Oh bloody hell...I've gone 4-pin
 

Can someone help me with an ID on this radio? It's a Stewart-Warner, but I can't find a model number anywhere. The power supply is in a separate metal box that looks a bit like an old Army ammo can.

The three 26 tubes all have tape tags on them that say "bad." I'll have to find a few of those. I have no idea where that loose Western Electric rectangular can cap is connected or why it's sitting there loose. Nor do I have any clue why it has so many extra holes drilled in the cabinet.

Sam,

Give Nostalgiair a try for a possible model number.

I have gone down the same 4-pin road to collecting darkness. I have about six of them now. I picked all of mine for cabinet design and current cabinet quality. There are a zillion of them out there and most are variations on a few electronic designs. Electronics can be fixed. Woodwork is a black art.

The TRF sets are a challenge but can be done. I made a A/B/C battery adaptor from a kit and housed it in an old wood box for show. Earlier is for later but I do have a single tube set for show right now.

If you want to start with something simple, grab a Radiola 60. All AC and find a speaker. I have a RCA 103 with it and a simple flick of the switch gives me AM. I also use a TERK passive antenna with it and it is great. What a show from the late 20's.

I have the power supply, I just didn't take a picture of it. Imagine an ammo box with Stewart-Warner markings on the lid and wires sticking out of the short sides, and you've got a decent idea of what it looks like.

Outside of getting that "sunburst" finish the way it's supposed to look on a new front plate, I'm not too worried about the woodworking. I started with that long before I got into electronics.

Sam,

Your power supply is what may be a "socket power supply". An early, transition design to take AC and divide it to A/B voltages for earlier battery sets like the SW. Thus the wires hanging out to connect to the battery set you have.

Socket supplies were made to plug in to a lamp socket with an AC plug adaptor screwed in. Most early AC homes had only a few lamp sockets hanging from the ceiling and needed the screw-in adaptor. Wall outlets came later.

4-tube collecting for me is much like my tv set collecting. Grab the best looking and fix the rest. No need to get hit with flying veneer or mystery boxes added years later. Most 4-pin sets fit this and can be found very cheap.

Next, you get to learn about transformers!

I paid $5 for the radio and power supply (no speaker). I don't think it's hurting me. :D

Sam, Try this. A 1926 Stewart Warner 525 > http://www.flickr.com/photos/9716802@N02/2636031609/ Looks like your baby to me. Well looks like you'd like yours to look

I think your deal counts as a score even after the time and effort of refurb.

It's a 535, with one incorrect tube, I think. The 525 used 01As instead of 26s. I have a 47 in place of a 26 in the 1RF position.

From what I've been seeing online, external speakers seem to be basically interchangeable. Would an Atwater Kent Model E work with this S-W? I'd love to find the S-W speaker with the "dancing girls" front plate, but I doubt I'll get that lucky.

I got amazingly lucky and a set of the original fluted Bakelite knobs popped up on eBay last week, they should be here soon. I guess then it will be time to pull the chassis and get to work.

I don't know anything about vintage radio external speakers, so I could use any advice there.

Does anyone have any good suggestions for getting the proper two-tone finish on the front plate? I'm going to have to make a new one as the original has tons of excess holes drilled in it. I think the veneer is Mahogany, though I'm not certain (and if anyone has a positive ID, please let me know!). It needs a new back plate made, too, but that's far less important from a cosmetic standpoint.

What do I need to know about those big oil caps? Do they need work, or do they stay good like ceramics? Are they polarized or not, or did they come in both forms? Can they be replaced with modern electrolytic or film caps? If so, is it possible (or advisable) to open them up and replace the guts like is often done with multi-section electrolytics?

If you're talking about the WE rectangular cap, it should be good and they are not polarized. I've only had to fix one. It was a 60KV cap that was leaking. I heated mineral oil to dry it out and then refilled the cap with it. You shouldn't have to do that.

John

The darker edges around the front panel can be produced using a spray toner, which is a colored lacquer. After you fill and seal the front panel and get one coat of finish on it, you can spray the edges, then put the final clear coat or two over it all. Practice on scrap to get the toned effect you want. Spray cans of lacquer toner are available from a number of suppliers, RadioDaze being one of them. You might find it locally if you've got a store that caters to woodworkers and refinishers.

Thanks for the suggestion. Grizzly Tools is just down the road from me, they should have something around.

Current plan is to make all new front and rear plates, trying to fill all of those holes would be a pointless exercise as I'd never get anything to match the veneer.

I haven't taken a picture, but it looks much better with knobs in place, even in it's battered and dirty state.