The PHILCO Phorum

So a couple of years ago I picked up a Crosley Bandbox aka model 601. Tiz a battery set from about 1927-28. I don't know why I guess I felt sorry for it. Metal case was pretty good but inside was a different story. Internet image:


After some disassembly I found that pretty much all of the pot metal parts were kaput!! Tuning caps dial drive and such badly disfigured.
So does this poor little guy have a chance??? Is it curtains for the Crosley???
While I'm mulling it over I gave the tuning cap cover a coat of copper hammertone paint after removing the rust.
Tune in for the next installment.

Trash it....
Use it as a Steampunk pet coffin

Darn kids today just don't appreciate old stuff!!!!

(08-22-2017, 05:00 PM)OldRestorer Wrote: [ -> ]Trash it....
Use it as a Steampunk pet coffin

 Is there a steampunk pet 

Duh....

  Kirk  you scare me sometimes

If anyone can save the pot metal it will be Terry, he's invested a coat of paint already so he's attached.

Kirk, that poor dog is just wrong on so many levels, you would look good walking him at K-Town

[attachment=14078]

Don't think I can't save the pot metal parts there too far gone. The rotors and stators are both badly warped along with the front mount. I do have a plan. I'm busy prototyping my idea and trying  it for size and fit. Synchronization and dial alignment is still being figured out.

The original copper bands are a little too short so I've been trying a few other materials to replicate the bands only a little longer. The trouble is it's been hard to cut a thin strip and keeping it straight, starts out ok end up being abt half the proper width when I get to the far end. It has a tendency to curl getting it to lay flat during the cutting process is tricky. Have to work on making a couple of jigs for straighter cut and centering the hole for the alignment pin.

I thought about varactor diodes but couldn't find one @ 350 or so mmf.
Maybe some wood pieces, some hinges, saran wrap, and sheet aluminum? Well it is a Crosley!


Haven't done any checking on the electronics side of things yet.

(08-23-2017, 07:41 AM)Eliot Ness Wrote: [ -> ]If anyone can save the pot metal it will be Terry, he's invested a coat of paint already so he's attached.

Kirk, that poor dog is just wrong on so many levels, you would look good walking him at K-Town

You mean, it is actually a dog?

I wish I could unsee that dog picture...

Are the shafts and such still ok to the point you can turn them? Looking at your photo of the tuner up top, if this is really just zinc alloy you may be able to disassemble this piece by piece and heat up each individual disc enough to slowly soften and flatten it between a couple bricks or hunks of steel.

You could even theoretically make up some molds using one of the old pieces as a guide and form your own parts. A 4 pound ingot of Zamak 3 or 5 is only about $11. I'm not sure what your setup is like or if you want to go that far.

https://www.rotometals.com/zamak-5-ingot...1-zinc-95/

I like the Band Box, especially the big external speakers that sit on top.

>Are the shafts and such still ok to the point you can turn them? Looking at your photo of the tuner up top, if this is really just zinc alloy you may be able to disassemble this piece by piece and heat up each individual disc enough to slowly soften and flatten it between a couple bricks or hunks of steel.

You could even theoretically make up some molds using one of the old pieces as a guide and form your own parts. A 4 pound ingot of Zamak 3 or 5 is only about $11. I'm not sure what your setup is like or if you want to go that far.<

Yeah and the moon is made of swiss cheese too!!!! (Sorry I could help myself!)

All that is too much like work. Besides $11 is a lot of money what I'm doing is free.

Ok so here's what I've been up to. I had some caps from a weather beaten AK 40, realizing that they both use a very similar tuning system I thought I'd try retrofitting the AK stuff to the Crosley.

The Crosley's cap are much deeper but the AK caps are wider. Had to notch them the clear the filament rheostat. If I were to do it over I might have used the original holes in the panel and drill and threaded the caps, not a big deal but would have been neater.

The belts were fiddly to make and fit. Made from a 2lt soda bottle cut into thin strips. It really wants to curl up which is a plus when it's installed but when cutting and drilling it's a pain.

Am happy that it mechanically works so far and just have to drill and tap the center hub to mount the dial. And build a gear drive for the dial.Once I get it that sorted I'll pull it apart and do the clean up and some paint. I wasn't sure at the outset that I could get it all to fit inside the cover, but it does!!

Better?

I came up with the pet frame idea just recently 

Haha, I need one of those for my cat.