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Post by elorens on Jan 13, 2020 13:04:07 GMT 12
Here are some images of the cabinet of my recently-acquired 1936 Gulbransen 7L. The cabinet has been cleaned and a small amount of borer has been treated, but otherwise it is as it arrived. I understand that the original finish would have been nitrocellulose lacquer. There is still quite a bit of yellowish-brown lacquer on the front and sides, although I'm not sure if it is original. There are big chunks missing on the top, with a reddish colour underneath. Complete with a few random paint spots, the overall effect is rather 'poxy'. I'd really like some advice on how to proceed! My gut reaction is to strip off the old varnish and start again, but I'm aware that many people favour a minimal-intervention approach in which an old radio looks its age, but is polished up to look as good as it can. I know too that some guitar owners really like the look of crazed old nitrocellulose finishes! What would you do, if this cabinet were yours? While I have your attention, I should mention that this model is the kind that has a projected light line instead of a physical pointer. There are three bands, and a line for each band is provided by activating one of three lamps inside a metal box which moves behind the tuning scale. In my case the middle lamp doesn't work. My problem is that there seems to be no way into this box without destroying it! Has anyone else met this problem and solved it? Extensive rust on the chassis surface and elsewhere has been treated with phosphoric acid. This has left a blotchy surface on the chassis. I propose to leave this as is, since I don't believe it was painted before. I might touch up the black mains transformer with black paint. Again, comments welcome. Thanks, Lawrence --
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Steve
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Post by Steve on Jan 15, 2020 14:15:35 GMT 12
Hi Lawrence, I'm no expert with refinishing but I've done a few cabinets now. I'd refinish it - and here is why. 1. Its not a 'valuable' set - in historical terms I mean. These were mass produced and many examples exist. The original finish does not therefor hold any significance (IMHO). 2. The finish is in poor shape and will likely all fall off in time anyway, leaving the timber at risk of damage. 3. The grill cloth is shot and will need to be replaced. The red colour you see on top is the raw timber veneer. The lacquer would have been, to all intents and purposes, clear - and it would have showed the grain off... its yellowed and opaque now and the grain is barely visible. I'd scrape this old lacquer carefully from the cabinet, clean it with acetone to remove any remaining lacquer and dirt and then repair any damaged veneer. Then I'd shellac the cabinet (this acts as a sanding sealer) and then spray a satin lacquer over it (Spray Store or a similar automotive paints outlet can supply that either ready to spray or in a spray can ready to go). Don't use Polyurethane as the finish will look plasticy and very out of place - although if you want a matt finish then thinned oil-based satin poly at about 5 parts turps and 1 part poly can be brushed on in multiple thin coats 30 minutes apart to give a durable and acceptable finish. Whatever way you go, do some test finishes on plywood or other timber first to make sure you're happy with the look - particularly if you go with poly, since this is very hard to get off again. Another nice finish option is Briwax - which I have used on some sets and I quite like the look. The Shellac is not a french polishing process, just 1 or 2 coats to seal the grain... although you could always french polish it if you wanted to - I don't have the patience to do it, but the sets I've seen done look amazing. A grain filler before spraying would also help the finished look of the cabinet. Regarding grill cloth - there is a reproduction pattern called whiskey rayon which is probably quite close to what was originally fitted - www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Radio-Speaker-Grille-Cloth-Whiskey-Rayon-18-x-24-Shipping-included/183969986979 . Radio Daze also has a similar one I've used on old sets of this era: www.radiodaze.com/grille-cloth-02-item-grc02/Oh, and one final note - don't polish the metalwork - it was never polished from the factory and it tends to look tacky when made bright and shiny (in my opinion). Cheers, Steve
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Post by elorens on Jan 15, 2020 20:53:38 GMT 12
Thanks very much for your comments, Steve. With other comments received, that makes three in favour of refinishing, and none against.
Do you know if the 7Ls we find here had locally-made cabinets? I have seen that comment on some American sites, but don’t have any evidence either way.
I have french polished a couple of cabinets, and they do look nice, but given that this was lacquered originally, I quite like the idea of re-lacquering it. I will take off the metal trim when working on the cabinet, but won’t shine it up. There are maybe six borer holes in the side. Is plastic wood a suitable filler?
Thanks for the tips about grille cloth. Have you ordered cloth from Richmond Designs before? (The whiskey rayon on eBay). This seems to be a one-man band and there is online a quietly desperate rant from a customer whose waiting time appeared to be measured in years! But maybe the cloth is more straightforward to order.
Some good news: unexpectedly, the dial line for the 2-5 MHz band has started working again. This is a relief, since there was no obvious way into the light box.
Thanks again for your time and thought, they are appreciated.
Cheers
Lawrence —
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Steve
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Post by Steve on Jan 21, 2020 18:10:28 GMT 12
I don't know about the cabinets - someone here probably does though. All the ones I've seen look mostly the same, but the Gulbransen name was not used in the US at the time these were released I don't think - it was a NZ brand by that time as I understand it (but I could be wrong).
I've only used Radio Daze for gill cloth before, they are pretty good although I wish they'd ship in a roll rather than folding.
Cheers, Steve
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Post by elorens on Jan 21, 2020 20:37:57 GMT 12
I don't know about the cabinets - someone here probably does though. All the ones I've seen look mostly the same, but the Gulbransen name was not used in the US at the time these were released I don't think - it was a NZ brand by that time as I understand it (but I could be wrong). I've only used Radio Daze for gill cloth before, they are pretty good although I wish they'd ship in a roll rather than folding. Cheers, Steve Thanks, Steve. I have now started on refinishing the cabinet. As expected, the old lacquer is coming off fairly easily so far, and the wood underneath looks good. When the dial escutcheon was taken off, underneath was a bit of the old lacquer in original condition - shiny and clear. i might risk ordering from Richmond Designs, since the whiskey rayon looks like quite a good match. Cheers, Lawrence —
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Post by DHockey on Jan 22, 2020 12:15:53 GMT 12
Gulbransen were a Piano manufacturer, they also sold a line of radios made by Wells-Gardner, a private brand manufacturer. Gulbransen Pianos and radios were imported in to NZ by HW Clarke. The radios evidently sold well and built up a very good reputation here since when Gulbransen in the US stopped selling radios I think Clarkes kept ordering Gulbransen branded radios from Wells-Gardner until the advent of harsher import restrictions and they switched to having Gulbransen radios built by Collier and Beale in Wellington.
Import restrictions gradually increased over the course of the 1930’s, initially NZ companies could import fully built up radios, then they could only import chassis and components. At this point Gulbransen radios were imported as a chassis only and fitted into a variety of cabinets made by the company GC Goodes Ltd. By the end of the 30’s the restrictions were such that only components could be imported (subject to permits etc) and many local importers either went out of business or switched to selling locally made sets.
Feel free to correct me or add any more info, I'm just repeating what I have learned from John Stokes' books and NZVRS Bulletins over the years.
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Post by elorens on Jan 22, 2020 12:54:07 GMT 12
Thanks, Daniel. I wonder what the state of play was in 1936? I guess an expert would be able to say where the wood in the cabinet came from, but that would be beyond me.
Cheers,
Lawrence —
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roy51
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Post by roy51 on Feb 1, 2020 22:48:28 GMT 12
I have used Coopers Stripper on a few radio cabinets recently, results are very good, lifts the old finish off without any damage to veneers etc. Coopers also have a great finish that is applied with a brush, left to dry over several days and then buffed off. Looks great. Hope this helps
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Post by Philconut on Feb 9, 2020 21:17:26 GMT 12
All very interesting as I have have just got a very good friend's 7L set to repair. There is a pristine, green GC Goode label inside. Valve lineup is 6K7RF, 6K7Mixer, 6C5Osc, 6K7IF, 6Q7, 6F6, 5Y3GT, 6U5. Oval dial with band-spread function, BC + 2 SW bands and an interesting tone control which has a Hi-Fi switch at one end of the travel. Looks like the switch changes the shape of the IF passband. Does anyone have a circuit?
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Post by Philconut on Feb 9, 2020 21:22:47 GMT 12
The chassis is definitely made in the states. It is stamped on the back.Looks like it is nickel plated. Definitely not painted.
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Post by Philconut on Feb 9, 2020 21:31:44 GMT 12
Just found the circuit on the other post about the 7L. Many thanks.
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Post by elorens on Feb 10, 2020 22:14:00 GMT 12
All very interesting as I have have just got a very good friend's 7L set to repair. There is a pristine, green GC Goode label inside. Valve lineup is 6K7RF, 6K7Mixer, 6C5Osc, 6K7IF, 6Q7, 6F6, 5Y3GT, 6U5. Oval dial with band-spread function, BC + 2 SW bands and an interesting tone control which has a Hi-Fi switch at one end of the travel. Looks like the switch changes the shape of the IF passband. Does anyone have a circuit? Nice to know! Can you post a photo of the GC Goode label and its location, please? Mine has the same tone control plus switch, but the dial may be different: it uses a projected line onto the dial, from a box containing three lamps. Nice radio, now working well. Want an expert to tell me if the cabinet is made from NZ wood, or possibly North American. Cheers, Lawrence --
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Post by Philconut on Feb 11, 2020 8:24:53 GMT 12
Hi Lawrence, Photos attached. It is very difficult to decide what the veneer timber is because the finish has darkened and obscured it. The whole radio has been "got at" by someone in the past with less than satisfactory results. However it now goes well after discovering yesterday the the primaries of both IF transformers had gone high resistance - in the order of 3k ohms, so I had to replace them. This has unfortunately eliminated the sharp/broad switching but that can't be avoided.
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Post by elorens on Feb 11, 2020 17:54:35 GMT 12
Well done on getting it going again! I have the full service manual, courtesy of Daniel.
Took the cabinet today to the Centre for Fine Woodworking, north of Nelson, where they have a visiting instructor from North America. His opinion was that the veneer was North American Walnut, which suggests that this cabinet may have been made in the US, rather than here. It's not conclusive, of course, but there is no Goode label as on yours, nor any sign of there having been such a label in place. Walnut is a plentiful timber around Chicago, where the chassis was made.
Thanks very much for the photos! Would be interested to see how the outside of the cabinet looks.
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Post by elorens on Feb 11, 2020 18:02:28 GMT 12
Here are some images of the cabinet of my recently-acquired 1936 Gulbransen 7L. -- Here are photos taken today, showing the cabinet after the old lacquer has been removed, but before anything has been put on. Closeups of the side and top, showing the wood thought to be North American Walnut. If you disagree, please say!
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