Golden Era Things You've Revived Or Repaired For Use

[robrinay]

I wanted a valve sound dock for my iPod but was dismayed at the cost of these so I asked a friend who is an electronics buff to add a mini jack socket to an old valve radio. The sound was amazing but I cant add a picture as I recently sold the thing when I realized it took up too much room. It's worth noting that some of the old sets have no earth connection and can be dangerous so please avoid these if you are thinking of doing this kind of project and make sure the person who does the conversion is competent too. If you are handy with a soldering iron there are plenty of 'how to' videos on this subject on YouTube.

 

[scottyrocks]

I've had about four or five percolators, they've all died mysteriously or fallen into disrepair. I still have a couple I'm hoping to fix someday, one that's a coffee urn with twin handles and a spout at the bottom, the other more of a traditional coffee pot. I'm not sure ho old they are, but old enough to have the larger style of cord jack.

If they have all failed while plugged into the same wall socket unit, it could be the outlet.

Wall sockets have a service life. They don't last forever. Over time, the innards wear out.

My wife, before I lived there, went through a couple of coffee machines that just stopped working. After I moved in, I pulled the outlet out of the wall, and it was so badly worn internally that it was shorting out what was plugged into it, which happened to be the spot for the coffee maker.

I replaced all the sockets in the kitchen, going on 5 years ago, and there hasn't been a problem since.

 

[scottyrocks]

I'm a re-user. A lot of people think I'm nuts or cheap, or both, but I find great value in making things last as long as possible.

I carry a 140 year old pocket watch that I've had rebuilt once (when it was about 135 years old).

I use a Stromberg-Carlson desk phone in the downstairs office, or at least I did before we switched to Fios, and SS Sandy wiped out the first floor of the house. I saved the phone, but the office is still not back together. We're expecting delivery a new real wood desk this Saturday.

I darn my own socks. In fact, I did some last night. I'll repair anything I can with a needle and thread. I have a tomato pin cushion, and everything.

My one remaining motorcycle is all mechanical - no electronics. Points, mechanical regulator/rectifier, kick start.

In general, I don't throw things away until they just cannot be fixed anymore. And if I can't fix them right away, I save them until I can (much to my wife's chagrin).

I prefer second-hand outerwear. I have been wearing thrift store long wool overcoats for longer than I can remember. I get them in good shape, and just wear them while those around me are encased in nylon.

I don't like man-made fibers, so I iron my cotton trousers because they need ironing. I find the process rather soothing.

I use hand-crank pencil sharpeners. I have one in school, mounted to my rolling cart. New kids are fascinated by it. They want to sharpen pencils with it. Even my wife's teenagers looked at it funny when they saw the one I mounted to the cabinet over my workbench in the garage. But they are products of their mother and father - everything new new new. Not my thing.

I cook in corning ware as often as I can.

And of course, I rebuild hats.

And lately, I have been giving more and more serious consideration to getting rid of my current era (2012) car, and finding a good example of a particular car, dating from 1967, that I have wanted my whole life. Such a simple machine. I will have one someday.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I wanted a valve sound dock for my iPod but was dismayed at the cost of these so I asked a friend who is an electronics buff to add a mini jack socket to an old valve radio. The sound was amazing but I cant add a picture as I recently sold the thing when I realized it took up too much room. It's worth noting that some of the old sets have no earth connection and can be dangerous so please avoid these if you are thinking of doing this kind of project and make sure the person who does the conversion is competent too. If you are handy with a soldering iron there are plenty of 'how to' videos on this subject on YouTube.

Very much worth remembering. Any tube-era radio without a power transformer can be plugged in in such a way that the chassis is directly connected to one side of the AC line. This is very common in cheap tabletop sets made after about 1935 or so -- especially those in colorful bakelite or plastic cabinets, the sort you'd find in a kitchen, and in postwar portable or clock radios.

You won't get a shock from these if you don't mess around with the chassis when it's plugged in -- but don't take them out of the cabinet and work on them plugged in unless you know what you're doing. Or use an isolation transformer to insulate them from the AC line.

Sets which *do* have a power transformer -- which you'll see instantly on looking into the back of the set -- are not subject to this problem. But you still shouldn't go poking around unless you know something about basic tube electronics -- a transformer-equipped radio will have 350 or 400 volts of DC shooting around under the chassis, and if you touch someplace you shouldn't touch, the jolt probably won't kill you, but it will be enough to knock you against the wall and numb your arm for the rest of the day.

 

[F. J.]

Keywind, eh?

[...]
I carry a 140 year old pocket watch that I've had rebuilt once (when it was about 135 years old).
[...]

Well, I think I might have you beat: my daily-wear Waltham turns 145 this summer.
However, I think the mainspring is about at the end of its life, so I'll have to send it to a horologist soon.

 

[Shangas]

My Ball railroad chronometer-pocketwatch is about 60 years old. My oldest pocketwatch is about 110 years old. I never use a wristwatch. EVER. Far too uncomfortable.

 

[PADDY]

My vintage Bakelite 1930s wireless which I now play my iPod through via a jack (just see it in the photo). A lovely smooth smokey warm valve sound of yesteryear!

 

[1930artdeco]

How does one install a jack that will play an iphone into an antique radio? I have friend that is going to go through my 1953 Zenith console radio and that might be a nice addition to add if possible.

Mike

 

[PADDY]

How does one install a jack that will play an iphone into an antique radio? I have friend that is going to go through my 1953 Zenith console radio and that might be a nice addition to add if possible.

Mike

I had a professional in Pasadena (LA) do it. Great job!

 

[Dragon Soldier]

Ohh.. radios, gramophones, pressure lamps, heaters and stoves. Odd little things.

It's getting harder to find nice pieces in these parts, partially due to the simple advances of anno domini, climate also plays a part in this, Ireland is wet! The other factor is the popualrity of the vintage look which leads to usaeable, or at least restorable items being butchered to "modernise" them

There are also some legislative and technical issues which make some of the restorations described on here a non starter. Lizzie Maine mentions old phones and a late '40's TV still in use. I doubt either of them could sensibly be made functional in the UK. At least I suppsoe they could be made funtional, you just couldn't use them as a 'phone or a TV! On the legislative front, liability causes many vintage or antique retailers (even some carbooters & house clearers) to render electrical and technical equipment unusuable before selling them as "for display purposes only". Old gas appliances cookers, heaters etc. can be fitted only with considerable hassle.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The main issue with television sets is standards conversion. Few places in the world still use analog systems for over-the-air broadcasting, so the big obstacle is converting modern digital signals to an analog standard compatible with the set. I use a black box about the size of a deck of cards, provided by the cable company, and feed that into an old VCR with a built-in audio-video modulator. Hook the output of the VCR to the antenna terminals of the set using a balun adapter, and tune the TV to channel 3, and there you go. You use the tuner on the VCR to select channels, but otherwise the TV functions as normal. There are devices available for converting not just digital to analog, but to your choice of various obsolete TV resolutions -- UK users can get boxes to convert modern signals to 405 or 625 line analog, American users can find boxes for 441 line or 525 line NTSC.

The other option is to use a device called an "Agile Modulator" to broadcast the converted signal on your choice of analog channel and tune it in using the TV set tuner. These devices, commonly made by the Blonder-Tongue company, were formerly used by cable TV companies to feed signals into their cable line, but since the digital conversion they've become very common on the surplus market. You feed your signal from your analog converter box, VCR, or DVD player into the "Agile Modulator," and attach a set of common rabbit ears to the output. You'll generate a signal sufficient to go room-to-room in your house, but not strong enough to set off detector trucks or government monitors. Tune in the signal, again using rabbit ears, and there you go. These "Agile Modulators" are sufficiently cheap that some people have several of them operating on different channels, giving them a choice of programming to tune in.

The main disadvantage of the "Agile Modulator" system is that you need room to set it up -- the units are rack-mount, meaning they aren't small, and for best results you should have the system set up in a spare room, office, or workshop to keep it out of the way.

I don't know the legalities in the UK, but the US permits low-power home broadcasting as long as the maximum ERP of the transmitter is not over 100 milliwatts. Anything more than this and you risk a visit from Uncle Charlie.

 

[Dragon Soldier]

The main issue with television sets is standards conversion. Few places in the world still use analog systems for over-the-air broadcasting, so the big obstacle is converting modern digital signals to an analog standard compatible with the set. I use a black box about the size of a deck of cards, provided by the cable company, and feed that into an old VCR with a built-in audio-video modulator. Hook the output of the VCR to the antenna terminals of the set using a balun adapter, and tune the TV to channel 3, and there you go. You use the tuner on the VCR to select channels, but otherwise the TV functions as normal. There are devices available for converting not just digital to analog, but to your choice of various obsolete TV resolutions -- UK users can get boxes to convert modern signals to 405 or 625 line analog, American users can find boxes for 441 line or 525 line NTSC.

The other option is to use a device called an "Agile Modulator" to broadcast the converted signal on your choice of analog channel and tune it in using the TV set tuner. These devices, commonly made by the Blonder-Tongue company, were formerly used by cable TV companies to feed signals into their cable line, but since the digital conversion they've become very common on the surplus market. You feed your signal from your analog converter box, VCR, or DVD player into the "Agile Modulator," and attach a set of common rabbit ears to the output. You'll generate a signal sufficient to go room-to-room in your house, but not strong enough to set off detector trucks or government monitors. Tune in the signal, again using rabbit ears, and there you go. These "Agile Modulators" are sufficiently cheap that some people have several of them operating on different channels, giving them a choice of programming to tune in.

The main disadvantage of the "Agile Modulator" system is that you need room to set it up -- the units are rack-mount, meaning they aren't small, and for best results you should have the system set up in a spare room, office, or workshop to keep it out of the way.

I don't know the legalities in the UK, but the US permits low-power home broadcasting as long as the maximum ERP of the transmitter is not over 100 milliwatts. Anything more than this and you risk a visit from Uncle Charlie.

625 line is no problem at all, 405 though is tricky and/or expensive.

The Agile Modulator is new to me, not entirely sure what the sort of low power transmission we're allowed here, if any. But given the frequency allocation of the old 405 line service I imagine you'd have problems with other users now.

 

[Shangas]

One Golden Era thing that I've revived is something that has never actually gone away. Although it's rare in the Western world, it's extremely common in Asia. Especially in Korea, China and Japan.

The use of personal name-seals:



This is my seal. My parents had it carved with my name as a birthday present. My grandparents are from southern China (Canton), so my mother insisted that I should have one! My brother has one as well, but I'm the only one who actually uses his. I keep it on my desk and sign my diary-entries with it.

 

[Mr Oldschool]

I have restored and written with fountain pens for years now, and I've also restored a couple for other people, as well. I read books by preference, some of them quite old. I shave with straights and safety razors. The straight gives a better shave, but a safety razor is almost as good and takes a fraction of the time. I would rather have the time to do a straight shave, but that often is not the reality. My hat is from the 40's or 50's, and I wear it nearly every day. I also frequently wear a vintage Harris Tweed sportcoat and a vintage Clipper Mist raincoat. We cook with a cast-iron skillet that my wife's grandfather bought decades ago, and we have another, much larger one we take camping. I also have a pair of Swarovski binoculars from his old stuff that we always take with us when we go to the coast. The International Scout I drive isn't golden age, but it is the same age as I am, so that's something, and I've been driving it for 20 years with no plans on that ending. I have a couple mehcanical watches, one wrist, one pocket, which I also use regularly. I'm only just getting around to learning how to sew, so I haven't tried a hand crank one of those yet, but give me time...

Using something that's been around for a long time and may have been used by who knows who long ago in a different era is a draw for me. I can't travel back in time, but I can experience something of a past era and through that I have a closer connection and appreciation of the past. And yes, this era is too disposable. Things aren't necessarily produced the way they are now to be better, usually it's to be cheaper and require frequent replacement. "Upgrades" they call it, but it's planned obsolecence purely for the purpose of ensuring that you will need to buy something again in a short time and thereby provide them with future customers. I balk at that notion wherever I can.

 

[St. Louis]

Shangas, I love the name-seal.

Shadomega, very well said. That's exactly the reason I use old stuff. I'm not handy like Lizzie M., in fact I'm dangerous around any tool more complicated than a rock or a potato, but there's an indescribable sense of ... hmm, now I'm going to try to describe it ... comfort? a sense of belonging to a bigger past than the last three years? homeyness? Well, I think you said it. I don't have any use for the new that's only new because it isn't old. And my idea of old is fairly generous. I use things daily that are probably close to a hundred years old, like my coffee grinder.

 

[LizzieMaine]

If it works, why do you need something new? That's my philosophy. I've spent the past hour cleaning and oiling my sewing machine, which is a mere ninety-four years old, and does everything I could possibly want a sewing machine to do. Plus, it's *pleasing* -- it's solid to the touch, it's elegantly-designed, it was honestly-built by American hands, and it even smells good. I couldn't conceive of getting that level of satisfaction out of some cheap plastic thing from Schlock-Mart.

 

[Shangas]

If it works, why do you need something new? That's my philosophy. I've spent the past hour cleaning and oiling my sewing machine, which is a mere ninety-four years old, and does everything I could possibly want a sewing machine to do. Plus, it's *pleasing* -- it's solid to the touch, it's elegantly-designed, it was honestly-built by American hands, and it even smells good. I couldn't conceive of getting that level of satisfaction out of some cheap plastic thing from Schlock-Mart.

As the Old Man on Pawnstars said: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it is broke, it ain't worth fixin'".

 

[Smithy]

One Golden Era thing that I've revived is something that has never actually gone away. Although it's rare in the Western world, it's extremely common in Asia. Especially in Korea, China and Japan.

The use of personal name-seals:



This is my seal. My parents had it carved with my name as a birthday present. My grandparents are from southern China (Canton), so my mother insisted that I should have one! My brother has one as well, but I'm the only one who actually uses his. I keep it on my desk and sign my diary-entries with it.

That's really neat Shangas. What a lovely personal touch and a great nod to your ancestry. Keep using it, that's really special.

 

[Shangas]

Thanks. I really like having it. It's certainly unique.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've found a possible permanent solution to my wringer-roller dilemma -- a firm in New York State called J. J. Short Associates deals in all sorts of custom roller work, and have quoted me a price of about $260 plus shipping to strip and recoat my existing roller shafts with the correct type of rubber. I'll be shipping the rollers off this week and will report on the results.

That's not cheap, but it's a reasonable price for such custom work, and considering the original rollers lasted over seventy years, I think the expenditure should pretty much ensure my washing-machine needs for the rest of my life.

I'd also call attention to their website, http://www.jjshort.com, where they advertise other custom roller work, including the recovering of dry or damaged typewriter platens. They're apparently the only firm in the US doing this type of work, and if your typewriter's in rough shape, they might be worth a call.