04-08-2011, 07:26 PM
I believe that this cabinet style is what they would call a lowboy since it has short legs and no stretchers. The highboy version, in Philco's world, probably had six legs and the X version would have been fully skirted with that inclined speaker panel. Is it a factory variant or did someone just mix and match parts? I know that Philco used to build stuff like this to use up inventory, my Philco 60 console has rosette knobs and a brass escutcheon, Bob Anderson has a similar set to mine but his has hex knobs and a black Bakelite escutcheon that would suit a more modern cabinet, but mine was made in Toronto and his was built in Philadelphia.
It looks like the veneer on either side of the control panel is delaminating, it could be repaired but where would you draw the line? The fellow that Phil Nelson knows could make it look like brand new, take a look at the DuMont TV cabinet that he repaired. I've repaired cabinets that weren't as far gone as that and they were still a lot of work, the material is almost negligible, veneer can be had very cheaply. In reality you would have to take every bit of the cabinet apart, repair each section, and then reassemble it, in some cases you would have to construct a jig for each part to clamp and glue the irregular shapes. Was this same cabinet used on a number of different models or just the 16? I was thinking that the best bet would be to find an empty cabinet and perform a transplant, if not then it doesn't hurt to sit on it for a while.
Regards
Arran
P.S Ironically $29.95 was I paid for a 1939 Canadian Majestic console from a second hand store that also has a project cabinet, top is delaminating along with part of the skirting board. Unlike my Majestic your radio has a full set of knobs even if they are mismatched, however my cabinet seems to be more solid other then the lifting veneer.
It looks like the veneer on either side of the control panel is delaminating, it could be repaired but where would you draw the line? The fellow that Phil Nelson knows could make it look like brand new, take a look at the DuMont TV cabinet that he repaired. I've repaired cabinets that weren't as far gone as that and they were still a lot of work, the material is almost negligible, veneer can be had very cheaply. In reality you would have to take every bit of the cabinet apart, repair each section, and then reassemble it, in some cases you would have to construct a jig for each part to clamp and glue the irregular shapes. Was this same cabinet used on a number of different models or just the 16? I was thinking that the best bet would be to find an empty cabinet and perform a transplant, if not then it doesn't hurt to sit on it for a while.
Regards
Arran
P.S Ironically $29.95 was I paid for a 1939 Canadian Majestic console from a second hand store that also has a project cabinet, top is delaminating along with part of the skirting board. Unlike my Majestic your radio has a full set of knobs even if they are mismatched, however my cabinet seems to be more solid other then the lifting veneer.
