[ntsc525]

Hi, everyone:

I'm new to this forum, and only recently got into tube radios, which I used to hack around with when I was a kid.

I got my first Philco this weekend, and it happens to also be my first Bakelite radio, a 46-420 Code 121 Hippo. This one's in great cosmetic condition except the dial scale has a crack, and it's missing the back.

So, what does a person with one Hippo do? Buy another one of course! I found one on eBay (a Code 128 ) with a back and good dial but a cracked case.

So, my thought is to recap both radios, swap the dial scales and take the back, so I have one near perfect example (Code 121) and one flawed example (Code 128 ).

So, on the cracked case, I'm thinking about gluing and priming it, then trying to paint it Ivory, and either sell it or keep it (because I don't have a Code 128 ).

Since the bakelite is already cracked, is there any value to be lost if I patched and painted it, or should I still leave it brown and just glue it?

Or, better yet, is there a method to repair Bakelite so it can keep it's original color and still look good?

From browsing around here, I know many of you do very impressive work, though I'm not sure how much time you spend messing with Hippos. (I've seen some of the restored pre-war consoles, and I'm impressed.)

By the way, the cracks are long, and along both bottom corners, as though the bottom wants to peal completely off.

What would you do with that case? (Assuming you want to save it, because if you say junk it, I'm still going to try to save it!)

Regards,

Dan

(Trying not to appear on Hoarders.)