05-28-2025, 10:21 PM
Hello everyone.
I am trying to start restoring this guy.
The chassis was pulled and opened up. There is a huge amount of not even dust, but debris on all the parts and inside. The air compressor worked hard to remove the debris. But the chassis is still very dirty. I have tried isopropyl alcohol, gasoline, acetone. It will take several gallons of solvent to achieve any result. I am afraid to use an actual dishwasher detergent, it usually helps in such difficult cases, but it is a risky method. I will think about it.
A preliminary inspection suggests that the capacitors in the power supply may have problems, as I found a lot of leaking mastic on the bottom of the chassis under the power transformer. Apparently it was overheating before, but a short test of the power supply did not give catastrophic results, all the tubes are hot, and there is some hum in the speaker. The final plan for the chassis is:
1) as much disassembly as possible
2) as thorough cleaning as possible
3) removing all rust
4) repainting rusty parts and stains.
5) checking and, if necessary, restoring faulty capacitors.
6) restoring all electronic functions to working order.
The next step is to restore the case.
As I can see, the case needs some serious work: re-gluing the delaminated plywood
Complete re-sanding
Restoring some areas of the veneer
Complete re-finishing.
I don't usually like woodworking, it's not my favorite part of the hobby.
I tried to find someone here who does furniture restoration. I found one, called for an estimate. When I heard the price - $300 for this work, and compared it to the money I spent on buying this radio - $25, I decided that I needed to start loving woodworking and wood finishing.
But how much do you think it will cost to restore the body of this radio?
I am trying to start restoring this guy.
The chassis was pulled and opened up. There is a huge amount of not even dust, but debris on all the parts and inside. The air compressor worked hard to remove the debris. But the chassis is still very dirty. I have tried isopropyl alcohol, gasoline, acetone. It will take several gallons of solvent to achieve any result. I am afraid to use an actual dishwasher detergent, it usually helps in such difficult cases, but it is a risky method. I will think about it.
A preliminary inspection suggests that the capacitors in the power supply may have problems, as I found a lot of leaking mastic on the bottom of the chassis under the power transformer. Apparently it was overheating before, but a short test of the power supply did not give catastrophic results, all the tubes are hot, and there is some hum in the speaker. The final plan for the chassis is:
1) as much disassembly as possible
2) as thorough cleaning as possible
3) removing all rust
4) repainting rusty parts and stains.
5) checking and, if necessary, restoring faulty capacitors.
6) restoring all electronic functions to working order.
The next step is to restore the case.
As I can see, the case needs some serious work: re-gluing the delaminated plywood
Complete re-sanding
Restoring some areas of the veneer
Complete re-finishing.
I don't usually like woodworking, it's not my favorite part of the hobby.
I tried to find someone here who does furniture restoration. I found one, called for an estimate. When I heard the price - $300 for this work, and compared it to the money I spent on buying this radio - $25, I decided that I needed to start loving woodworking and wood finishing.
But how much do you think it will cost to restore the body of this radio?
If you want to work, lie down and sleep, and everything will pass.
![[-]](https://philcoradio.com/phorum/images/bootbb/collapse.png "[-]")
