10-05-2005, 07:45 PM
I guess it depends on your perspective. 
Over the weekend, my wife and I were out doing some antique shopping, and we came across a Philco 41-280 at a nearby antique mall. My first thought was, "Do I really want to take on another console?" Well, guess what? It came home with us. Here's the breakdown.
The pros:
The price was right ($22), the cabinet, although very dirty and dusty, only had minor scratches and the original finish is still intact, it had all the buttons, the chassis is all there, the speaker and grill cloth are in immaculate condition, and my wife likes it.
The cons:
It's missing the escutcheon, as well as the metal band around it, missing all 4 knobs, the dial pointer and missing 4 tubes. One was the 7C6 (got one in stock), but the other 3 are the 84 and the two 41's (figures - the three expensive ones!).
So: outside of missing some expensive parts, this thing really has some potential. I used some hand cleaner on the cabinet, and the nice glow of the original finish came right back. I'll be placing an order to Larry B. for the escutcheon and knobs in the near future, and I'll have to go on a hunt for the escutcheon band and dial pointer. I may try fabricating a dial pointer if I can't find one.
The chassis will be my winter project, so I'm set. The important thing was that my wife likes it very much. She likes the rounded shape of the cabinet, which we both think is it's most attractive feature.
When I get it done, I'll need to figure out where to put it. I'll keep you posted on the progress.
Bill Hutchinson
Cottage Grove, MN
Over the weekend, my wife and I were out doing some antique shopping, and we came across a Philco 41-280 at a nearby antique mall. My first thought was, "Do I really want to take on another console?" Well, guess what? It came home with us. Here's the breakdown.
The pros:
The price was right ($22), the cabinet, although very dirty and dusty, only had minor scratches and the original finish is still intact, it had all the buttons, the chassis is all there, the speaker and grill cloth are in immaculate condition, and my wife likes it.
The cons:
It's missing the escutcheon, as well as the metal band around it, missing all 4 knobs, the dial pointer and missing 4 tubes. One was the 7C6 (got one in stock), but the other 3 are the 84 and the two 41's (figures - the three expensive ones!).
So: outside of missing some expensive parts, this thing really has some potential. I used some hand cleaner on the cabinet, and the nice glow of the original finish came right back. I'll be placing an order to Larry B. for the escutcheon and knobs in the near future, and I'll have to go on a hunt for the escutcheon band and dial pointer. I may try fabricating a dial pointer if I can't find one.
The chassis will be my winter project, so I'm set. The important thing was that my wife likes it very much. She likes the rounded shape of the cabinet, which we both think is it's most attractive feature.
When I get it done, I'll need to figure out where to put it. I'll keep you posted on the progress.
Bill Hutchinson
Cottage Grove, MN
Sent from my Pentium II on the AT&T Dial Network
