Exactly 6 years ago, 1/2014, I restored my first 70.
Today it's time for another one. I have two in line: this and the lowboy. I decided to start with this one.
I bought it...forgot, maybe 3 years ago.
Plus I have a second chassis from a 570, with real Mershons. Well....it's a thought.
Anyway, this is the picture of it. At some point I put it here on the Phorum, but I doubt I will find it now. I put some stuff around it since so the picture is partly obstructed, but ..... here goes.
And this is its clock:
The chassis:
People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
And then I noticed someone borrowed an RF coil from this radio. Bastards.
But....I have that second chassis. I am not crazy about parting it, it is whole even if dirty, but.....like I said, I might even....but then maybe Mershons are better put in a smaller radio that could be viewed easily from the back; GF clocks are not made to look in the back.
So, today I took out the tuning cap and gave it a bath.
Another thing is: both chassis miss the shield. This is where I might use Chuck Paci's services.
Will do for today.
People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
Today I somewhat cleaned the top to the extent I aleays do: removal of the grime and applying naval jelly to a few rust spots. I don't paint chassis though I admire those who do.
Then I started on restuffing the backelite caps.
I found out both chassis have an extra block not shown in any bottom diagram, so I went by Ray Bintliff's book. I figured the cap is the one across the filter choke, and Ray's book does not list this cap: it lists same number in about 40 varieties but mine is without letters at the end. Anyhow, all of them are 0.09uF which is what I put in.
The blocks have a kind of tar in them that leaks easily and smears the bottom which I then have to wipe.
I modded the tool I have from Steve by taking out the push-out rod and replacing it by a sawn-off piece of the hex wrench I used for this purpose before. The rod is a bit thin and often poked through the tar, whereas the wrench never did. Now I have a handy tool that no longer pokes through and always pushes the tar block out.
Steve, you might want to look into it. The rod in the pushout tool might use a little larger diameter. Mine still goes through eyelets just fine, but as it is fatter it won't pierce through the softened tar as readily. Otherwise it's a great tool and I use the drill bit successfully too.
A couple of the caps were repaired bybiting off a part of the lug and then soldering a new tubular cap to it, so I had to realign and solder those back.
I hate tar. I do. Am I the only one hating tar?
Ok, enough for now.
People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
Recap finished, with the electrolytics (silver Sprague Mershons) remaining to get restuffed.
I forgot who did that here. I did too, but I had to destroy the backelite threaded prart and I wonder if there is a better way.
I also remember from 7 years ago, this backelite was a tough, very tough thing to remove.
People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
When my pals were reading comic books
I was down in the basement in my dad's
workshop. Perusing his Sam's Photofoacts
Vol 1-50 admiring the old set and trying to
figure out what all those squiggly meant.
Circa 1966
Now I think I've got!
Yes I know. Not really interested. Why would I adulterate a radio? If I want AVC, I have plenty of radios with it. 70 comes without it, and so it's gonna stay.
People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
Mike, when I started making the condenser tools, I bought some music wire at a local hobby shop, it was clearly marked 1/16 inch. It actually measured .055. I thought well, maybe 1/16 " is some kind of "nominal" size, sort of like lumber. A few weeks ago, I used up my original supply of music wire and ordered some more 1/16", same brand (K&S) on line. When I received it, I immediately could tell it was larger in diameter than what I had before. The new wire measures .062 as one would expect. Anyone that bought the tool in the past, that wants the larger wire, send me your address, I will send a larger diameter wire, no charge.
It's a fine tool. And yes it might help other folks, provided they experience the same thing; I am OK as it works and looks fine with that cut Allen wrench piece, so no need sending me anything.
The handle is the most important part of the tool anyway.
People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
I will be following your repair with much interest. I have the same Grandfather Clock. I'm not really able to work on it now with the house remodel, but I'm collecting as much information as I can. My clock is original but does not have a second hand like yours. My speaker is damaged and from what I have read is not easily repaired / re-coned. The finial is broke off, but I have that to repair or make a new one from.
(This post was last modified: 02-13-2020, 03:11 PM by Mike L.)
So Sunday I cut the rolled part of the bottom off the Sprague electrolytics.
Taking out the threaded part was easy: I grabbed the rubber ring with large pliers and it just came out without much sweat.
I broke off the aluminum threaded rod: there is no way to solder to it and then it is aluminum.
I gave the shells vinegar bath that dissolved all dry salt deposits.
Then I chipped off dry rubber off of the threaded plugs.
Here's what I got now:
As you could see, I use screws and ring terminals to fashion the contact. The plugs are intact and will be glued back in the shells.
I will route a small groove in them to put the negative wire through and will solder it to the shells. I need to think of how I will make the shell to contact the ring on the chassis, ma6be make a small receptacle cup from another old cap.
People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
I brought about 1/4" of the negative lead out perpendicular to the can. I dimpled the new crimp to prevent the wire from keeping the can from seating on the ring. Then I soldered the wire to the ring where it goes down through the insulator. It's relatively inconspicuous and gives a good, solid and permanent connection.
Then I took the bottom sawn off the cap and flatten it into a ring.
Then solder the ends together.
Then cut a groove in the base, run the other cap end through it and solder to the ring.
For the second cap I fashioned the contact from the Romex fire as the ring I had broke because I scored it after flattening to make making the circle easier and while being bent it broke.
Next I will put hot glue between the felt and the base to stabilize the cap.
The pad obviously is being used to prevent the cap rubbing against the lug.
People who do not drink, do not smoke, do not eat red meat will one day feel really stupid lying there and dying from nothing.
(This post was last modified: 03-01-2020, 08:43 PM by morzh.)
Looks good! I'll have to tackle my Grandfather clock someday too. But it needs lots of love. Someone has changed out the front panel; the one in there has been hand made...
