09-27-2007, 12:16 PM
Hello all, this is my first post on the phorum so I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Ed Cafarella, I live on Long Island New York. About 15 years ago, my uncle moved from Long Island to South Carolina and invited my wife and I over to see if I wanted to buy a snow thrower (not much use in S. Carolina!) and a 4" Rockwell jointer. I bought both for $100. Before I left he asked me if I was interested in taking his old radio too (for free). I had remembered it in his basement in the 60's and 70's, my cousins and I used to poke our fingers through the grill material. Youth...
It turned out to be a Philco model 38-116 code 125.
I looked at it and my wife looked at me and, despite her looks, I said yes! We got it home and I put it in the living room and turned it on. I was shocked when it actually came to life. The thing that had me almost running away from it was that, after trying all the various bands, the only thing that came in at all was a station playing big band sounds from the 30's and 40's! I thought I had gone into the twilight zone.... I later found out that I just happen to live near WALK radio 1370 AM that plays that music all day and night. It's the only station the radio receives.
Time has passed, three children were born and the radio has been in my office in the basement since. I turn it on occasionally (turning off the fluorescent lights) and listen to it. It really has a beautiful sound and the big band music completes the picture.
I'd like to do a complete restoration on it both cabinet and chassis. I've ordered the necessary manuals and schematics and I'm looking to get a few restoration books. I have absolutely NO experience repairing radios and no electronic experience either. I do have a complete workshop with all imaginable tools so the cabinet restoration shouldn't be too much of a problem. I've been reading the posts here all morning and have gotten some great info.
I noticed a few things right off the bat that are wrong with the radio. The back is missing. I can make one out of thin masonite or some 1/16" paneling. I read in one of the posts that there is a "hole pattern" on the back, does anyone have a resource for that? Second, one of the "acoustic clarifiers" is missing, the one in the middle, are these available? I'd like to put one on and retain the original condition instead of just covering up the hole. Also, when I turn it on, I get a lot of static and the radio will occasionally mute itself, if I wiggle the volume knob it comes in clear. I assume I will have to either clean or replace that rheostat. I read that I should replace all of the capacitors too, I'll do that. When I was in the Navy, I worked on photo processor machines and remember the first thing I had to do prior to working on them was to discharge the capacitor before touching anything. Does that apply to this radio and, if so, where do I discharge it? If you look at the one picture of the chassis, you'll see on the right side (what I believe are) two capacitors with white stuff coming out of the top. What is that and what caused it? One last question, the dumbest of them all, When I turn the unit on, all of the tubes light up except one can I safely assume that if a tube doesn't glow it's bad?
Anyway, I have attached pictures of the radio as it looks now. Hopefully in a few months it will be pristine!
Thanks in advance for the advice and for all the stupid questions I'm going to ask in the future,
Ed
[Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/e...Medium.jpg]
[Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/e...Medium.jpg]
[Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/e...Medium.jpg]
[Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/e...Medium.jpg]
It turned out to be a Philco model 38-116 code 125.
I looked at it and my wife looked at me and, despite her looks, I said yes! We got it home and I put it in the living room and turned it on. I was shocked when it actually came to life. The thing that had me almost running away from it was that, after trying all the various bands, the only thing that came in at all was a station playing big band sounds from the 30's and 40's! I thought I had gone into the twilight zone.... I later found out that I just happen to live near WALK radio 1370 AM that plays that music all day and night. It's the only station the radio receives.
Time has passed, three children were born and the radio has been in my office in the basement since. I turn it on occasionally (turning off the fluorescent lights) and listen to it. It really has a beautiful sound and the big band music completes the picture.
I'd like to do a complete restoration on it both cabinet and chassis. I've ordered the necessary manuals and schematics and I'm looking to get a few restoration books. I have absolutely NO experience repairing radios and no electronic experience either. I do have a complete workshop with all imaginable tools so the cabinet restoration shouldn't be too much of a problem. I've been reading the posts here all morning and have gotten some great info.
I noticed a few things right off the bat that are wrong with the radio. The back is missing. I can make one out of thin masonite or some 1/16" paneling. I read in one of the posts that there is a "hole pattern" on the back, does anyone have a resource for that? Second, one of the "acoustic clarifiers" is missing, the one in the middle, are these available? I'd like to put one on and retain the original condition instead of just covering up the hole. Also, when I turn it on, I get a lot of static and the radio will occasionally mute itself, if I wiggle the volume knob it comes in clear. I assume I will have to either clean or replace that rheostat. I read that I should replace all of the capacitors too, I'll do that. When I was in the Navy, I worked on photo processor machines and remember the first thing I had to do prior to working on them was to discharge the capacitor before touching anything. Does that apply to this radio and, if so, where do I discharge it? If you look at the one picture of the chassis, you'll see on the right side (what I believe are) two capacitors with white stuff coming out of the top. What is that and what caused it? One last question, the dumbest of them all, When I turn the unit on, all of the tubes light up except one can I safely assume that if a tube doesn't glow it's bad?
Anyway, I have attached pictures of the radio as it looks now. Hopefully in a few months it will be pristine!
Thanks in advance for the advice and for all the stupid questions I'm going to ask in the future,
Ed
[Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/e...Medium.jpg]
[Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/e...Medium.jpg]
[Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/e...Medium.jpg]
[Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v701/e...Medium.jpg]
