[462ron]

Working on a Philco 39-25 tabletop radio and have 2 questions,

1. Any recommendations on what color to spray the metal escutcheon, such as color and brand of paint.

2. I have the dial face with graphics and frequencies but I have no glass in front of it.  Is the glass just a plain piece or are there any markings or designs on it? I’ve looked on line but don’t see any listing for this model.
Thanks for any info.

Ron    

[RodB]

Ron, it looks like the escutcheon is brass. If it is, I would remove the finish, polish it and spray with clear lacquer. If you want a little patina, put a little dark stain on a cloth and wipe it on/off till you get the look you want.

If it's plastic, remove the old finish then spray with Rustoleum 2X. They may have an antique gold that would look nice.

[morzh]

I it could be cleaned from the dirt, the patina is not too bad looking.

[MrFixr55]

Here is a link to a pic of the tabletop version of the set from out Philco Gallery:
https://philcoradio.com/gallery2/1939a/#Model_39-25T

It seems that the dial window is molded plastic. If you replace it with flat plastic or glass, I don't know if you will have clearance. I would go for cleaning and polishing the escutcheon and replacing the letter tabs if they don't clean up. Hopefully, you can get WJZ (now WABC), WOR, WEAF (now WFAN, was WNBC) WABC (was WCBS, now WSHQ - ESPN Sports) and the others.

I wrote an entry into someone's thread regarding the history of the NY stations but don't remember where it was. The Kings of NY radio during the 1930s golden Age were WEAF, the AT&T station which became WNBC, flagship of the NBC "Red Network"; and WJZ, the Westinghouse station that became the flagship of the NBC "Blue Network" which became WABC when the FCC ordered NBC to divest itself of the Blue Network to the entity that became the ABC (American Broadcasting Company) Network.

[462ron]

Thanks guys for your input. The escutcheon has some spots where the brass finish is rubbed through so probably I willl clean it up and look for some gold type color to paint it. I see where that glass appears to be plastic and looked online at a site that makes reproductions but nothing for this model so the quest continues! MrFixr I do remember reading your history of NY stations and I should be in range to receive some of them being in NEPA.

Ron

[RodB]

Ron, I've made plastic dial covers and they're not too hard to do. I used 1/4" birch plywood to make a template/cutout using the escutcheon. Traced the escutcheon opening on the plywood, used a jigsaw with fine-toothed blade to carefully cut out the center, sand smooth the edges, then sandwiched a piece of acrylic between the center and template with spring clamps. Applied heat with a heat gun and the center slowly pressed into the template. Took me just over an hour. You have to be careful with the heat, too much and the plastic will warp. It's exciting to have a crystal clear dial cover dressing up that escutcheon and dial.

[Arran]

One potential source for free dial lens material is that plastic packaging often used for toys, and Christmas ornaments. Sometimes packages of baked goods yield large flat sheets too, but sometimes it's too thin. It's worth experimenting with since it's free, if nothing else it's good for making templates since it's transparent.
Regards
Arran

[MrFixr55]

Rod, that's amazing!! The problem-solving skills of this group is amazing!!

As a kid, I had a Vacu-Form, a neat toy that you heated up plastic sheets and flipped it over a mold then operated a vacuum pump to form a copy of the mold. Unfortunately, the "field" was about 4X5 inches.

[462ron]

Rod, Arran, I may have to go that route. I’m a ways off from finishing this radio, it will be a winter project, so in that time if I can’t find anything I will give it a try! Thanks

Ron

[klondike98]

Ron,
I used an American Accents aged brass spray paint and a clear coat on my 39-25 based on advice from a Bob Anderson restoration. See the info in my thread here: https://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=10018

[462ron]

Thanks Bob, I already found a color that I thought looked good. Rustoleum antique bronze, I will post a pic when the radio is done which will be this winter.

Ron

[462ron]

Also,  Rodb and Arran, I was able to find a new plastic dial cover. Mark Palmquist had one and it looks great! Thanks for your input!

Ron

[radiorich]

Hello Ron,
I have bought few over the years from mark and been very happy with his work .
Far as your set goes I am looking forward to see your set done .



Sincerely Richard

[462ron]

Thanks Richard. The only work I did so far was refinishing the cabinet while the weather was good. Also, went through it quick to check coils and transformers and found an open primary on the output. Someone put me onto a reasonably priced output but it is for an intercom or 70V line, it has probably 13 wires on it!  Priced a whole lot cheaper than a Hammond!

Ron