[klondike98]

The Crosley 173 arrived yesterday so I'll now have something else to keep me out of trouble during this stay-at-home period.  It is in decent shape on the outside although the two side panels are warped and I'll need to sort out how to get them aligned again. Schematic Link

[Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/llx240vd3m06sp....jpg?raw=1]
[Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/if0hskbqgmwk10....jpg?raw=1]

The inside looks worse than the outside.  There is more asbestos in this set than I've seen in any set before.  There is something coated on the asbestos and the grill cloth cardboard backing so all of it will be coming out.  I'm not sure but it looks like the set was in a high humidity situation, maybe not immersed but moist.  Some of the paper caps look moldy.  The underside of the chassis looks nasty and doesn't look like its going to be easy to work on....but then I've got time to do it don't I...

[Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4fm6r9rexbc0k2....jpg?raw=1]
[Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4x7rdiwzkm1h81....jpg?raw=1]

[Nathan Slingerland]

Cool set. And it does look like it will keep you busy!

[Radioroslyn]

They need to quit paying their draftsmen with something other than string and marbles!!
Be careful the headphone connector has hv on both sides of it. Well when it's working...

[morzh]

Yeah.....it probably survived Sandy amongst other things, in some flooded basement

[Phlogiston]

Almost looks like one of the Gilfillan cabinets I discuss in my blog. Makes you wonder who made it.

How's the weather at the beach?

Russ

[klondike98]

Thx for the tip Terry and for comments Nathan and Mike. We’ve had some very pleasant days here Russ though rainy today. We do get out of the house to visit the ocean (about a mile away) while remaining in the car so I have no complaints.

[Paul Philco322]

Looks like it was in a moist area if not maybe a flood. But the cabinet would be worse I reckon if a flood. 

Good luck, watch the asbestos. 

Paul

[klondike98]

Thx Paul.  Yes the asbestos is out.  It was held down with small tacks in each corner and on a couple places a small dab of glue.  I moisten it slightly with water to keep it from dusting and was able to pry it out (wearing a good respirator and gloves).  The glued parts I moistened some more and the glue dissolved and the mush came up in a paper towel.f  All into a sealed plastic bag and then I wiped down the inside of the cabinet. 

The warp on the worst side is seen below.  Its not terrible but it is more than I wanted to just try and snug up with a clamp and glue.
[Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lnyctvlirsfi3t....jpg?raw=1]

Looking around for "fix warped wood" on youtube I came across this video (by "fromthewoodshop") which is the technique I used on both sides of the cabinet.  Heated from the inside with a heat gun for 3 minutes and then let cool.  The sides did pull in some so I went ahead an forced glue down the cracks and sides and clamped it.  We'll see how it turns out and holds up.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWDQGhLv-_k&t=8shttp://]

[Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qnqypnk0bc0198....jpg?raw=1]

[Nathan Slingerland]

Nice find with the video Bob. My RCA T9-10 has a similar warping issue with the sides. Very interested to see how it works.

[Ron Ramirez]

Hmmm...I wonder if that would help the warped top of my RCA C15-3?

[klondike98]

Don't know Ron, might be worth a try.  Here's a pic of the two sides after the treatment and some glue and clamping. I'll put a little Timbermate wood filler to fill the missing portions:

[Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/x0wsv7qdjzmp1b....jpg?raw=1]

and the cabinet stripped and waiting for better weather to spray.

[Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/fbrivmeddbdcnj....jpg?raw=1]

Moving on to the chassis...this pig is ugly and will not be easy to work on.  Initially I saw the missing metal cap can and the two big replacement caps and thought those must be the two filter caps....wrong.  After tracing wires they did not seem to be in the right spot and eventually I found they were caps #14 and 25 in the SCHEMATIC.

[Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vvlefw5jsf37br....jpg?raw=1]

I have yet to locate the filter caps but did realize that the speaker is a PM replacement which means somewhere in there the previous work must deal with the missing field coil.  The small box in the center of the next photo (with the silver electrolytic tacked on) is, I believe, cap#33, an 8uF cap.  So...more digging into it later...

[Image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6d5i3w9byuh8j4....jpg?raw=1]

[Phlogiston]

Bob, that thing has "stick caps" in it - caps wound on a stick. Are you going to restuff those? They did not use that type of cap much after 1932. They might have been old stock.

Now that I think about it, there were a couple in the Strat, probably left-overs there too. (radio model year 1935 & 1936)

[klondike98]

Russ, had not yet decided whether to stuff or not. I don’t have the original speaker or filter cap can. Do you stuff those stick caps or some how take them apart to put new caps in?

[Phlogiston]

I put the new cap where the stick is. You have to save the metal ends as well as the paper tube.

[klondike98]

Thx Russ, i will probably give that a try if for no other reason than I've not done one before. Hope to get out to work on it later today...grass mowing first