03-14-2019, 09:58 AM
I just wrapped up a 42-380 for a friend of mine. His father was the original owner of the radio and he ended up with it years ago. His father is still living, though he is eldery with some health issues.
The electronics received the usual new caps, resistors, and most of the old wiring had to be replaced due to bad insulation. This set uses a 6X5, which I bypassed using two 1N5408 diodes and a dropping resistor to get the B+ within spec. I also added a thermsistor to limit inrush current and a fuse for protection. The owner likes to listen to music and AM radio sucks in his area, so I added an AUX input with my Bluetooth circuit so he can listen to anything that he wants.
The bezel and pushbuttons were warped and crumbling like they usually are, reproductions were ordered from Renovated Radios. The original finish was in pretty decent shape but very dirty and covered in small white paint splatter. The base was falling apart and the finish was flaking off so it was refinished. The rest of the radio was cleaned with Goop handcleaner and touched up with special walnut colored stain. The paint splatter was painstaking removed by carefully using various scraping tools, picks, and my fingernails. Several of the screw holes for the bezel screws were stripped out, possibly from the old bezel warping and pulling the screws out? To fix these I cut up a small wooden toothpick and glue it in the fill the screw hole, and then drove the screw into the new wood.
The grille cloth was cleaned while left on the mounting board using some foaming carpet cleaner. The station and function labels for the bezel were reproduced using MS Excel.
This one will be heading back home to Columbia, SC in a few weeks.
Here is a "before" pic:
[Image: https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...e=5D025ACE]
The finished radio:
[Image: https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...e=5D0FA134]
[Image: https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...e=5D103CA5]
[Image: https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...e=5D0C3F07]
The electronics received the usual new caps, resistors, and most of the old wiring had to be replaced due to bad insulation. This set uses a 6X5, which I bypassed using two 1N5408 diodes and a dropping resistor to get the B+ within spec. I also added a thermsistor to limit inrush current and a fuse for protection. The owner likes to listen to music and AM radio sucks in his area, so I added an AUX input with my Bluetooth circuit so he can listen to anything that he wants.
The bezel and pushbuttons were warped and crumbling like they usually are, reproductions were ordered from Renovated Radios. The original finish was in pretty decent shape but very dirty and covered in small white paint splatter. The base was falling apart and the finish was flaking off so it was refinished. The rest of the radio was cleaned with Goop handcleaner and touched up with special walnut colored stain. The paint splatter was painstaking removed by carefully using various scraping tools, picks, and my fingernails. Several of the screw holes for the bezel screws were stripped out, possibly from the old bezel warping and pulling the screws out? To fix these I cut up a small wooden toothpick and glue it in the fill the screw hole, and then drove the screw into the new wood.
The grille cloth was cleaned while left on the mounting board using some foaming carpet cleaner. The station and function labels for the bezel were reproduced using MS Excel.
This one will be heading back home to Columbia, SC in a few weeks.
Here is a "before" pic:
[Image: https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...e=5D025ACE]
The finished radio:
[Image: https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...e=5D0FA134]
[Image: https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...e=5D103CA5]
[Image: https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...e=5D0C3F07]