Latest addition: RCA 621TS
 

That's right, after much searching and waiting, one finally came my way! :banana:

This one was strange, I threw down a bid on it while it was listed on Epay. I was quickly outbid, and thinking nothing of it moved on to search greener pastures. After all, a local pawn shop still has one but wants a mint for it. Then about 2 weeks later I got a notice from the seller: second chance offer, due to unpaid bid! Long story short they accepted my original bid, as it was the next one in line after the winning bid. So I had won the set for $200, but it was in California and I'm in Virginia...

Enter Steve Kissinger, who lives not far from the location of the auction. He volunteered to ship it for me, with a little bit of help from Steve Dichter picking it up. The pair of Steves helped me out big time, the set arrived in 2 gigantic boxes safe and sound earlier this week.

Best news is the 7DP4 CRT: it was a rebuild so I had my doubts, but it tests like it's never had HV on it. It was probably rebuilt during the period the chassis was going through some attempted restoration and never used, as evidenced by a note with the chassis that it had undergone repairs in the mid 80's.

Plan right now is to clean up the chassis, replace all the power caps, variac it and see where it's at. Meantime the cabinet will go off for restoration, where no money will be spared in bringing it back to former glory. This was one of the more rare blonde cabinets, and I intend to bring it back that way. I do admit to liking the darker ones more, but I'm going for originality on this one. I will need to have the front piece fabricated as it's gone missing, anyone have one they can mail me so I can take some measurements?

Enjoy the pics of the process!

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php...2&d=1426466478

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php...3&d=1426466478

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php...4&d=1426466478

It's pretty cool to have the rare blonde version. I am curious how the blonde finish will be recreated. I've actually never saw one professionally restored. They all seem to have their original splotchy-stained finishes. If you really want to do the set right use the correct beige painted knobs. You rarely see them that way and the dark knobs just look terrible against the light finish IMO.
Good luck with it!

Good luck indeed and congratulations on the new set. Always nice to get a set with a strong CRT, especially one that is hard to find :thmbsp:.

I GOTTA get mine down to Terry-and SOON !

Please don't let the set hear you insulting it or it may refuse to absorb the refinish!

When your set was made, "blonde" refferred to Betty Grable.

The 621 came in only three colors, in the order of sales, Standard Mahogany, Walnut and Toasted Mahogany.

Your set is "Toasted Mahogany."

In later 1940's RCA sets, "Standard Mahogany" was sometimes called "Red Mahogany."

Jas.

Do you think that's an actual stain color, or was that just how they referred to it? Because it may just be possible to get the original stain mixed for a price, sort of like color matching bodywork on cars. If not, I'll just have to trust the place I end up taking it to. This isn't an exact science, after all.

I think your set looks blond now because it is so weathered, possibly sun bleached. Anyhow it looks like a fun project.

Nice scroe!

If you run acrost 2 CRTS, even if they're that Air Force radar CRT substitute, let me know, willya ? Much Obliged..

There was another 621 on eBay shortly after this one, it was a complete rotted disaster but the front mask was intact. It also went for around $200 I think, the mask would have been worth that by itself I think.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1940s-RCA-62...p2047675.l2557

I was tempted since it was near me, if the CRT was good that would be worth another $200.

I have no actual first-hand knowledge, but I'd guess the name "Toasted Mahogany" was to overcome the resistance of older purchasers, who like my grandfather said on blonde furniture, "looks like it ain't been finished."

Several furniture makers tried blonde furniture and in the older parts of the country there apparently was much buyer resistance. This is why I feel that RCA adopted the name "Toasted Mahogany", and used it at least through 1949.

I would guess that it was not like an original color name, as anyone who has ever done furniture finishing knows, the longer your stain sits before wiping, the darker and richer it becomes. Also how one stained the wood-filler before the color stain brought out more "grain". (This was much more important with the older dyes and solvents than with the currently made stains.)

I would love to see an original era Kodachrome slide of one of these sets. The "Standard Mahogany" set used contrasting colors, while the "Walnut" and "Toasted Mahogany" RCA sets used a more muted color scheme.

Holy Cow! Your set looks better in the original listing than your quick photos.

One might as well enjoy these pictures before ePray deletes them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Vtg-RCA...-/400844989748

Those knobs, described by the seller as "original" indicate either Walnut or Standard finish. I suspect that they are replacement, probably done in the 1980's with the other work. Usually the color under any removable trim, indicates the original color. The red color in many early RCA sets that carried a real wood finish (not photographically printed) tended to fade, and the CT-100 is the poster child of that fading.

Also, the solvent used with the wood filler can greatly change how the grain looks, if it turns white when it ages. That one bit me on most of the furniture that I built in the 1950's. My teacher, who was in his 80's at the time, taught me to use boiled linseed oil. I should have used mineral oil. followed by a very thin wetting coat to seal it in.

James.

I take it you haven't seen this: http://antiqueradios.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=3

I guess the $200 price is fairly standard. I saw one in the garage of a long time TV repair shop. I threw the guy an offer for $200 and we agreed!
The only thing is, it missing the back and the bottom cover. Someone cut the CRT mask to make it, almost a porthole. I have to try to duplicate a replacement. The cabinet shows normal wear and tear, for it's age. I'm pretty sure, it's walnut. The HV cage and all knobs are there.
The CRT seems to be usable. It's a high focus voltage CRT, that was replaced sometime in the life of the set. An RCA replacement. :thmbsp:

In the 90's the 621TS was rapidly increasing in value towards the $2,000 mark. I purchased mine in the early 90's for over $1,000. It seems most collectors believed a rather small number existed. With the Net, many have turned-up and that seemed to lower the value down considerably. I feel in time, when they're basically all unearthed and in collections, the value will rise again.
Also, my opinion is the set in question is "toasted mahogany" or blonde. Even under the wood where the mask goes, it's an even very light color. It would take a tremendous amount of sun bleaching to get a walnut or mahogany finish to look the that, especially on the top panel/speaker grill, and painted accent strips.

Yeah, I'm not known for shopping for market value sets. I prefer the thrill of the chase. But I paid $600 for a mahogany set years ago that was in fairly weathered condition. That's probably a $200 set today. Good thing I found my blonde (oops! sorry, "toasted mahogany") set on Craigslist a couple years ago for $50.

Yep. Nice set.

It looks bad now, but they do bounce back.

Here's my second 621TS, a Walnut, on the Comeback Trail:

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psibirfhgk.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps7uhksp25.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psir6a9ocf.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pslaf553lg.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psoysm9jba.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps0terv6uu.jpg

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psjuowlb49.jpg

Toasted Mahogany is going to be a tough flavor to duplicate/refinish. Fortunately, you have virginal surfaces under the front bezels as a standard or guide.

I have no idea what the "toasting" procedure was to achieve the finish. But a good furniture refinisher would. He could also knock out a CRT Screen out of poplar without much fuss.

Those knobs are extremely rare. Are they included with your set?:smoke:

Perhaps...?

http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/cata...asp?ictNbr=457

[QUOTE=miniman82;3128991]That's right, after much searching and waiting, one finally came my way! :banana:

This one was strange, I threw down a bid on it while it was listed on Epay. I was quickly outbid, and thinking nothing of it moved on to search greener pastures. After all, a local pawn shop still has one but wants a mint for it. Then about 2 weeks later I got a notice from the seller: second chance offer, due to unpaid bid! Long story short they accepted my original bid, as it was the next one in line after the winning bid. So I had won the set for $200, but it was in California and I'm in Virginia...

Enter Steve Kissinger, who lives not far from the location of the auction. He volunteered to ship it for me, with a little bit of help from Steve Dichter picking it up. The pair of Steves helped me out big time, the set arrived in 2 gigantic boxes safe and sound earlier this week.

Best news is the 7DP4 CRT: it was a rebuild so I had my doubts, but it tests like it's never had HV on it. It was probably rebuilt during the period the chassis was going through some attempted restoration and never used, as evidenced by a note with the chassis that it had undergone repairs in the mid 80's.

Plan right now is to clean up the chassis, replace all the power caps, variac it and see where it's at. Meantime the cabinet will go off for restoration, where no money will be spared in bringing it back to former glory. This was one of the more rare blonde cabinets, and I intend to bring it back that way. I do admit to liking the darker ones more, but I'm going for originality on this one. I will need to have the front piece fabricated as it's gone missing, anyone have one they can mail me so I can take some measurements?

I like the job they did on the speaker field coil. Is that asbestos wrapped around it?
I was going to order the caps needed for the restoration of my set. The service manual shows C139 as being a .035 mfd@ 600 volt, oil impregnated cap. It's in the horizontal linearity circuit and it must be rather critical. I'm thinking about using a 1.6 or a 2kv cap. :yes:

[QUOTE=dieseljeep;3129958]Congrats. 621TSs at reasonable prices do come to those who wait.

I've used Just Radios 0.035 630V tubulars here and they work just fine.:smoke:

[QUOTE=M3-SRT8;3130094] I was doing the preliminary checking of the various important components, before diving into the restoration. All the resistors in the divider compartment check out good. The large resistor in the HV compartment is open. According to the service manual, this resistor has a large bearing on the horiz linearity circuit. It shows a 20 watt 5300 ohm with two more 500 ohm sections. originally it was connected 5800 ohms, from the factory.
It's obvious that the set had width issues, as there's two caps soldered across the width coil. The schematic doesn't show any caps across the coil.

I looked at my toasted 621 tonight. I pulled the cover wood piece. It is satin coated on top. The underside is just color only. So color was sprayed on both sides while it passed on a conveyor belt and a finish was sprayed on one side.

I am suspicious that somewhere after the color spray that the color stain was patiently wiped down to a woodworkers final finish. These conveyors marched on. Woodworkers everywhere can correct me with no pain to me.

Yours looks like a color was added to the final finish to save a step and different than mine. I would like to see the underside of the top panel on yours to see the color.

I would not call these 621's blonde. Toasted may be more accurate to describe the color and make RCA marketing happy. Real toasting in an oven was not part of the finish. Blonde may be better used for Heywood Wakefield furniture pieces or a Natalie Kalmus set. They look like some semi-translucent color was added to the final finish. Mine looks to be just a lighter orange spray of some unknown dye or stain and then a finish coat. I would look at aniline dyes somewhere in the process.

Took me this long since last post to finish the recapping, this is a tough one for sure. I took my time, and was careful not to break any of the original phenolic can cap thingies. Only thing that remains is gluing the cardboard covers back over them.

On first powerup the voltages were strange, negative voltages all over the place. Ended up being the 9k-ohm section of R154 (a) was open, so I replaced the bad section with a 10k/10-watt sand resistor. Close enough to work. Few more badly out of tolerance or just plain open resistors had to be replaced and I have a picture on the screen, but it's all kinds of out of adjustment. The pots all have tin whiskers in them, so now I descend into the 7th level of hell- rebuilding every pot on this thing, hoping I don't destroy one of them.

BTW: discovered I'm supposed to have a width coil in the HV cage but I don't, anyone have a 71429 RCA coil laying around? I understand it should be the same as the 630/721 sets as well, so here's hoping. For now there's nothing connected to the 5/6 taps on the flyback and it seems to work OK, but in the interests of being correct to the schematic...

Awesome find! I've been looking for one for years. A friend of mine has one and I've been trying to find the missing reddish-beige knobs for it. So far I've found one outter knob. Have fun with that gem!

My knobs came w/mine, & naturally, I've managed to misplace(Read: "Loose") them..

Happens to everyone here I suspect. I've managed to loose (read: "my daughter hid") some of my mine.

Aren't they common with any other set?

I have my brother Tim here visiting, he happens to be an EE so we robbed a zenith for a core and wound our own width coil. Seems to work fine, 150-ish turns of #26 magnet wire in 3 layers covered in clear nail polish. But the focus control is seized and it seems the audio output transformer is shorted, more work ahead...

http://videokarma.org/attachment.php...5&d=1435542619

Well, Misery loves Company, so they say. I thought I was the only one BONEHEADED enuf to pull such a stunt. Only wanted one of these damthings for what, Half my Life ?!?... And then manage to loose the Knobs...Sometimes I need a Bootin' in the Butt...Or as my dad, Henry, used to call it-A "Shoe Factory"... He was NOT shy about takin' Moi to the "Shoe Factory", either...

Yeah, but you got a GOOD CRT, & it IS making a picture...

Thankfully they are common with a whole bunch of sets so it's easy to find replacements.

Just got an email from the cabinet guy!

http://miniman82.4t.com/images/RCA%20621TS/cabinet.jpeg

Wow, that looks great!!

I did an inventory of all the parts, and I'm missing the little brass covers that go over the screws on the front glass clips. I understand these are often missing, but does anyone have a set for sale or ones I could borrow to make some?

+1

Let me know if you figure out how to make replicas that pass for originals.

Nick, Amazing transformation of that basket case set I picked up in Hollywood and transported to Steve K. for shipping. Kudos to your cabinet restoration guy. And to you & your brother for patiently restoring the set to operating condition.

-Steve D.

Thanks for the older pic of how it used to look Steve, it definitely needed help!

John, I think it's either folder or punch formed brass. Either way it shouldn't be too tough to make something that will work, just need a sheet of brass.

I think it will be the color that you'll have an issue with. If you want to shine it as new it will be tricky, but I suppose if you're a "patina on brass" guy it might be easier.

Been a long time since I updated this thread.

The cabinet is done, chassis had a slight audio misalignment issue which Dave Purdue was nice enough to correct for me, and I found the missing brass pieces on another donor set.

Turned out pretty good, sorry if it’s sideways I’m posting from the phone and I can’t predict how it will show up.


http://videokarma.org/attachment.php...5&d=1511393659