[David]

Please get the fish paper. If the gasket material is exposed to moisture could be big trouble. Stay Safe David

[jrblasde]

Ah, moisture is another consideration to which I was completely blind. I agree with David, it's certainly always best to use material which was designed for the application.

[morzh]

Speaking of moisture, Fish Paper is also somewhat hydroscopic, but I guess the electrical grade (what is called vulcanized fiber) should be ok.
At least I've not seen problems with it.

[GarySP]

My opinion is, if you go through all the tests to determine if another material MIGHT be an alternative, just buy the fish paper! Usually under $10.00 for enough for numerous projects. -Gary

[jrblasde]

I just bought some off of Amazon last week. It was delivered on Tuesday. I paid about $11.00 for it, and there's enough fish paper for multiple IF cans. At least 15 of them.

[jrblasde]

Back to the 46-480 restoration, I did make another observation. I had previously commented that R305 was an 18 Ω resistor when I removed it from my chassis. According to both the Philco schematic and parts list, as well as the Rider's schematic, it was supposed to be a 150 Ω resistor. At the time I decided I would keep with the 18 Ω resistor, since that was what was physically installed. However, I now believe that this resistor isn't original to the radio. For one thing, take a look at it (the resistor on top). 

   

It's much shinier than some of the other typical resistors I removed. Now that I've discovered the AM-only Meissner IF can in place of the AM/FM Philco part, I am starting to picture that there was likely some sort of failure which prompted these replacements. I'm willing to bet that the serviceman who installed the 18 Ω resistor did so either out of error or to increase the gain of the signal being fed to the Meissner IF can since it is a double-tuned circuit compared to the unusual AM circuit in the Philco 32-4074 IF can. Thus, I now believe that I will match the 150 Ω value seen in the Philco documentation.

[Arran]

I will have to find that roll, which I got from a NAPA dealer years ago. It's not like the normal gasket paper in that it's the variety which would resist gasoline, or other fuels, for use in carburetor and fuel pump gaskets, which is what I used it for. it looks almost identical to fish paper, so I doubt whether ordinary moisture would be a problem. The reason I ask is that I took apart some IF cans in a Stewart Warner vibrator radio, and they had a cloth with a sticky varnish type substance on it rather then the typical fish paper, or varnished paper like your Philco had, and it made it difficult to get the covers off of the IF cans. Needless to say I removed them to get them back together, as I did not unmount the cans from the chassis. I'm curious about the electrical specs, if it has any at all, it's not a problem getting something else but I have basically a lifetime supply of the stuff. I may have to make a test rig, another trick to limit current is to connect a light bulb in series with the primary, though that will reduce the output voltage under load.
The B+ in the Stewart Warner is only about 180 volts as they used battery tubes rather then AC tubes like a Philco or Brand Z set would use. It was in a similar condition to your poor 46-480 rust wise, but the reason I started fixing it is that you could power one of these sets from a single 6 volt SLA battery so they are almost practical to use as a modern solid state radio. I also felt sorry for it, it was literally sitting on a junk pile, but it was also almost complete, only missing a single knob.
Regards
Arran

[jrblasde]

My PCBs were delivered for the multi-section capacitor replacements! The dimensions are just perfect. The elongated PCB lines up perfectly with the rivet holes, and the mounts for the four QC connectors on the circular disk align with the slots on the chassis for the original twist-lock lugs. Clearances look perfect (remember that the neutral pins, which are equipotential with the chassis) are the through holes which are closest to the edges.

I finished verifying all of the passive components yesterday, so I’ll get an order together on Mouser this evening. I’ll include the QC connectors and solder lugs for these two PCBs. Can’t wait to see them assembled and installed on the chassis!

   

   

   

[morzh]

Nice!