Admiral 20X122 restoration project

[bandersen]

I'm constantly amazed at what pops up on craigslist. Yesterday, I found a guy selling a little can full of Admiral knobs
They're the metal plated type, but I can use the outer ones for this set.



The seller says they're from radios, but I know I've seen the larger ones on blonde Admiral TVs.
Anyone know what the 3 little ones are from ?

I also dug up a center knob for Contrast, but it's a bit lighter than the others.
So close...

[bgadow]

Actually, I think shipping my a moving company is pretty safe. The troubles all seem to be with putting a TV in a box and expecting it to arrive in one piece at the other end. I have shipped a few portables myself, as well as some picture tubes. Not everyone packs the same, though. It is very difficult to pack a heavy table model set well enough that it can survive a big fall. You end up with an enourmous box and all kinds of surcharges due to the size. I just get upset from seeing so many perfectly good TV sets destroyed due to bad packing, and I don't want to see it again!

[jeyurkon]

Originally Posted by bgadow

Actually, I think shipping my a moving company is pretty safe. The troubles all seem to be with putting a TV in a box and expecting it to arrive in one piece at the other end. I have shipped a few portables myself, as well as some picture tubes. Not everyone packs the same, though. It is very difficult to pack a heavy table model set well enough that it can survive a big fall. You end up with an enourmous box and all kinds of surcharges due to the size. I just get upset from seeing so many perfectly good TV sets destroyed due to bad packing, and I don't want to see it again!

I've only had one set shipped by a moving company, but I was quite happy with them. Vintage Transport didn't box it, but they wrapped it in a quilt and secured it. They were quite careful as they unloaded the console.

When you put something in a box for UPS or FedEX they don't know how delicate it is.

John

[Phil Nelson]

I have shipped TVs large and small with Craters & Freighters. They are expensive, but you can't beat a custom crate. Once they turn it over to a shipper, however, your crate could still be speared by a forklift or whatever.

If the TV is special or you're just plain cynical, you can either not buy it or move it yourself. I recently drove from CA to WA transporting a set that I wouldn't trust to anyone else.

Phil Nelson

[jeyurkon]

Originally Posted by Phil Nelson

I have shipped TVs large and small with Craters & Freighters. They are expensive, but you can't beat a custom crate. Once they turn it over to a shipper, however, your crate could still be speared by a forklift or whatever.

If the TV is special or you're just plain cynical, you can either not buy it or move it yourself. I recently drove from CA to WA transporting a set that I wouldn't trust to anyone else.

Phil Nelson

That's what I liked about vintage transport. There was no turning it over to a shipper. No one else for them to point the finger at if something went wrong.

I'm cynical, but I gave up and had it shipped because of the weather, lack of available time, and the fact the a true accounting of costs would have made it more expensive to move myself. Still, because of my attachment to the set I was very tempted to do it myself.

John

[electronjohn]

That Admiral's gorgeous! Now I want one. uh-oh.

[bandersen]

Well, after a couple weeks the Glayzit seems to have faded a bit. I wasn't able to get it as dark as I wanted anyhow. Especially when compared to it's big brother next to it.

So, back to R&D on bakelite restoration. I'd heard that wax, like Imperial Hand Glaze, can help. I don't have any of that on hand, but I do have Old English polish and Howard's Feed 'n Wax. I tried out the OE first. Looks fantastic, but like I expected, it just doesn't penetrate the bakelite. It smears and smudges if your touch it.

Next up, the Howard's. It doesn't have quite the shine as the OE, but it seems to adhere a lot better. Here's some photos. I guess time will tell. If the Howard's doesn't hold up, maybe I'll try the Imperial Glaze.

I've just waxed the right-side for a comparison:


I hope this doesn't fade!

[zenithfan1]

Wow, that makes it really pretty, just like new. I hope it stays that way. I've had the shine fade on me too. bakelite can be tricky sometimes. I really hate it when one whole side of something bakelite is bleached out from the sun, you wax it and it looks good for a little while and then turns back to crap. Any tips on that problem other than painting it?

[bandersen]

Originally Posted by zenithfan1

Wow, that makes it really pretty, just like new. I hope it stays that way. I've had the shine fade on me too. bakelite can be tricky sometimes. I really hate it when one whole side of something bakelite is bleached out from the sun, you wax it and it looks good for a little while and then turns back to crap. Any tips on that problem other than painting it?

Leave the other side in the sun for a few decades to balance it out

Seriously though, earlier in this thread stain was suggested and I've heard shoe polish. Then, perhaps, a coat of clear lacquer.

Personally, I haven't tried any of that. I'd be more willing to try on a small radio, but I'm wary of screwing up this cabinet. Worst case scenario, It'll just be a little faded.

[zenithfan1]

Yeah, even if it is a little faded, it's even and the knobs will cover the darker areas under them. It's a gorgeous looking set.
How did I know you were gonna tell me to leave the other side in the sun??
Ditto on the small radio, always test on an unimportant item. Learned that lesson the hard way long ago. I have a couple of crappy printed finish sets to experiment on as well because a printed finish is on several of my nice sets that need a touch up. I'll try the stain and shoe polish on an old radio from the garage and see what happens.

[bandersen]

Here's a little update on the inside of this set.

I've finished re-stuffing the capacitors. My aluminum seams were a little sloppy on the base so I used some JB Weld for filler. I'll file it down and paint silver.



The flyback test good, but 'sings' a little. I'm not sure if that's normal while testing or maybe the HV cap is leaky?



The power transformer seems to be good too.



Finally, I decided to do something about that dirty, rusty chassis. I used Naval Jelly, Q-tips. steel wool, 600 grit sandpaper and WD40.
Be very careful when using steel wool to not get any bits into the electronics!



Any suggestions on keeping that rust from coming back? Some guys paint their radio chassis with lacquer. Does that make sense here?

[7"estatdef]

If you want to be a copycat I did mine in grey hammertone.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=67156
Terry

[Phil Nelson]

After the Naval Jelly, etc., treatment, I doubt the rust will come back any time soon, if you keep it in a dry place. Using the set from time to time will warm it and keep things dried out, too.

About 10 years ago, I used Naval Jelly to remove rust from scuffs & bleeding pinholes on the painted faceplate of my Hallicrafters SX-42. No signs of rust reappearing. The radio spends most of its time in our indoor storeroom, the proverbial cool, dry place.

If you decide to paint it, I'd make sure the cleaned metal is clean, clean, clean, as in rinsed with lacquer thinner, denatured alchohol, or suchlike. A thin coat of primer before the paint is a good idea, too.

Re Bakelite, I don't think polishes will penetrate it. I have used harsh stripper to remove factory paint from Bakelite, and it didn't penetrate (or damage) the original surface a bit. In a couple of cases, the stripped Bakelite looked so great that I left it bare rather than repaint in the original color.

If you like the look of the wax, that's not a bad solution. It may hold up for quite a while, although it's a semi-permanent coating, like polishes. People who are really hooked on giving Bakelite a deep, glossy luster have applied multiple coats of hand-rubbed lacquer, just as with a wooden cabinet. I don't go for that because Bakelite things were bare when they left the factory, not coated with polish, lacquer, or anything else. My NIB Radio Receptor UHF converter has an original Bakelite finish that shines like the sun, and it is bare.

Nice job on this set, by the way.

Phil

[bandersen]

Originally Posted by 7"estatdef

If you want to be a copycat I did mine in grey hammertone.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=67156
Terry

Nice job Terry!

I'm going to hold off on painting this chassis for now. I did do a little looking around for some hammertone paint over the weekend though and couldn't find any.

Where did you get yours?

[Tube TV]

Bob , the chassis looks great .
I don't think you will have a problem with the rust returning .
I had a radio chassis that had rust .
After it was cleaned down I put a light coat of turtle wax on it , and it still looks good .
About 10 years later ...