emblem and compare it to the drilled holes in the B&W cabinet.

If there is a difference in the location of the holes in a color set versus a B&W set we will have to make a decission about how to make an emblem that fits all sets.

The casting process will utilize metal pin "embedments" instead of casting stems. However the metal pins may be of a slightly smaller diameter. The process used to cast the emblem does not allow us to cast the stems for various technical reasons that I will not go into here. You would need to have a thorough understanding of the rubber mold casting process in order to understand the technical difficulties of casting small diameter pins like we are dealing with. It may be necessary to place a small amount of epoxy in the existing holes of the cabinet with a tooth pick and tape the emblem on the face of the cabinet until the glue sets up and can hold the emblem in place.

Visually the emblems should be near exactly what the original looks like. The object is to have an emblem that looks proper even if there may be some minor mechanical differences. This should not be an issue to anyone who has a missing or damaged emblem.

The only way to cast the pins would be to have a zinc die casting company make a tool steel mold which would be prohibitivly expensive. Sometimes in life we must make some small trade-offs to achieve an acceptable goal.

I just got back from a 1hr round trip to my storage unit. I measured the center to center distance of the holes on the B&W set. I also measured the distances on 2 CTC4 sets. The measurment on all the sets is the same. It measures 1.700" + or - .005"

So, just as I suspected, there is only 1 version of this emblem and it was used on all sets, both B&W and color, with this type of small die cast emblem.

This emblem is not to be confused with the larger "Deluxe" emblem that is stamped and formed from sheet brass.

I just got back from a 1hr round trip to my storage unit. I measured the center to center distance of the holes on the B&W set. I also measured the distances on 2 CTC4 sets. The measurment on all the sets is the same. It measures 1.700" + or - .005"

So, just as I suspected, there is only 1 version of this emblem and it was used on all sets, both B&W and color, with this type of small die cast emblem.

This emblem is not to be confused with the larger "Deluxe" emblem that is stamped and formed from sheet brass.

Bob,

Appreciate you taking the time to measure and confirm the "Deluxe" emblem's measurements re: the stem attachments. I will be purchasing one of the emblems as a spare, as one of the stems on my current emblem has broken off. Look forward to your posting their availability down the line.

Thanks again,
-Steve D.

I need one for my Wingate. Pretty sure the one on the director 21 is broken too.

I need one for my Wingate. Pretty sure the one on the director 21 is broken too.

WELLCOME back. The forum hasn't heard from you in a long time.
We all hope everything is well with you! :thmbsp:

He got lost in facebook for a while, he's been around. Hi Mark!

Looks like I'll be needing one for an upcoming CTC-7, so put me down for 1. Thanks!

Count me in for one, please, I have very recently acquired a CTC 7 with the "D" broken off the Deluxe emblem! Thanks again for your research and time and investment in this project.

I just spoke to the fellow who will be casting the emblems for us. As I suspected, he is draging his feet. Nothing happens very quickly with this guy, and If I push too hard he will just push back. So I have to pe patient and let this guy do his work when he feels like doing it.

I will contact him again in a few more weeks to see if he has made any progress. I just wanted to let everyone know that this is going to happen but it is going to take some time, so we all need to be patient.

Thanks for the update, Bob. No hurry for any of us, I would expect. Our sets will work just as well while they are still only "eluxe" models.

Yep, I'm willing to wait as long as it takes. I imagine my sets have been "eluxe" for a number of years, so they can wait a little longer. :yes:

Absolutely, as hivolt and Chris have said, no hurry at all. I'm sure you only needed to know roughly how many of us were interested in purchasing when ever they become available, thanks :-)

No worries Bob, we all know hibernation can be a difficult thing to get out of up there! lol

I have been trying to reach my elderly friend who was casting the emblems for me, for about 2 weeks. I have been concerned for a couple months because he has a weak heart and has been telling me he has not been feeling good. Today I went over to his workshop. Nobody was there, so I left a message on the door for him to call me.

I got a phone call From Doug (a friend of Jim's) about 4PM central time that my friend, Jim Bornamen, passed away over the Labor Day weekend. Jim's friend Doug, is acting as caretaker for Jim's workshop. He said that he would make sure that I get the mold that Jim made and the few emblems that were already cast (less than a dozen).

There is a possibility that I might be able to have someone else cast the emblems using the mold that is already made. I will have to try and locate someone with the correct machines to do the work.

So as for right now, we are dead in the water until I am able to find a solution to this predicament.

I have not given up, but this problem is not going to be easy to work around.

Bob,

My condolences on the loss of your friend Jim.

-Steve D.

I got a call from Doug this AM. He is casting the emblems today. I will have them in hand next week. At that point I will need to get them brass plated. I will update again when I have an idea when the plating will be completed.

:thmbsp:

-Steve D.

Can't wait!

Outstanding! :smoke:

Nice to hear, Bob.

Great news, many thanks for the update! Looking forward to the end result:)

Great! I'd still like to buy the two emblems that I committed to last March.

Thanks,

Clark

I spent the day doing the pre-finishing work on the raw pewter castings. I thought you might like to see what they look like prior to getting the brass plating. Although it is difficult to see, there are 2 studs located in the same location as the original. There will be detailed instructions for mounting that will accompany the parts when you receive them.

I spoke to the plating shop today and they said they are swamped with work and we are looking 5 to 6 weeks out before they can do our job.

And then after the plating is finished, I will still have a lot of work doing the post plating finishing work. Brass plating comes out of the plating bath very dull and must be polished. Brass is not at all like decorative chrome which is nice and shiny right out of the chrome tank. There is a lot of labor involved in decorative brass plating.

And what makes the whole thing a real PIA is, the castings are very delicate and can't take much stress so I am apt to break a bunch of them in the post finishing process.

Looking good Bob. Thanks for keeping us posted. Not an easy task.

-Steve D.:thmbsp:

If they ever made a black piano finish set that used one of those decals, then the pewter ones might look better in that application...

Wow, those came out good!

Thanks for another update, that looks great! I'm sure it'll be really stunning when eventually gets brass plating & polish! I know it's not easy to do, we all appreciate your efforts, I still want one in the future! Thanks again.

I got the Deluxe emblems back from the plater today. I VERY MUCH like the way they turned out. However that is a matter of personal opinion. The plating did not turn out as smooth as I anticipated. So I decided to go with more of an antique finish and I used steel wool to do the final polishing. In order to smooth out the surface of the brass plating to get a shiny luster, I would have needed to risk cut through of the brass plating and also the physical stress of the polishing process would have broken many of these very fragile parts. The final finish looks more like an antique brass than bright polished brass. The emblems get a coat of clear lacquer to retard tarnishing after I polish them.

The photo below is what the plated and polished emblem looks like.

In the final analysis I think you will be VERY pleased at the way they look when you mount them on your sets.

I am going to embed the parts in 1/2" thick styrofoam, place a polyfoam pad over the face of the emblem and then sandwich that between 2 pieces of corrugated cardboard. That will in turn be placed into a bubble pack envelope for mailing. I am going to ask $5.00 to cover the cost of the shipping materials. If you order more than one they will all ship in the same package. Price of the emblems is $15.00 each which is an introductory price until March 31, 2015. If you place your order after that date, the price will be $21 each. I have a ton of money sunk into this project. It ended up costing me a lot more than I initially anticipated. I could have purchased a very nice antique tv set for my collection with what I have sunk into this. I am hoping to at least get part of it back and so I am giving this introductory price incentive to persuade potential buyers to do it now instead of waiting. The supply of these is limited, so once they are all gone you will be SOL as they say.

Send an email to me at this address Bob at antiquetvguy dot com and tell me how many you wish to purchase. I will email back to you within 24 hours, indicating the total to remit and my mailing address where you will send your check or money order. Don't ask to do Paypal, I am not willing to let them have a piece of the pie; and your personal check or money order is OK with me. I am sure all my friends here at VK are honest.

Man, I better get 6 of them at that price! Never know when you'll need another, they are always broke. Bob, I'll send you a check as soon as I'm pier side. I'll mail you a Benjamin, keep the change.

Nick,
Consider your order in the Q. I will hold 6 for you till you are back in port.

Bob

Bob,

Just ordering one as my Deluxe script is still intact. I'll keep yours as a spare.
Sending off the check tomorrow as soon as I receive your address info.

Thanks
-Steve D.

[email protected]

I'll be ordering one, too. I thought mine was intact, but tonight I crouched down to inspect, and found that it had broken where the D joins the rest. Someone had cleverly reattached it, so I hadn't noticed it before.

I'd probably leave it alone if all other things were equal, but my grille cloth is all ratty along one side, so I may want to replace that at the same time.

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

Bob,

I'll take four. E-mail is on the way.

Bruce

Just sent my email for two.

Thanks again for doing this!

-Clark

Thanks, Bob, I just sent you an email message for one emblem. I think it looks fantastic, I wouldn't want it too bright, it'll look great on my old mahogany finish CTC-7!

I will send my request for one as well. Thanks for your work on this project, Bob.

Got my Deluxe emblem from Bob today!

Have to say the quality is excellent, the look, feel and weight of it is excellent, pretty much indistinguishable from an original.

Thank you Bob!

Eric,

Received my "Deluxe" emblems as well. Beautifully packed and included helpful
& cautionary instructions on mounting to the set. Very pleased with the quality.
Kudos to Bob all round for his work on this project.

-Steve D.

Got mine on Monday. They look great! :thmbsp:

Check is in the mail, Bob.

Got mine on Monday, and they look great. And the instruction sheet on how to install them is very helpful.

Thanks again, Bob!

-Clark

It's gratifying to hear that everyone is quite happy with the emblems. I makes all of the time money and effort put into this project worth while. Thanks again for all your encouragement and patronage in making this happen. Sometimes when you need some "Unobtanium" you just have to go dig a hole and mine it yourself :yes:

Thanks again Bob for the Deluxe emblems. Mine arrived today much quicker than I expected. So, I thank you, my Abington thanks you and my Boswell thanks you! They now have a last name!

Mine arrived quickly, and it looks great too. Thanks, Bob!

Got them the other day, flawless reproduction!