04-26-2013, 01:18 AM
I've never seen how the pushbuttons are arranged on a 40-190, but on all the '40, '41, and '42 radios I've worked on, the buttons were not glued to the stems at all, just press fit.
My 40-150 did not have a felt on it when I got it, so I've never been sure if it was supposed to have one. I made one anyway, like the 1941 radios had, with just a slit for the stems to go through, then I wondered why I didn't get much red glow through the buttons. Duh! Now that I see your picture I realize my mistake.
If the holes in the felt are just large enough for the buttons to go through, then I imagine the flanges on the buttons that aren't depressed would be enough to hold the felt loosely against the escutcheon, keeping most of the light from leaking around the buttons. if any holes are enlarged from wear, though, the flanges might not be big enough.
I see no signs of glue on the back of my 40-150 escutcheon. Does your felt or escutcheon show glue residues? Unless someone more knowledgeable than I am tells you that the felt was glued to the escutcheon, I'd try just pushing the buttons onto the stems, then slipping the felt over the buttons, then mounting the escutcheon. If the button flanges don't hold the felt closely enough against the escutcheon to block the light, then gluing the felt to the escutcheon might be called for.
If they used glue in 1940, it was probably something like mucilage, which would of course age, shrink, and crack over the years. You could try something like Elmers or wood glue. (I'm a fan of Aline's Tacky Glue, which is similar.) Might be hard to remove if you ever need to. Rubber cement would be easier to remove, but I kind of doubt it would hold well enough over the long haul.
If you find anyone who makes a reproduction 1940 Philco felt, let me know, as I'd love to have one. I doubt my ability to cut those 8 sided holes accurately enough to make my own.
By the way, the 40-190 is my idea of the loveliest Philco console of that era. I'd love to have one.
My 40-150 did not have a felt on it when I got it, so I've never been sure if it was supposed to have one. I made one anyway, like the 1941 radios had, with just a slit for the stems to go through, then I wondered why I didn't get much red glow through the buttons. Duh! Now that I see your picture I realize my mistake.
If the holes in the felt are just large enough for the buttons to go through, then I imagine the flanges on the buttons that aren't depressed would be enough to hold the felt loosely against the escutcheon, keeping most of the light from leaking around the buttons. if any holes are enlarged from wear, though, the flanges might not be big enough.
I see no signs of glue on the back of my 40-150 escutcheon. Does your felt or escutcheon show glue residues? Unless someone more knowledgeable than I am tells you that the felt was glued to the escutcheon, I'd try just pushing the buttons onto the stems, then slipping the felt over the buttons, then mounting the escutcheon. If the button flanges don't hold the felt closely enough against the escutcheon to block the light, then gluing the felt to the escutcheon might be called for.
If they used glue in 1940, it was probably something like mucilage, which would of course age, shrink, and crack over the years. You could try something like Elmers or wood glue. (I'm a fan of Aline's Tacky Glue, which is similar.) Might be hard to remove if you ever need to. Rubber cement would be easier to remove, but I kind of doubt it would hold well enough over the long haul.
If you find anyone who makes a reproduction 1940 Philco felt, let me know, as I'd love to have one. I doubt my ability to cut those 8 sided holes accurately enough to make my own.
By the way, the 40-190 is my idea of the loveliest Philco console of that era. I'd love to have one.
John Honeycutt
