11-27-2017, 02:16 PM
Before we resume our tale recounting the fortunes of our heroine, allow me to share a link. The radio in question is the same model (as far as I can establish) as the one described in the following web page:
http://www.tuberadioland.com/philco16X-main.html
Chapter 2: Released from the pit.
After the move from LA in 2006, the set was stored, along with a great number of other belongings in what was assured to us to be a good outbuilding on my father in-law's property... With movers flying left-right and center, it was all I could do to direct 50% of the stuff to the proper locations, let alone supervise careful handling. It was probably at this point that some of the knobs were lost.. Since it came off the truck early, it was buried before I could know what was going on, and languished at the back of a stack of belongings, inaccessible for far too long. Somehow, 10 years passed until clear out of the store was possible last September (2016), and we returned to find a horror story of rat infested damp decay, with many items damaged irrevocably. Poor Mrs H saw many beloved things in terrible condition, and my hand first turned to cleaning and finishing some of the Victorian wooden furniture for her.
When I looked at the radio, I was a bit crestfallen to say the least. The top veneer was peeling and the finish ruined, and the decorative thicker veneer on the cabinet sides was also loosening and curling. The chassis and speaker were covered in rodent droppings, and the speaker cone had provided at least one meal. Despite this, I thought that there was enough to work with, and at 83 years old, a survivor like this deserves preservation, and the more complete electrical restoration I had in mind all along. Done by the end of the year, I had confidently predicted.
That day, I gave myself an early lift by sanding, gluing and attending to the cabinet top. Things looked brighter - the cabinet would look great again with some more work. It was only the beginning.
Tune in next post to the incredible tale of "The Saga of the 16X"
http://www.tuberadioland.com/philco16X-main.html
Chapter 2: Released from the pit.
After the move from LA in 2006, the set was stored, along with a great number of other belongings in what was assured to us to be a good outbuilding on my father in-law's property... With movers flying left-right and center, it was all I could do to direct 50% of the stuff to the proper locations, let alone supervise careful handling. It was probably at this point that some of the knobs were lost.. Since it came off the truck early, it was buried before I could know what was going on, and languished at the back of a stack of belongings, inaccessible for far too long. Somehow, 10 years passed until clear out of the store was possible last September (2016), and we returned to find a horror story of rat infested damp decay, with many items damaged irrevocably. Poor Mrs H saw many beloved things in terrible condition, and my hand first turned to cleaning and finishing some of the Victorian wooden furniture for her.
When I looked at the radio, I was a bit crestfallen to say the least. The top veneer was peeling and the finish ruined, and the decorative thicker veneer on the cabinet sides was also loosening and curling. The chassis and speaker were covered in rodent droppings, and the speaker cone had provided at least one meal. Despite this, I thought that there was enough to work with, and at 83 years old, a survivor like this deserves preservation, and the more complete electrical restoration I had in mind all along. Done by the end of the year, I had confidently predicted.
That day, I gave myself an early lift by sanding, gluing and attending to the cabinet top. Things looked brighter - the cabinet would look great again with some more work. It was only the beginning.
Tune in next post to the incredible tale of "The Saga of the 16X"
I don't hold with furniture that talks.
