My Grandmother's Radio - Restoration Completed!
Mar 23, 2023 14:50:10 GMT 12
elorens and Richard like this
Post by briano on Mar 23, 2023 14:50:10 GMT 12
I am pleased to report that I have completed the restoration of my late grandmother's radio.
I understand my grandparents bought the radio by choosing the cabinet in a shop in Wellington. The radio was then made to specification - being it had to receive short-wave stations without a big outdoor aerial. My grandmother was bedridden at the time and this radio enabled her to keep in touch with the BBC reporting on WWII that had just broken out.
A special thanks to Steve for his detailed advice and identification that my radio chassis was identical to the circa 1939 Telerad 6V-DW-39 model:
www.vintageradio.co.nz/model/telerad/6v-dw-39
And, the cabinet roughly similar to the 1937 Oxford 56M 'Skyline':
www.vintageradio.co.nz/model/oxford/56m
I found a more similar cabinet on 'Papers Past' where the Otago Daily Times in October 1939 advertised the Oxford Model 71M:
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19391021.2.16.2
In regard to the magic eye escutcheon, Steve also thought this definitely could have come from Turnbull and Jones who sold a line of spares branded Exelrad. And, that the dial escutcheon may well have also come from them.
Special thanks also for most helpful advise from David (Trombone), John (Philconut), Peter Walsham, Richard, Stanley, and Lance Neame. Please forgive me if I have left any one out.
Components I replaced included, the electrolytic capacitors, the paper/wax capacitors, a resistor, the mains transformer, dial lamp holder, a noisy volume control, the 6U5 magic eye, and the mains lead with a three-core vintage-look equivalent. I fitted a cord-grip clamp for the mains lead, and added fuses under the chassis in the mains phase line, and in the centre-tap of the mains transformer secondary. I also modified the tone control wiring as per advice.
In regard to restoring the cabinet, I 'chickened-out'. The radio has great sentimental value to me, and I didn't want to mess-up. So, I decided to enlist the services of 'A1 Furniture Restorers' in Wellington. I am very pleased with the result. The top of the cabinet was really badly damaged and they found the original was a dark walnut lamination. The top is now the original colour. The sides were badly marked, rough to touch, and had yellowed. All-in-all, the cabinet has come up really well.
I have built a dedicated table to hold the radio. With drawers - one to hide away a low-power AM transmitter/modulator fed from FM tuner/USB/Bluetooth modules. The AM transmitter provides ample signal and is simply connected to the radio's aerial terminals. No modification to the radio!
Once again, thank you for all your help. Most appreciated.
My next project? A circa 1935 'Rolls' Type XR (Chassis No. 31362) six-tube radio for a friend of my wife. Interestingly, it runs 2.5v heater voltage....
I understand my grandparents bought the radio by choosing the cabinet in a shop in Wellington. The radio was then made to specification - being it had to receive short-wave stations without a big outdoor aerial. My grandmother was bedridden at the time and this radio enabled her to keep in touch with the BBC reporting on WWII that had just broken out.
A special thanks to Steve for his detailed advice and identification that my radio chassis was identical to the circa 1939 Telerad 6V-DW-39 model:
www.vintageradio.co.nz/model/telerad/6v-dw-39
And, the cabinet roughly similar to the 1937 Oxford 56M 'Skyline':
www.vintageradio.co.nz/model/oxford/56m
I found a more similar cabinet on 'Papers Past' where the Otago Daily Times in October 1939 advertised the Oxford Model 71M:
paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19391021.2.16.2
In regard to the magic eye escutcheon, Steve also thought this definitely could have come from Turnbull and Jones who sold a line of spares branded Exelrad. And, that the dial escutcheon may well have also come from them.
Special thanks also for most helpful advise from David (Trombone), John (Philconut), Peter Walsham, Richard, Stanley, and Lance Neame. Please forgive me if I have left any one out.
Components I replaced included, the electrolytic capacitors, the paper/wax capacitors, a resistor, the mains transformer, dial lamp holder, a noisy volume control, the 6U5 magic eye, and the mains lead with a three-core vintage-look equivalent. I fitted a cord-grip clamp for the mains lead, and added fuses under the chassis in the mains phase line, and in the centre-tap of the mains transformer secondary. I also modified the tone control wiring as per advice.
In regard to restoring the cabinet, I 'chickened-out'. The radio has great sentimental value to me, and I didn't want to mess-up. So, I decided to enlist the services of 'A1 Furniture Restorers' in Wellington. I am very pleased with the result. The top of the cabinet was really badly damaged and they found the original was a dark walnut lamination. The top is now the original colour. The sides were badly marked, rough to touch, and had yellowed. All-in-all, the cabinet has come up really well.
I have built a dedicated table to hold the radio. With drawers - one to hide away a low-power AM transmitter/modulator fed from FM tuner/USB/Bluetooth modules. The AM transmitter provides ample signal and is simply connected to the radio's aerial terminals. No modification to the radio!
Once again, thank you for all your help. Most appreciated.
My next project? A circa 1935 'Rolls' Type XR (Chassis No. 31362) six-tube radio for a friend of my wife. Interestingly, it runs 2.5v heater voltage....
Attachments:
