[Guest]

Hello,

I just acquired a Philco Model 50-1718 cabinet radio with pull out phonograph.

When were these radio's produced? What did they originally sell for? It plays nicely but takes a few minutes for the "tubes to warm up" before emitting sound. Is this normal?

Also the phonograph seems as if it works but the table will not spin. I assume it is a drive belt? You can hear the transformer on it receiving power but it will not spin.

What type of finish does the case have? It appears mahagoney in color. I cleaned the 3in of dust off with a damp cloth of soap and water and it appeared to be stripping off some finish. The original finish is in presentable condition, some spots are missing finish but should look nice when cleaned up..

What would be a good product to polish up the case? I was thinking Butchers furniture wax but I don't want to mess it up. Also there is some white paint speckles on it from somones wall painting. What would be the best way to remove these without killing the orig. finish?

Lastly, any collector value on these?

Thanks for all the help, I know nothing about vintage electronics. Being born in the late 80's doesn't help much.

[Chuck Schwark]

The Model number says it all. It was made for the 1950 model year, which means it was probably on the shelf last quarter 1949.

[Ron Ramirez]

gmccarthy - to answer some of your other questions...

I do not have info on your set's original selling price, sorry.

Yes, it is normal for tube-type electronics to take 30 seconds or so, even up to a full minute, to begin operating.

If your set has its original record changer it probably uses a drive wheel, not a belt. <a href="http://www.west-techservices.com/">West-Tech Services</a> can help you here.

The original finish would have been tinted lacquer. If the cabinet does not appear to need refinishing, you can go over it with Howard's Restore-A-Finish. Available in many antique shops and some hardware stores, it comes in different colors to match the finish your cabinet has. It is my understanding that it will not cause problems if you decide to refinish later, but I make no guarantees. You want to avoid any products that contain silicones if you ever have even the slightest thought of refinishing - the tiniest amount of silicone will cause any new lacquer to fisheye, and it will not ever apply normally.

To clean up white paint speckles, go over the entire cabinet with a hand cleaner such as Go-Jo, BEFORE you use the Howard's product. You may have to use a very fine grade (0000) steel wool with the Go-Jo in order to completely remove the paint specks, but since your set's finish is already dried out from your description, be advised this will probably remove more of the original lacquer as well and you may end up refinishing after all.

And finally, this page - http://www.radioattic.com/radiovalue.php - at the Radio Attic site is my favorite link to collector value, and discusses the subject much better than I can.

[Guest]

hello,

i just acquired one of these also.

mine is missing the speaker. i was wondering if you could do me a favor with your 50-1718.

could you put a digital ohm meter across the terminals of the speaker and tell me the resistance of the speaker ? it should be around 4 ohms or 8 ohms.

thanks for any help you could give me.

i would appreciate it very much.

steve

[Chuck Schwark]

The output transformer secondary is rated to match a 3.2 ohm speaker.

A 4 ohm speaker would match close enough, if you can't come up with a 3.2 ohm job.