07-26-2009, 10:28 PM
I've stumbled into another big radio. I was talking with a friend at work that tinkers with all sorts of things like I do. We got on the topic of radios and he mentioned that he had an RCA 10K that was his ex-wifes grandmothers radio. It was taking up too much room and he already had a upright that belong to his family so he said it was mine if I would pick it up.
He mentioned that it and the tuning eye worked but I didn't feel compelled to plug it in until I had a chance to take a good look at electronics. The finish on the case needs to be stripped and the walnut veneer on the top replaced. There are few other places that could use a patch. I'm not sure how to proceed with the front panel since there are decals. My inclination is to keep it as original as possible unless I can find out how to avoid destroying the decals. The plastic dial cover riveted in the escushion has yellowed and is a bit dusty. All of the bakelite knobs are in excellent condition and the tuner turns smoothly. The cloth grill is a textured gold with a floral pattern and looks original. If not, a tasteful replacement was made. There are four bass ports inside the enclosed speaker cabinet. The speaker looks to be in great condition. The power cord is cracked and must be replaced before any power is applied.
All I managed to do today was to vacuum out the cabinet. I got a woodworking project that's taking up room on my work bench where I work on my radios. Hopefully that will be done within a week so I can get to recapping and rewiring before I start the power-up procedure. Thanks to Nostalgia Air I've got a schematic.
Did I mention that this radio is HEAVY. Lots of wood in the cabinet. I all became the proud owner of a Hickok 209A vacuum tube multimeter as well. Not sure when I work on that but I suspect I should give some consideration to recapping that as well. Nice big dial that's easy to read and see on a work bench.
More to follow as the story unfolds. Any that's had experience stripping off old finish without removing the decals I would love to hear about it.
He mentioned that it and the tuning eye worked but I didn't feel compelled to plug it in until I had a chance to take a good look at electronics. The finish on the case needs to be stripped and the walnut veneer on the top replaced. There are few other places that could use a patch. I'm not sure how to proceed with the front panel since there are decals. My inclination is to keep it as original as possible unless I can find out how to avoid destroying the decals. The plastic dial cover riveted in the escushion has yellowed and is a bit dusty. All of the bakelite knobs are in excellent condition and the tuner turns smoothly. The cloth grill is a textured gold with a floral pattern and looks original. If not, a tasteful replacement was made. There are four bass ports inside the enclosed speaker cabinet. The speaker looks to be in great condition. The power cord is cracked and must be replaced before any power is applied.
All I managed to do today was to vacuum out the cabinet. I got a woodworking project that's taking up room on my work bench where I work on my radios. Hopefully that will be done within a week so I can get to recapping and rewiring before I start the power-up procedure. Thanks to Nostalgia Air I've got a schematic.
Did I mention that this radio is HEAVY. Lots of wood in the cabinet. I all became the proud owner of a Hickok 209A vacuum tube multimeter as well. Not sure when I work on that but I suspect I should give some consideration to recapping that as well. Nice big dial that's easy to read and see on a work bench.
More to follow as the story unfolds. Any that's had experience stripping off old finish without removing the decals I would love to hear about it.
