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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. High sheen or mirror like reflective finishes are best sent to an expert refinisher. I have limited facilities for high gloss restorations. All pictured finishes have been accomplished by my unless specified otherwise. 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 8 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. My most rewarding restorations are the old forgotten heirloom radios that have been discovered by adult children or grandchildren and brought back to life.
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