Paul’s

Tube Radio Restoration

These beautifully restored radios bring back the memories of times gone by with their wonderful look and vacuum tube sound.

	lTube Radio Restorations bring life back old vintage radios.
	lEach radio is meticulously restored (not repaired).
	lEnjoy unparalleled classic beauty and years of reliable vacuum tube sound and operation.

lCabinet Restoration include:

	lStrip old finish treatments and dirt if needed.
	lRepair/minimize blemishes.
	Strengthen
	lApply new finish and/or conditioner.
	lTreat with rejuvenating Teague oil where appropriate.
	lTreat bakelite with restorers.
	lHand rub Paste Wax finish as appropriate.
	lReplace speaker grill cloth as needed.
	lReplace missing or damaged knobs.

Electronic restoration includes:

	Replace all wax/paper, electrolytic, out of tolerance capacitors.
	Replace all out of tolerance resistors.
	Replace all deteriorated wire with High voltage rated, vintage reproduction cloth covered wire (cloth where appropriate).
	Test all tubes. Verify circuit against original manufacture’s schematic and restore to original engineered design.
	Replace or rebuild other failed parts as needed.
	Measure voltage and signal test points to verify proper and stable operation.
	Calibrate and align for sensitive reception and accurate dial scale tracking.
	Bench tested (burn-in) 24 hours to verify proper operation

	Grebe Syncrophase		Philco 20
Zenith Transoceanic		Grundig Model 5088 USA		Philco 40-150
Airline		Bendix 64P4		Philco 40-190 Art Deco styling
RCA 25BP "Pick Me Up"		Motorola		Howard

Please help your self and take a look around. I have posted several projects with some details. It is my intention to share these restoration experiences. A restoration of a vintage radio is much different than a repair.

Electronic components go bad with age. Some components contain liquid electrolytes that dry out. Others have paper insulators that degrade and create short circuits with age. Resistor will absorb moisture and decay internally rendering them far out of design tolerance. And the most obvious would be the missing insulation on the power cord. A less obvious problem is missing insulation on wires that are concealed under the chassis. A restoration address all the above aging problems.

Once a radio is restored and any, pre-existing failures trouble-shot and repaired, the radio may serve another half century of reliable service.

Cabinet restoration is more dependant on the owners opinion and desired look. A cabinet may remain untouched and the existing patina undisturbed as so it does not loose any collector value. Most radios that I collect have been long since ignored and abused. Often the protective finish has been chipped or flaked off, water damage may have occurred or it has been dropped and broken. Stripping and extensive finish and cabinet repairs are typically required. I commonly restore radios in need of "rescuing" from the land fill.

Generally, I like to have an old vintage radio work at or beyond original factory specifications. And look pleasing too. All wax/paper capacitors, electrolytic capacitors and most resistors are replaced. A full electronic alignment is performed. And the unit is operated (burned-in) for at lease 24 hours. After the burn-in period any failures are diagnosed and repaired and the electronic alignment is re-performed. Radios that have extensive decayed wiring require many hours of precision wire replacement. Often the location of the wire is critical to the proper operation of the radio.

The most rewarding restorations are the old forgotten heir loom radios that have been discovered by an adult child or grandchild and brought back to life.

Hit Counter

including your thoughts and comments.

30,269 web site visitors from October 2004 through December 31, 2007.

Copyright © 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008. All rights reserved.