[mikethedruid]

I have begun the electronic restoration of my RCA 18T. It is filled with rubber covered wire. most of the insulation on it has become so brittle it crumbles and turns to dust, while on a few wires it has turned to goo. I have replaced the 4 section main filter condenser. Fortunately Antique Electronics Supply carried a PERFECT replacement. Perfect fit, exact same values, even the same terminal layout! I am replacing the paper condensers and all the rubber covered wire. My God, what a pain in the backside! Right now I am waiting on 12K, 10 watt resistors I ordered to replace one 12K 5watt resistor. I'll be happy when this one is done. Although the chassis is mostly wide open and easy to work on, in a few places, especially around some of the tube sockets, things are really crowded and replacing all the wiring is a tough job, watchmakers hands are required, and getting in there with my Weller gun takes real finesse. As you realize, a "pencil " type iron just doesn't provide the heat to do good soldering on these old sets. So that's what I have been doing the past few nights. I'll tell you more as things progress.