New to Antique Radios

[CharlieH.]

Last christmas I got my first vintage radio back from the shop, a Philco 38-93 that belonged to my great-grandmother. Being my first antique radio, I'd like to ask the local experts a few questions:

1) How much does a tube last? I believe the ones on this radio are at least from the early 50's, judging from the graphics.

2) Does anyone have pictures of a good antenna (or perhaps plans from a vintage magazine)?

And finally, Is it normal for it to make a loud whining noise when I turn up the volume?

I'll post pictures if I can restore the dial scale.

[John in Covina]

Antennas, for AM if you do a search on "Antenna winding" you should come up with some stuff that is like a Popular Science article. I recall seeing several designs from table top size to using the walls of your room.

Whining is never fun, check to see if there is interference from other electrical appliances nearby. Computers often give radios a hard time, other everyday objects could be doing the whining.

Sincerely,

[Absinthe_1900]

Tubes can last for a very long time.

My 1940 Zenith console still has the original Zenith tubes, with the only things changed on the set, were the caps & power cord.

All you need for an antenna is a "Long Wire" (google)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/thegreenimp/zenith1.jpg

[CharlieH.]

Whining is never fun, check to see if there is interference from other electrical appliances nearby. Computers often give radios a hard time, other everyday objects could be doing the whining.

Sincerely,

Could the whining be caused by a nearby lamp?

And what about ground connections? I currently have the radio hooked up to an old belt buckle on the floor, but certainly I could do better than that.

And that is one great Zenith console, absinthe! Guess I won't have to worry about changing tubes anytime soon.

[EdinLA44]

A bad tube can cause a high-piched squeal. If you are able to look into the back of the radio when it's on and can see all the tubes, look for one that is dimmer than the rest.

It would be worthwhile to have the radio checked by a qualified vintage radio repair person. There are many old components that could have degraded over these many years and can cause problems. I'd be careful with it because those tubes can get pretty warm and there is a potential fire hazard. If you plan on using it alot, get it checked out.

Here's a good page on AM antennas. It gets pretty technical but there are some good links too. You can probably find a decent loop antenna at Radio Shack. If you have a friend who's a ham radio operator, they can help you too.

http://www.mindspring.com/~loop_antenna/

[CharlieH.]

A bad tube can cause a high-piched squeal. If you are able to look into the back of the radio when it's on and can see all the tubes, look for one that is dimmer than the rest.


Then it must be a bad tube. I once checked the inside while it was working and the only glow I saw comes from the bulb above the dial pointer, unless you meant another sort of "dim". Fortunately they aren't very expensive, as far as I know.

Thanks for the link, by the way!

[EdinLA44]

Turn on the radio and let it warm up, then turn off (or turn down) the lights and look in the back of it. You should be able to see the tubes glowing better. Hopefully there's an electronics repair shop in your area that has someone that even knows about tube-type vintage AM radios.

[John in Covina]

http://www.schmarder.com/radios/misc-stuff/loops.htm

Marconi would be proud!

[CharlieH.]

I ran into that same site when I did a search for "antenna winding" some minutes ago. That's exactly what I had in mind when I thought of a vintage radio antenna.

[John in Covina]

There are several others that are really astonishing that people would make. It is a fun thing to do at night, to see how far you can pull in a station from if the bounce is working well

[Absinthe_1900]

Then it must be a bad tube. I once checked the inside while it was working and the only glow I saw comes from the bulb above the dial pointer, unless you meant another sort of "dim". Fortunately they aren't very expensive, as far as I know.

Thanks for the link, by the way!

It's possible a tube could have become microphonic, or noisy.

If you have an antique radio shop in your area you can have the tubes tested, an older TV shop, or Ham radio shop can test the tubes as well.

In the four antique radio sets that I have, only one has had a single tube replaced, often tubes are less problematic than other parts of the chassis.

Snag an old Zenith console with a "WaveMagnet", they receive like gang-busters.

[binkmeisterRick]

My late father-in-law was an avid HAM operator and a big time radio collector. In fact, I have several of his radios now, including an old Hallicrafters Continental shortwave and an old Philco (I believe) bakalite table radio. The humming could likely be an old capacitor which needs to be replaced or a tube which is on its way out. (As a musician, I play pretty exclusively through tube amps, so I've had both problems at one time or another.)

I'd agree with the sentiment of taking the radio to a specialist to have it checked out. Especially if it has great sentimental value, it's worth having it well taken care of, even if it costs a few bucks. Keep in mind that if a tube needs to be replaced, that the specific tube may no longer be in production. In that case, you may want to ask (if the guy knows) what, if any, appropriate replacement tubes will work. You can also check out places like http://www.thetubestore.com/ for new old stock tubes which will work in your radio.

bink

[shoeshineboy]

in about 1985 or so, radio shack started phases thier tubes and thus thier tube tester went with them. Most of the time they were given away to one of the local boys who had a repair shop.

My local tv repairman could probably work on tube radios since he started back in the late 60's. His tester is probably in the back with a ton of dust on it.

Another source of tube people is music stores. Remember vintage amps means tubes. They still may have a tester.

Just an idea to help you all.

mark the shoeshine boy

[John in Covina]

Ebay has a ton of listings for tube testers, you might be able to afford having one at home.

Be the first kid on your block to have a Stompco Home Tube Tester!
Amaze your friends, make money at home be the pride of mom & dad!

[Wild Root]

Ah, it's nice to have another young man who is just getting into vintage radios!!!

Here is a photo of a Philco model 38-93 for those who would like an idea what one looks like...

http://radioatticarchives.com/images/p/Philco_38-93_Judkins.jpg

I had one of these my self, it wasn't as good looking as the one in the photo but, it was the same model.

Tubes can last a long time, they're great! All you need for an antenna is a good long piece of copper wire.

As for the noise, I would have that checked out by a vintage radio guy. You may want to check this site out!

http://www.philcoradio.com/index.htm

Keep us posted on your radio! And do get a photo of it up to share!

=WR=

[CharlieH.]

I guess I'll search for a radio expert, although at the time being, I'm more concerned with the appearance. I still have to build an AM transmitter so it'll really give the works and I'm only missing one really hard to find component. (Click here (http://www.scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/radio/am_transmitter.html) for the circuit).

I'm still building the loop to check out the night bounce. And by the way, what do you suggest for restoring the cabinet? There are quite a few spots where the wood has lost its colouring almost completely.

[Absinthe_1900]

Mohawk tone spray is good for touching up cabinets, and blending repairs.

You might have a bit better result with this AM transmitter kit.

http://www.vectronics.com/products.php?prodid=VEC-1290K

[binkmeisterRick]

You know, I've got a good Hancock tube tester at home. I'd be glad to test 'em for you if you were in the Washington, DC area.:)

[Wild Root]

I guess I'll search for a radio expert, although at the time being, I'm more concerned with the appearance. I still have to build an AM transmitter so it'll really give the works and I'm only missing one really hard to find component. (Click here (http://www.scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/radio/am_transmitter.html) for the circuit).

I'm still building the loop to check out the night bounce. And by the way, what do you suggest for restoring the cabinet? There are quite a few spots where the wood has lost its colouring almost completely.

Oh boy, cabinet restoration?¢‚Ǩ¬¶. Tough stuff!

If you have faded spots on the cabinet, what you may want to do is take a fine 600 grade sandpaper and go over the whole cabinet with that. Take it down to bare wood, remember to sand in the direction of the grain, buy a can of Minwax dark walnut stain and apply that to the face of the radio. Go around the three strips of inlay veneer, you want those to stand out. After you stain the face of the cabinet, take some mineral oil and go over the whole cabinet. After that dries, then mask off the face and prepare the cabinet for spraying on your tone lacquer. Buy a dark walnut tone lacquer and spray on two or three coats. This will hide most of the wood grain which is an original process that Philco did to most of their tombstones and cathedrals. You?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ll get a nice deep rich dark brown and it will look so clean. Now, go over the face once with the tone lacquer to tone the veneer strip inlay. Let that all dry, now, you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢re ready for a few coats of semi gloss clear coat. Spray the whole cabinet and with in a few coats, you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ll have a nice ?¢‚Ǩ?ìSatin finish?¢‚Ǩ? which will look amazing and also keep the vintage integrity to the radio with out looking too new. After that?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s done, buy a spray can of black lacquer and mask off the whole cabinet but the base, give it a coat, let it dry for about ten minuets between each coat, then spray it again. I?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢d only go two coats.

Ok, after you let it sit over night, it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s ready to go back together and enjoy!

=WR=

[binkmeisterRick]

Charlie, does the cabinet really need to be refinished? If it's in absolutely horrible shape, I can see why a refin might be in order, but if it's only got a couple of "character marks," why not leave it as it is? If you're concerned about the monetary value (apart from the sentimental value) refinishing might take away some of its worth. But then again, it almost sounds like you're totally rebuilding the radio anyway. Just curious. ;)

[Wild Root]

I agree. I have some radios that have a few spots but, they're small and they ad charm and age to the piece. I think we need to see some photos to offer the best advice. Remember, a little Howards Restore-A-Finish can also fix light spots! But, post a few photos of your set and we'll offer some advice after we see what you've got!

=WR=

[hotrod54chevy]

if you've got a vintage radio and are in need of some help,check out www.audiokarma.org and go to their discussion forums..:arated: i'm a member there and those guys really came to the rescue on my 54 magnavox and 60s RCA,especially my buddy Big Dave who showed up locally to help
-frank

[Absinthe_1900]

If they are small marks I would not refinish the entire cabinet.

The radio makers all used colored laquer to finish the cabinets, so the best route is tone spray. (Mohawk makes a great tone spray)

One trick for small repairs is to use a small artists brush with a bit of thinned artist oils out of the tube (pick a brown that is a close match) then blend with tone spray.

I've also used tone spray for the spot repair on some furniture with good results.

If you haven't messed with a radio cabinet before, pick up an inexpensive "junker" to work on first, then you'll get a feel for using some of these finishing ideas.

Sites like this are a good read:

http://antiqueradio.org/ges22x.htm

[CharlieH.]

Thanks for all the tips folks! Now, here are a couple of pictures:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/awnuts39/DSC08131.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/awnuts39/DSC08130.jpg

As you can see there are several dots of white paint, one of the veneer strips is missing a chunk, two of the screws are missing and the dial scale is completely gone. I have the graphics for it, but I can't print them because apparently, the ole ink-jet machine doesn't take foil very well.

[binkmeisterRick]

Don't refinish that cabinet! ;) I think it's got great character to it and could be cleaned up with a little work and patience. As for the small veneer chunk, I've got stuff missing bigger pieces than that and I've left it. Maybe a very small artist's brush (like a round) and some paint thinner could help with the paint flecks. Absinthe has some good suggestions with the touch up job, but even so, I kinda like it with the character it's got. It adds a certain bit of history to it. At any rate, I certainly wouldn't refin the whole cabinet. It's a nice looking radio, though!

bink

[Wild Root]

Buy some Howard's Restore-A-Finish! Dark Walnut is the color to buy, it will hide a lot of the scratches and leave the caricature. Take a razor blade and carefully take the paint spots off. You'll need a dial and indicator (needle or pointer) you may contact Ron at Mr. Philco.com I posted a link to earlier. He may have an idea on how to get the parts you need seeing there are lots of Philco collectors. Parts aren't too hard to get also, you'll need the plastic cover over the dial. Some people are reproducing those too.

Good luck with that set!

=WR=

PS. You'll need to get an original replacement for the grill cloth. Check this site out:

https://secure.tubesandmore.com/

[Absinthe_1900]

Try cleaning the cabinet with some naptha, you may be able to rub the white paint spots out CAREFULLY with some polishing compound. (Furniture type)

You could get some medium brown Briwax to wax the cabinet, and color in the scratches. (Blending sticks work well for this too.)

I'll look for a link I have for fixing veneer chips, it's not that hard of a fix.

Google Bill Turner & dial covers, he makes excellent covers. mailto:dialcover@webtv.net

Veneer repair:
http://hometown.aol.com/eb062559/VENEERREPAIR.html

this is a good general read:
http://members.aol.com/EB062559/WALTON.html

dial scales:
http://members.aol.com/RockSeaEnt/

[CharlieH.]

Looks like I got a nice spring break project here!
Thanks for all the information. I'll try to post the "after" pictures when I'm through. Again, thanks!

And by the way, doesn't the Zenith Walton look like the aliens from War of The Worlds?

[Elvgren_girl]

Hi everyone, I am so glad to see a post on radios as I've begun to collect a few myself. And glad to see the restoration/maintenance tips as my parents have an excellent Trutone console that they are keeping in direct sunlight and it bothers the crap out of me.

There are many reputable radio dealers and masters of repair at radioattic.com. Many of you have likely seen this already but I think it bears repeating. I've made some purchases from them as well.

Here is my lovely Bendix Aviation 110 model. It's as perfect as it could be. A wide tuning band... shiny swirly bakelite... at night I can get stations as far away as Ohio...

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f193/phelony_jones/IMG_0104.jpg

[Pilgrim]

I'm fortunate in that I actually own two tube testers - one is a large suitcase size semi-portable, the other is an attache-size portable. Both work well. Tube testers won't be found at Radio Shack, but if you do some web surfing and searching there's a good chance you can find one in your area. You might check with any vintage radio clubs or sites.

In my experience, tubes last decades with little degredation of performance. But what goes bad is electrolytic capacitors. The caps are quite inexpensive, although it takes some labor to replace them. Most old caps have their specs printed on the sides, so in most cases any competent repair person can replace them. If you have sound problems and the tubes test OK, head straight for the caps as the next likely suspect.

BTW - I'm sitting in my office, and right behind me is a 1937 Philco floor radio that works nicely - it has three radio bands. I tookk a shot of it with my phone camera and emailed it to myself, but it hasn't arrived. I'll try to load it in Photobucket later and add the shot in this thread.

Here it is now....

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j306/apowell1/1937Philcofloor.jpg

My Philco is the floor model of this tabletop (Model 37-630), meaning that it has the same chassis, just in a larger wood case with a bigger speaker. The tuning meter in this tabletop version is exactly the same as in my floor model. Note that the placement of the three control knobs and the lever that switches between bands are identical on both radios.

http://home.earthlink.net/~adamrobertg/radio/Pics/philco630.jpg

On other shelves in my office are Zenith, RCA, General Electric, Philco, Sony, Admiral and Telechron table-top radios. In addition, there is an RCA 77DX mike, A Shure 55S (looks like a Knight's helmet), and an Auricon Model E-6 microphone. As a former professional broadcaster, I have used the 77DX often, and I love the sound.

I'm sure most of you will recognize the 77DX from the photo below:


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j306/apowell1/RCA-77DX.jpg