[GarySP]

When I did my 20 cap can I propped it over a large metal can so the guts could fall out into it. I then put that about a foot in front of my garage torpedo heater. About 3 minutes of heat and the entire works dropped out, with the inside of the can bright and shiny! Take care and BE HEALTHY! Gary

[morzh]

I am thinking of maybe using two Milwaukee guns.
The problem with just one, while you heat one side, the other is getting cold.

It is cheap, I remember I bought mine in Home Depot for $25.

[morzh]

Well, it did not quite fall out, but has really softened so that it all separated and I easily pulled the sections with needlenose pliers.
Then I gave it mineral spirit bath and cleaned it.

I bought a second heat gun (the orange one) for this exercise. It worked.
Obviously had to use different circuits, the two of them would pull more than 20 Amps.

   
   

[Eliot Ness]

Good work

I used a small propane torch in my garage so I didn't have to worry about overloading circuits. Although it was over 20 years ago I still remember that satisfying sound as it slid out and plopped into the coffee can

[morzh]

John


I used two tall cans as props, and aluminum foil in between to catch the nasty stuff. Lots of tar came out. But the parts separated inside, and were in fact not as one blob, and each one was too light to fall on its own. But came out easily once pulled, almost no effort.

Did propane torch do anything to the surface? It is tinned I think.



Interesting thing about the capacitors inside the block. When I cut them off (this time I did not desolder the wires coming from the radio; I l only cut off the internal wires coming out and then pulled the can; this way I will not have to re-solder the wires back or even to remember in what order they were, and it looks better - undisturbed original soldering), I measured the capacitances. Both high-voltage 1uF ones were fully open, that is in a few nF. And I did make sure there was a good contact when measured. The 0.13uF was also open.
But the 1.5uF one, that is at the ends of the big resistor, between the centertap of the xfmr and the lower end of the field coil was alive and showed 1uF. Funny!

[Eliot Ness]

Did propane torch do anything to the surface? It is tinned I think.

Mike, the surface survived just fine, but I kept the torch moving and not extremely close. I've had that torch for many years and seldom use it, but occasionally it does come in handy.

[morzh]

The recap is done. I did not count on it, but....there isn't much in 20 and it has tons of space.

I also added the missing rectangular can cap that should be living on the rear wall of the chassis which was missing. The 70 had exact same cap, so I re-stuffed it and now I am rid of all the old tubular caps (of which two are bad, obviously 50-s repair).
I put back the big can (I never removed the panel so the wires' soldering is original). No fish paper inside - no need.

The view on the chassis after recap
   


The big can
   



I decided to temporarily add small 1W or 1/2W resistors under the dog-bones where I had them. They either sub the open dog-bone or adjust the resistance if it is about 20% up. I did it because I intend to try to get those folks I found in NJ that carry exactly the same alumina tubes to get me some samples. If of course I get them. If not this would have to suffice.
Where I did not have dog-bones I left those old carbon ones that were there. (funny, 470K carbons are installed in 500K place and read 500K and 525K).
Again, if I am able to make the dog-bones in the future (I do have some duds so I could re-use the ends - I save them), I will put them in.

Now the tubes check and then alignment.

[morzh]

All tubes tested very good.

[GarySP]

Mike, if you have an extra bakelite block you could install line-to-chassis 0.01 Y2 caps on your power cord to act as a line filter for the set. It also eliminates the need for a dedicated ground. Take care and BE HEALTHY! Gary

[morzh]

Gary

Thanks.
Y-caps is a good thing. If it weren't for me trying to keep close to original, and were it not a Philco 20 which is the next step to HiFi compared to the 1st Edison phonograph, I probably would.
You know what's interesting.....I just turned it on, and it played without any intereference from anything, or hum, or whatever.

[morzh]

Speaking of which.

Prior to all that I checked the continuity on all the magnetics (that was in the very beginning) and all were good.
So today I briefly powered up the transformer without the rectifier tube, it was good, so I put in the 80, then I broke out a spare 20 speaker (so I do not have to set the cabinet on the bench), powered it up, and the local station came loud and clear.
Also touching the antenna produces good signal, which is one more evidence of the RF xfmrs being good.
Hum is absent.
Voltages on the 24A plates have nothing to do with 230/120/30V, but I think this is because I measure them with a DMM. I had the same very problem on my 1st 20. I do not bother checking around much as I know with this radio this will require me to use that old mammoth of a meter I have with 1kOhm/V. I know all resistors are right on the spot, all tubes are good, so why bother. Plus it sounds just fine.
It is a simple radio.

Oh...even the light bulb light-bulbed up.

Tomorrow I will give it an alignment.

[morzh]

I have attempted alignment as described in "Aligning Philco Radios".

For 20 it is 1400kHz into the antenna input.

Well, if I align it my local station comes at 1120 i/o 1160.
It is possible to align the station by ear, but...well, it is a 20.
I leave it aligned at 1400.

I do not remember this with the other two, but then I am not sure how accurate I was with them.

[morzh]

Here it is.

   

[GarySP]

Do I see original speaker cloth? Looks good! Take care and BE HEALTHY! Gary

[morzh]

Gary


Yes I think it is original. And in good shape too.