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.