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Dial restoration on a 38-14T - Printable Version

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Dial restoration on a 38-14T - varrojames - 10-22-2014

Working on a 38-14T and the gold foil dial is in very bad shape:

http://galleries.shacknet.nu/steves/gallery/album27/IMG_9377

Does anyone have any tips on trying to use Photoshop to clean up the dial and then printing it on gold paper. Does anyone know if gold paper with that particular pattern is available? Are there any reproduction dials available?

Thanks

RE: Dial restoration on a 38-14T - Eliot Ness - 10-22-2014

You might want to check and see if Mark Oppat sells that dial:

http://www.oldradioparts.net/dials1.html

Otherwise I remember Ron made one himself that didn't look too bad a year or two ago, hopefully he'll see this and remember what thread it was in.

RE: Dial restoration on a 38-14T - Ron Ramirez - 10-22-2014

I've never attempted to make a 38-14 or similar dial - I have no idea how one would replicate the intricate pattern Philco used on those embossed gold foil dial scales. Icon_crazy

I have successfully scanned a few of the translucent dial scales, printed a new one, laminated it and put it to use. One of these, printed on regular paper, is not as good as a true translucent dial but is better than nothing.

RE: Dial restoration on a 38-14T - Arran - 10-22-2014

 Radiodaze claims that they are working on reproducing gold foil dials, likely because they were used in many catalin sets, which unlike now were at the low end of the radio market. From what I can tell the gold is often a coating of orange shellac over top of an embossed aluminum foil, with paint added for the lettering and numbers, probably not with all but with many.
Regards
Arran

RE: Dial restoration on a 38-14T - morzh - 10-23-2014

Yeah, I was about to pick up my jaw from the floor when I heard Ron replicated a gold foil dial...........to replicate just one piece......

It is embossed gold paper with pretty intricate pattern.

I think if anyone wanted to do this he would probably have to create a die from a good quality metal to use it to stamp out foil .....

RE: Dial restoration on a 38-14T - Steve D - 10-24-2014

That 38-14 in the link is my radio.  I also could not find any reproduction or services to restore that dial so I bought some gold leaf and fine tipped brushes and paint and spent many hours with a loupe and magnifying headband.  It is not as good as I would have liked but much better than the way I got it. 

I found that in the missing gold areas the embossing left a remnant pattern on the backing cardboard which allowed me to carefully rub out the new gold leaf sheet after positioning it to bring the pattern through. Sort of like burnishing. After it was complete I sprayed the whole dial with a matte clear coat to both protect it and dull the shinier gold leaf to better match the original.

Steve D

RE: Dial restoration on a 38-14T - Ron Ramirez - 10-24-2014

I just went to the link posted by the OP and I did not see a 38-14. A bit of searching through Steve D's gallery led me to these two photos:

http://galleries.shacknet.nu/steves/gallery/album28/1A

http://galleries.shacknet.nu/steves/gallery/album28/1B

Wow, nice save, Steve! Icon_thumbup

RE: Dial restoration on a 38-14T - morzh - 10-24-2014

Could not find them either, thanks for the links, Ron.

Well.....will do for initial restoration. Eventually if you come through a better dial, replace it.

I was about to say you can use "38-15" dial but the SW part is different on it so, no.