[ntsc525]

Hi, everyone:

I'm new to this forum, and only recently got into tube radios, which I used to hack around with when I was a kid.

I got my first Philco this weekend, and it happens to also be my first Bakelite radio, a 46-420 Code 121 Hippo. This one's in great cosmetic condition except the dial scale has a crack, and it's missing the back.

So, what does a person with one Hippo do? Buy another one of course! I found one on eBay (a Code 128 ) with a back and good dial but a cracked case.

So, my thought is to recap both radios, swap the dial scales and take the back, so I have one near perfect example (Code 121) and one flawed example (Code 128 ).

So, on the cracked case, I'm thinking about gluing and priming it, then trying to paint it Ivory, and either sell it or keep it (because I don't have a Code 128 ).

Since the bakelite is already cracked, is there any value to be lost if I patched and painted it, or should I still leave it brown and just glue it?

Or, better yet, is there a method to repair Bakelite so it can keep it's original color and still look good?

From browsing around here, I know many of you do very impressive work, though I'm not sure how much time you spend messing with Hippos. (I've seen some of the restored pre-war consoles, and I'm impressed.)

By the way, the cracks are long, and along both bottom corners, as though the bottom wants to peal completely off.

What would you do with that case? (Assuming you want to save it, because if you say junk it, I'm still going to try to save it!)

Regards,

Dan

(Trying not to appear on Hoarders.)

[Eliot Ness]

With a cracked Bakelite case it is perfectly acceptable to glue the cracks and then to repaint. 

When gluing Bakelite I like to use super glue, and after it dries reinforce the cracked areas on the inside of the case with fiberglass mat and resin or a strong two-part epoxy.  You can then use filler as needed, prime, and paint.  If you do a search you'll find many techniques. 

Then if desired you can make a replacement back or order one from retro-tronics:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Reproduction-Rad...33475714c6

If your dial is cracked those show up on eBay too:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-ANTIQUE-...1c4e98a33a


It just depends on how much time and $$$ you want to invest.  The cheaper alternative is to do like you already did and buy a donor radio with a good lens and a back.

Welcome and good luck!

[Squire]

Paint it!  Ivory Hippos look great!  Here's one I finished a couple months ago.  I used Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2X "Heirloom White" and couldn't have been happier with the results!

[klondike98]

Looks very nice!

[tab10672]

I agree, I have bought many radios, cheap that nobody else wanted because of a cracked cabinet. Even rust oleum dark walnut brown looks good if you want the original look.

[ntsc525]

Thanks, everyone for the great advice.

I actually paid more for the "donor" radio, because it also had the original owner's manual, plus original back and good dial. That should make one near perfect radio, and one "acceptable" repainted radio.

Dan
46-420 Code 121
46-420 Code 128

[klondike98]

This radio did come in Ivory as well as brown.

[Squire]

Looks very nice!

Thanks!   It was an original Ivory set, but over the years it had been painted blue and then black.  After  stripping, it was obvious that the bare bakelite wasn't good enough so I put it back to original.

[ntsc525]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I have another question about cleaning Bakelite. I've seen people soak these cases in mild detergent (one on YouTube pulled out the antenna coil, and soaked it labels and all), but I want to protect all labels and stickers found in and on the cabinet, and try to keep the antenna in it's original position and state. (Maybe I've been watching too much Graveyard Carz.)

Is there a safe way to unstick and remove the labels (the tube diagram on Philcos is distinctively nicer than I've seen on other brands) to save them and re-glue them to the cabinet when done? Or, do most people clean and paint around the existing stickers?

Do you remove and then re-glue the antenna coil?

And, finally, something I think I've got a handle on unless someone has a better idea: The back is actually delaminating, and I see a wood like center piece sandwiched between two thinner pressboard pieces. I'm thinking of using Elmer's white glue to relaminate these pieces, and clamping it flat between two boards.

Thanks for your advice.

As thanks, I'm going to upload a scan of the Owner's Manual I obtained (very fragile) with my broken Hippo.

Dan
(I would have phixed my phine Philco by now, but I'm too phat and lazy.)

[Arran]

 For removing the paper labels, or at least attempting removal, acetone and a razor blade, but scan the bottom one first if it is in exceptional shape, that is if you intend to glue and paint the cabinet. If it's just a matter of washing the soap and water won't do much to the labels, just so long as you don't scrub them if they get wet. On a cracked cabinet it's really best if you can strip everything off before attempting to clean it up and glue the cracks, although if the dial is messed up I would not bother even trying to repair the cabinet, 46-420s are a unique design but Philco built a lot of them, and their successors, from 1946-49. If this cabinet is cracked from back to front glue, bondo, and paint is really the only way to make the set decent again, I usually use two part epoxy, the 24 hour kind, for repairs since it's the strongest and really does not need re-enforcement in most cases.
Regards
Arran

[ntsc525]

Thanks.

This will be my "learner" for repairing Bakelite. As for the dial, it will have a crack in it as soon as I can swap it with another radio with a near perfect case. The back will also be donated to my other radio.

I'm thinking about just going with walnut brown paint, and masking off the section on the bottom that has the label. The bottom looks pretty clean, and certainly doesn't need to look as nice as the top.

I was on the fence about this one, but it came with an original owner's manual and the back looked more perfect than it was, so I pulled the trigger!

At least the radios I buy are cheaper than the cars I see people get stuck with on those car restoration shows! (You know, when they remove the paint and find nothing but holes and rot!)

[Kestas]

My hippo had cracks toward the back. I superglued the cracks then filled the missing areas with JB weld. After it set up, the JB Weld needed just a bit of coloring to blend in with the dark brown case.

[ntsc525]

I've decided to first try to save the original brown color if at all possible, so I've superglued the cracks, put epoxy on the inside of the cracks to add strength, and filled the cracks a little with some Testors paint. (I've heard it called "drop filling" to fill pits and dings with paint.) It looks like the color they call "rubber" (flat, not glossy) is a pretty close match, but I won't know until I get it sanded down and smooth. That way, I can keep the original label intact on the bottom, and most of the radio will still have that cool Bakelite marbeling once I polish the outside to match the original shine seen on the inside. I also want to keep the original Philco decal, which would require keeping the original color.

I figure more original with some honest wear and scars is better than artificially new.

But, if it looks too horrible, well, I've already got the can of Glossy Ivory paint!

Progress is slow, because of my work schedule, but I'll update you when I get a chance.

Dan

[ntsc525]

Latest update:

I'm working on the chassis, but got the cabinet glued, and buffed it out with some Novus #2. Most of the Bakelite looks good, and has a bit of shine to it, but if you look at the sides you can clearly see where the cracks are, and in fact, there's another crack on the right side. I'm debating whether to leave it as is, or prime it to fill the cracks and paint it ivory or brown.

One thing that occurs to me is when you put the back on these radios, the spring clips put a lot of outward pressure on the case. I wonder if that's why so many of them seem to have a split along one corner or another, or both. I wonder if my first one has a good case because the back was missing a long time ago.

This thought came to me as I was dozing off one night, and I jumped out of bed and took the back out of my good Hippo, because I couldn't sleep thinking about those springs pushing against my Bakelite! (There's a lot of tension there from the spring clips.)

Anyway, until the next time.

Dan