38-7 Cabinet Restoration - Printable Version
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38-7 Cabinet Restoration - Crist Rigotti - 02-27-2018
A long time friend brought me a 38-7 console for me to restore for them.. The cabinet is in nice shape and the chassis has been restored. Just needing some "G" style tubes and a Patent Label.
[Image: https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content/uploads/100_9981a.jpg]
[Image: https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content/uploads/100_9979a.jpg]
I'm starting on the cabinet and as usual have a few questions.
1) Here is a picture of the grill cloth. It's in nice shape with just a little snag on the left side but pretty dirty. Any good way of cleaning this thing? If not I'll go to Radio Daze and get some new stuff.
[Image: https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content/uploads/100_9986a.jpg]
2) What are these things on the bottom near the legs? They look like they work off of some kind of cam action. Are they early style levelers or just left over from the shipping crate?
[Image: https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content/uploads/100_9985a.jpg]
[Image: https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content/uploads/100_9983a.jpg]
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - cpollock - 02-27-2018
Beautiful!!
I am just finishing restoring a 38-7, however my chassis does not come close to looking as nice as yours. It looks like you added a fuse.
My cabinet looks exactly like your with all the clips. I assumed they are levelers to keep it from rocking but that is conjecture.
Do you have the back panel? It is clear there was a panel there, but I don't know what it looked like. I'd like to build a replica.
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - PhilcoPhan1936 - 02-27-2018
The 38-XXX series consoles did in fact have backs to them. I made this up based on a photo for my 38-1XX. No guarantees this would fit yours, but you're free to download and use these if they'll help.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gr3ejrkcphi41fa/AACXABxxZATaC8wirIHDF_X2a?dl=0
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - cpollock - 02-27-2018
Thanks, Jeff.
It certainly looks like it will work. I was curious how the vents were arranged, and how access to the antenna screws was enabled, and this answered both of those questions. I will try to construct something close to this that fits my cabinet.
Thanks again,
Clif
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - Crist Rigotti - 02-27-2018
Here are several pictures of the back that came with the one I'm doing. I just might make a CAD drawing of it and post it so it will be available to all.
[Image: https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content/uploads/100_9798a.jpg]
[Image: https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content/uploads/100_9799a.jpg]
[Image: https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content/uploads/100_9800a.jpg]
[Image: https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content/uploads/100_9802a.jpg]
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - Crist Rigotti - 02-27-2018
The back will be easy to draw. I'll get started on it tonight!
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - Crist Rigotti - 03-01-2018
Here's the back!
https://tvrestorerguy.com/wp-content/uploads/38-7-Back.pdf
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - Electrothaumaturgist - 03-01-2018
Hey Crist, I have those metal feet on the bottom of my 38-1 also. I suspect that they may have had rubber feet attached at some point long ago. They work to some degree, as is, for leveling out the set. I wonder if there's a picture somewhere of what they looked like originally...
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - cpollock - 03-03-2018
Crist,
Thanks, this is great, I will be making one for my system. I had one other question. I cannot find a bulb for my dial. Do you know what type of bulb you used in the dial?
I tried a #44 but the glass bulb is too large to fit, because it is fed from the back. It looks like the bulb needs to have a smaller glass envelop than the base. I can't find anything like that at the auto stores. It reminds me of the old lightbulbs we used for flashlights, where the bulb was inserted from the battery side.
Clif
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - Arran - 03-04-2018
I think that the two cam shaped bits of hardware may have been left over from when the radio was originally shipped, the base of the radio was probably attached to a board or the bottom of a crate. To me they look kind of like smaller versions of those latches they used to use on wooden sash windows to lock the two sashes together, the cam piece would rotate and feed into a slotted piece of hardware on the other sash.
Regards
Arran
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - cpollock - 03-04-2018
Sounds reasonable.
I wanted to update my posting earlier about the light bulb. I finally figured out how to replace it, by reading some other posts on other radios. The right way to do this is to remove the bezel, the dial indicator, and the scale showing the radio frequencies, and then insert a #44 from the front of the radio, and not from behind as I alluded to in my earlier post. Since this is an old radio, and I did not know what to do, I was very wary about pulling the bezel, then the indicator, and so forth. Everything was stuck after sitting there untouched for decades. Anyway each part eventually came free, I did no damage,(!) and now I have a very nicely backlit dial face.
In hindsight this should have been obvious. My dial plate has permanent markings for a bunch of east coast stations, whereas I've seen photos of 38-7s with west coast call names on the faceplate. Clearly one must have been able to get faceplates relevant to their geographic position, which means the faceplate had to be serviceable.
Nothing beats hindsight! Anyway, sorry to add misleading questions to the forum. This was my first rebuild, and I would not have succeeded without all the wisdom found on this site.
Clif
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - Electrothaumaturgist - 03-04-2018
I wonder if that back cover is the same for the 38-1? I have what look to be the same tang clips attached roughly in the same places on the back of mine. And those feet do a great job in leveling out my set...
RE: 38-7 Cabinet Restoration - Crist Rigotti - 03-05-2018
(03-04-2018, 06:34 PM)cpollock Wrote: I wanted to update my posting earlier about the light bulb. I finally figured out how to replace it, by reading some other posts on other radios. The right way to do this is to remove the bezel, the dial indicator, and the scale showing the radio frequencies, and then insert a #44 from the front of the radio, and not from behind as I alluded to in my earlier post. Since this is an old radio, and I did not know what to do, I was very wary about pulling the bezel, then the indicator, and so forth. Everything was stuck after sitting there untouched for decades. Anyway each part eventually came free, I did no damage,(!) and now I have a very nicely backlit dial face.
I used a #44 lamp. Be sure to darken the tip of the lamp. I dipped the top of the lamp in some black lacquer paint. Prevents a "Hot" spot on the dial face.