Posts: 262
Threads: 27
Joined: Jan 2010
City: Rochester, NY
Guys,
Found an old Majestic model 91 at a flea market.
Nice looking set. Looks unmolested. From reading on other websites it appears mine has the dreaded "Pot Metal" disease. The tuning cap plates bind due to the metal warping over time. Never heard of it till now of course.
Anyone ever known one of these tuning caps to get fixed somehow? THe plates aren't bent over or damaged, they just rub on each other with no pattern to the warpage...
The other alternative is replacing the cap with an "aftermarket" one or finding a donor.
ANy ideas / info appreciated.
Next time I'll make it a Philco!
Tim
Posts: 13,776
Threads: 580
Joined: Sep 2005
City: Ferdinand
State, Province, Country: Indiana
Hi Tim
Man, that sucks. Some of those Majestic 91 consoles are fine pieces of furniture, most especially the highboy with doors.
Seems I have heard of someone trying to apply heat to the pot metal and then attempting to spread the plates apart while the pot metal was hot. I do not suggest trying this, I think you would have more bad luck than good. Trying to find a multi-section tuning condenser with a value close to original would be the best thing to do. (And no, sorry, I have no idea what the original range, in pF, of the Majestic tuning gang would have been.)
Another Majestic 91 chassis will, most likely, have the same problems.
--
Ron Ramirez
Ferdinand IN
Posts: 262
Threads: 27
Joined: Jan 2010
City: Rochester, NY
Radio and cabinet's in great shape.
I have the condenser specs somewhere, I'll have to look for a donor.
I also read of a few guys straightening the plates out. Maybe I'll try that first.
Just got your book yesterday. great read & reference!
Tim
Posts: 4
Threads: 2
Joined: Dec 2010
Tim,
Are you still looking for the ganged tuner ? I have one from a junker set that is in perfect shape-turns freely. Let me know if you still need it
Jon. G
Posts: 337
Threads: 15
Joined: Nov 2005
City: Ortonville, MI
I've fooled with these sets since the darliest days I ever saw one (the 1940's). This won't work on all of them, because the tuning caps deteriorate ifferently. Each is its own case.
I have been able to get a small screwdriver with a long shank in between the rotor plates, and some times the stator plates as well. I've managed to bend each plate right at the pot metal shaft casting, and work the plate evenly between the other ones. The first time I did this was on a neighbor's 90 chassis set, back in the forties, and I got it working. I've done it on several others, both the 70 and the 90 sets. My success hasn't been 100 %, but not a bad score, nonetheless.
I need to write a book on this, sometime.
