Motorola 7-VT2 worth restoring ?
 

Initially, I bought this set just for the 7JP4, but it's more complete than I expected. Of course, the case is broken in half (cleanly) and a little warped. I figure I can glue it back together. If the crack is too noticeable, I'll use filler then sand and paint it.

I believe only the HV cage + flyback will be tricky to replace. The homebrew ballast and missing speaker shouldn't be too bad. The rest looks intact.

What do you guys think - am I crazy :dunno: ?

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/7-VT2-1.jpg

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/7-VT2-2.jpg

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/7-VT2-3.jpg

With enough elbow grease, it can be saved. Seems like the electronics are the least of your problems here. If I was presented with this project, I'd be somewhat inclined to build a custom wooden cabinet for it.

That's a though although I already have the blonde and mahogany wood versions :) I just can't image where I'd get another flyback aside from getting another TS-18 chassis. Are replacements available ?

One of the members here had a busted case just like this one. It had fallen off a shelf and broke into several pieces. He glued it back together, smoothed everything out and sprayed it. It came out looking really nice. If you look in the photo gallery on here and in Horizontal hold where the tv pic's are..you'll see the end result. These chassis' are plentiful so i'm sure someone might have spare parts you may need. Let us know how this turns out. Good Luck!
-Tony

I have an old chassis up in the shed that has been stripped of everything but the flyback and the cage. Give me a day or two to look for it. I don't know if the flyback is good however.

Steve

Tony - thanks for the tip about the photo gallery. I'll have to post some pics one of these days. I'll be sure to post progress updates in this thread. It'll be nice to finally get a set working. None of my 9 sets currently work at all.

Thanks Steve - that's a very nice coincidence :)

The chassis doesn't look like there are too many pieces to deal with.

I don't see the mount that suspends the CRT from the top of the chassis. Is it missing?

John

Nope, I have that bit - it just got cropped out of the photos. I've examined the underside and a few parts have been snipped out. Hopefully, it's just caps and resistors. All the tubes are gone too but they're all common ones.

If the 7JP4 is good I'd look for a better set to put it in, that thing's beyond reasonable repair IMO. :no:

I would repair the electronics and then find a good looking cabinet to stuff it into!

Again, like Eric said - if the 7jp4 is good.

Try to glue it together and see what happens, what can you lose? Looks like a challenge to me, those are always fun.

Don't scrap it! J-B Weld it!

http://www.jbweld.net/index.php

Yeah, what the hell, give it a try. Just don't ever sand Bakelite. We went into that awhile back about the asbestos and other harmful fillers they used in the manufacturing of the Bakelite. If you can make those joints smooth, paint it off white and it would look great! There was a white one at the ETF I almost bid on but my budget was very tight this year.

I agree, what have you got to lose by trying to reglue the cabinet? Just a little glue and your time.

Some people use super glue (cyanoacrylate) to glue the breaks, then run a bead of JB Weld epoxy along the inside of the breaks as extra reinforcement. It might be good practice for some time when you have to glue a more valuable cabinet that got broken in transit. Make sure the breaks are super clean before you try gluing.

There are loads of these Motorolas still floating around, so parts may be scrounge-able.

Phil Nelson

Band:

I dug out the high voltage coil and the cover. The coil is not open but will need to have a new filament wire soldered onto it. The cover is pitted but not bent so it should work. I don't think there was too much difference in the high voltage of these chassis. PM me your address.

Steve

Alright, I'll give it a try :thmbsp:

I've already gotten most of the scratches out of the plastic screen cover. A little wet sanding, soft scrub and Novus polish. The cabinet is warped as well as broken so I'm going to create some wooden forms to hold it in place while the glue sets.

I've used super glue before for small bakelite parts. I've heard of JB Weld, but never tried it before. I guess it's worth a try.

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/7-VT2-faceplate.jpg

If I ever came across one of these and couldn't salvage the cabinet, I would have some real fun with it. Many custom possiblities. I would take a prewar radio cabinet and mount it inside. Many cheap ones out there.

Good idea - it would certainly be an interesting look. Some of those consoles have openings for huge tuning dials that would be a good fit I bet.

I would restore the electronics and forget the cabinet. Glued plastic is still broken plastic. You could build a custom cabinet for it. You could add a simple five tube radio chassis, build a small console cabinet and have an interesting and useful combo set. These Motorola sets are good and sufficiently common that no sacrilege would be incurred in modding or customising.

I have two three boxes of 50's-60's flybacks and yokes. Mostly N.O.S. Thordarson, Merit, and a few factory replacements. Anyone with needs PM me with a part# and hopefully the cross-references.

A neat solution might be to fabricate a clear Lucite cabinet for it...Show off all the tubes, CRT, so forth. In a few years lotsa people won't know what a genuine tube TV will look like...

Hi Bandersen,

Bryan G. wrote: "I would take a prewar radio cabinet and mount it inside."

Look at what French collector Pierre Genet built:

Full story here: http://www.cfp-radio.com/

Look under "Realisations" --> "Prototype de moniteur 9 pouces a lampes"

Lots of good TV & Radio restorations on the site, chock-full with pictures.

Best Regards

jhalphen
Paris/France

Wow, a "tombstone" TV! I never would have thought of it, but that works! It's ashame "black dial" Zenith cabinets are worth so much. You could build a "prototype" porthole quite easily using one.

I have a cheap Silvertone console from about '46 with the radio/phono under a lid. (it's the same width as any other console, not like a "side-by-side") Someday I will yank the phono (and perhaps the radio as well) and mount an orphaned TV chassis in there, facing upwards. It will be a custom mirror-in-lid set. All I need is time. Look for a completion date sometime in the '20s!

This guy built a Lucite cabinet for his Pilot TV-37.

http://www.electronixandmore.com/tel...lot/index.html

I have mixed feelings. It's cool looking, in a way. On the other hand, it calls to mind those ugly prisoner TVs which have a clear Lucite case so that the convict can't stash contraband inside. This guy admits that he spent more on the Lucite case than he did for the TV itself.

The Radio Crafters television with a chromed chassis might be a better candidate for Lucite. As with some Scott radios, the chrome is almost too pretty to keep hidden.

Trivia note: Hallicrafters made a clear Lucite clock radio in 1952. It was a dealer demo designed to promote their new printed circuit technology.

http://antiqueradio.org/halli11.htm

Phil Nelson
Phil's Old Radios
http://antiqueradio.org/index.html

I have wanted to make a custom case for a porthole for awhile. But first I need a good chassis and crt. It would be a shame to use one that has a good case. Anyone got one in Upper Michigan/ Wisconsin?

Progress update
 

First off, a major thank you to Steve for sending me the HV cage and flyback. :thmbsp:
The chassis has cleaned up really well with a little WD-40 and steel wool. I also discovered the ventilation holes + some nylon rope are perfect for holding it all together.

I haven't tried the J.B. Weld yet, but the description sounds promising.

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/7-VT2%20weld.jpg

Looks like it's in traction!
Terry

Looking much better! Good job!

another update
 

Thanks! The patient has survived traction :)

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/7VT-2%20rb%20weld.jpg

I used a few dowels and JB Weld to reinforce the join from the inside:

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/7VT-2%20ribs.jpg

Here it is with a coat of primer. I also dug through my big 'box o' knobs' and found one :banana: 3 more to go

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/7VT-2%20primer.jpg

What is that red logo ?
 

Here it is after a few coats of primer and gloss black paint. The 'scar' is a little more noticeable than I had expected, but I can live with it. Especially since I was on the verge of tossing it.

One more question for you guys. What is that red logo in the upper left corner? This is the best image I've found online and I can't make it out.
Is that an 'M' ??

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/f9dd_1.JPG

Now I just need to get all 3 chassis working, restore the photo finish on the blonde, restore the decals and find all the knobs :tongue:

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/7-VT2%20painted.jpg

Nice job of bringing one back from the dead.

Phil

Great job! It looks awesome!

The Red thing is a stylized M for Motorola.

WOW! Great resto of that bakelite case!!!! :thmbsp:

Thanks for all the compliments and that great closeup of the "M" :)

...

BTW - The 7JP4 that I got with this set is just fine. So is the one from the Mahogany set. As for the Blonde :tears:

Amazingly all the pins are OK except for one deflection plate. The wire broke off right at the glass. That might be a bit beyond my meager skills to fix.

I've been using a 7VP1 from an RCA WO-56A for testing in the meantime.

http://www.bobandersen.com/images/TS-4J%20crt-sm.jpg

Is it the little wire I see at the top that is about a 16th of an inch long? I think that could be fixed. Or, there is a bump of glass to the left of the short wires on top, is that where the wire broke? That might be some trouble. You're close if you want to ship it to me or meet me half way, I'll try to fix it for you. Just thinking out loud.......

Yep, it's the bump. I figure I could try using a straight pin under pressure to make contact with what's left of the pin and secure it somehow ?:dunno:

Or try chipping just a little if the glass away and hope for the best. :saywhat:

Thanks for offer. I might take you up on it once the chassis is functional again.

Those are the ideas I was bouncing around, might be worth a try. Just look at what you did to that cabinet, a lot is possible. Gloves and a face shield are a must on this one.:yes:The offer still stands so let me know.