03-09-2014, 06:19 PM
So, I have spent the entire afternoon working on this set. It is now recapped and playing well. I spent some time learning about the movie dial, and I am impressed. It is a great piece of technology for 1936-1937. The dial is a strip of film, inside a round canister. There is a light bulb in the center of that container, that is surrounded by a metal shield with a hole cut out. The film scrolls past the hole, and an image is projected onto a reflector, which then reflects the image onto the dial of the radio. There are several adjustments for focus, tilt, etc... it is basically a miniature movie projector, and the dial is the screen.
No wonder the set weighs so much! I would imagine half of that weight is in the dial alone. I discovered that I am very lucky. My dial film is in good shape. Most of these sets suffer from shrinkage and warping of the film. Replacements can be had, but with some expense and difficulty. Mine is in good shape and I managed to get it focused and adjusted. The slight bit of shrinkage is in the police band range of the dial. Broadcast looks like new.
The tuning eye lights up, but does not deflect. I will fix that tomorrow.
No wonder the set weighs so much! I would imagine half of that weight is in the dial alone. I discovered that I am very lucky. My dial film is in good shape. Most of these sets suffer from shrinkage and warping of the film. Replacements can be had, but with some expense and difficulty. Mine is in good shape and I managed to get it focused and adjusted. The slight bit of shrinkage is in the police band range of the dial. Broadcast looks like new.
The tuning eye lights up, but does not deflect. I will fix that tomorrow.
The artist formerly known as Puhpow! 8)
