Grille Cloth Discontinued
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Before locking thread
I know this might sound crazy, but I think there is still an active cottage industry here and abroad making dresses and sweaters from yarn with hand operated programmable knitting machines. Must be nearly 20 years ago, set one up for the ex. Now I don't know if this could work with finer materials but I suppose it could be done somehow. Seeing as how most of the time grille cloth is only needed in relatively small peices, let's ask the ladies just how nuts I am.
More nuts, how about silk screening suitable fabric with patterns. It wouldn't fool a museum curator, but might work.
Very old school, but there once was cloth with photo emulsion that you could use like enlarging paper in the wet darkroom. It was black and white, and I reckon a color version would be a real pain to engineer. Not going to fly.
Lastly, a sheet of fabric mounted on paper and sent through an ink jet printer?
OK enough, back to work.
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The pattern is about 3/4". A little smaller than I had in mind.
Note from site admin: Sorry, but the photo which was attached to this post is no longer available.
"I just might turn into smoke, but I feel fine"
http://www.russoldradios.com/
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As Ron knows, I've been looking for grille cloth for my newly purchased 38-690. If anyone has it please let me know. It is ribbed (and a shade of olive). I found this brown ribbed cloth on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/300551345745
It is ribbed but very dark. What I don't understand is that the pieces are only 10 by 12 inches. The amount of cloth needed for a console would be much larger.
sms@bee.net
PS. I have never had a set restored before and have sent it to Alexsander Kowal, who sells very nice looking restored sets on ebay at very reasonable prices. Uses the name anna11708. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Looks to brown corduroy to me.
The original cloth in your set is faded, the repop cloth, if you can find any for sale, is supposedly what the original color would have been.
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I think somebody needs to see if this lady would like another project.
http://weavolution.com/node/12573
John
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Frustrated by the lack of grille cloth available for us these days I took a trip over to JoAnn Fabrics and found some very nice candidates which run the gamut of looking like old original cloth to jazzy new cloth which you would use to give your radio some pizzazz. The prices are much lower than buying standard grille cloth and your selection is practically unlimited. You do have to be careful to select fabric that will allow sound to pass through well. Any thoughts on this? I have some photos but not sure how to post them.
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Providing photos of grille cloth bought from eBay seller to replace cloth on my 38-690.
It is somewhat close.
Has no gold weave but, will work until new source is found. 
camman
(This post was last modified: 04-05-2012, 02:39 PM by camman.)
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Kenny Richmond has found an American Weaving Mill capable (and willing) to make grille cloth. His first cloth, soon to be released, will be the Zenith swirl with other patterns to follow:
http://richmonddesignsinc.com/home
For anyone looking for grille cloth until more reproductions come out there is a lot of cloth being sold on eBay. While you might not find an exact Philco, Zenith, etc. pattern, you might find something that at looks somewhat decent until you can locate something more exact. An eBay seller by the name of brets-old-radios seems to be selling some decent generic patterns.
John KK4ZLF
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"illegitimis non carborundum"
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62.50 for an 18"X26" piece......
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(05-06-2012, 12:42 PM)Eliot Ness Wrote: Kenny Richmond has found an American Weaving Mill capable (and willing) to make grille cloth. His first cloth, soon to be released, will be the Zenith swirl with other patterns to follow:
http://richmonddesignsinc.com/home
For anyone looking for grille cloth until more reproductions come out there is a lot of cloth being sold on eBay. While you might not find an exact Philco, Zenith, etc. pattern, you might find something that at looks somewhat decent until you can locate something more exact. An eBay seller by the name of brets-old-radios seems to be selling some decent generic patterns.
Glad to hear they have been able to find a mill to start producing grill cloth again. Now the big wait until they can get more of the popular patterns made.
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I'm less worried about the price, and more worried about being able to get it. as someone who has a 'thing' for 1965 full size Pontiacs (Pontiacs, Philco, I see a pattern) I;m used to paying 3X as much as a Chevy driver.
Chevy=Zenith
Pontiac=Philco
enough said.
John
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(05-10-2012, 02:21 AM)TA Forbes Wrote: 62.50 for an 18"X26" piece......
Yes I noticed that too, normally a commercially produced bolt of fabric is 32 inches wide and is sold by the yard (or meter) going up the roll. That's $19.53 per square foot or $156.24 per yard just to put it into perspective.
Regards
Arran
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My perspective is: it is made in the USA, AND it is available.
Kudos to anyone who has been able to get the task accomplished!
Gene
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Sara von Tresckow at "wool gatherers" in Fond Du Lac Wisconcin is willing to help us all out here. She just needs to know colors, materials and patterns.
http://www.woolgatherers.com
I am going this route, and plan to send her my sample in the next week or so.
Hope this helps!
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Actually given the volume of Philcos sold and produced a Philco has more in common with a Chebby, then a Pontiac, or at least a Ford. In my opinion who cares where it's made, as long as it's done right and it's affordable, and $156.24 a yard is just not in the cards for 80% of the sets out there that don't have the gee whiz cult following of a brand Z shutterdial set, which pretty much means most, if not all, Philco models.
It would be nice it it could be made in the U.S or Canada, or a developed country, but if it has to be sourced off shore so be it. Besides that did anyone ever pursue the SMS and Original Automotive interiors leads or did a business card just get passed off to someone else who likely round filed it?
Regards
Arran
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