John Vassos RCA 6K10 Radio
 

Heres a rare one that I just have to share with you guys, I honestly didn't think that it was worth what it is. After I found out what it was I stood in line for 4 hours to get it. I haven't gotten around to cleaning it or touching up the chips in the black lacquer but it is quite amazing to think that less then 100 of his designs are still floating around.

http://i32.tinypic.com/2m34707.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/531dog.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/mjl9ue.jpg
http://i26.tinypic.com/dmwvmc.jpg

That's a vaaaaluable radio. You might want to rethink touching it up. Some big timer collector might want it just the way it is for big time money.

BTW wonder why RCA left the bottom open. There's not much wood between the back and the front of the speaker that way, so low notes can cancel. Would give more bass if there was a bottom panel.

Those big ol' consoles always just kill me...DREADNOUGHT styling, bazillions of Tooobs, you're expecting something that could pick up Jupiter on a cloudy day, & then...another rinky-dink AA5...Well, most of the time. E.H.Scotts & some Zeniths are for real...Anyhow, yeah, I'd just clean this bad boi up,get 'er workin' again, & maybe separate some well-heeled "Civilian" from a BUNCH of his money...

Great score!

not sure but maybe there WAS a bottom panel of some sort?just guessing here of course but if you look at the pic you can see a cleat in the middle of the side panel that would seem to serve no real purpose...except maybe as an attachment point for some kind of panel.

That chassis does look a bit more elaborate than an AA5: there is apparently
a 6H6 dual diode working as a separate detector/AVC tube, and of course it
does have a transformer power supply. Great score, congratulations!

That uses the same chassis as my first tube radio-an RCA 8k. The only difference is that yours does not have an eye tube. Good sounding radios-I really like that RCA put nice big speakers even in their cheaper models, not that this is a bad performer. I did a lot of DXing with my 8k, and that is still the only radio I have ever been able to receive Australia on (Shortwave). Looks like they slobbed chrome polish all over the cabinet. I'd say buff up the chrome, and retouch, but not refinish the cabinet.

On ARF you said you got this out of the prop room of a theater, correct? What's the story there?

Those are my plans when ever I get around to cleaning my garage so I can work on projects. I am going to touch it up with a sharpie of all things. It hides the scratches/nicks and its not noticeable at all. I will completely disassemble the whole radio in order to clean all the polish cream and gunk off. The chorme isn't that bad not really badly pitted or rusted.

I wish I knew the story. All the people doing the sale could tell me is that the place was floor to ceiling full of trash and the son inherited it all. The cord is cut and the tranny appears to be oily. I am thinking the repair guy at the theater stated he could fix it for a friend but it just sat there for years. I was also thinking it was loaned to them and next thing you know I will get some strange latter stating that it was never returned :D

Well decided to finally tare it apart and give it a good cleaning and polish. Just to be disappointed to see that the chassis caught fire at some point in its life. Its not a horrible thing but its a bad thing. Seeing that I need to be on the look out for a new chassis or replacement transformer. I could get a after market but would like to have the original one on it. Heres photos of the chassis.

http://i33.tinypic.com/34srl9z.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/34o4p6v.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/2aag6jk.jpg

Looks like a tar leak/fire?

Am I the only one who doesn't find the cabinet particularly attractive? To me there's just something ... off ... about the whole look. It just doesn't seem to "click".

Anyway, nice find, goes to show what some people have and don't even know about!

People over on arf are thinking that it got struck by lightning or that it was left unattended for some time and it just went poof. I suppose this mess is why there are more of these around now.

Your not the only one who thinks its looks aren't all that, I thought the same. That is why I asked before I bought, now its growing on me :D

The looks are very mid-thirties chrome moderne, when a lot of furniture, tables, chairs, and so on, was coming out in black with chrome components. Somebody looking to be ultramodern in those days would have bought this set. Think: the Chrysler Airflow.

Now it'd be bought by someone wanting to look "Ultra-goth" :D

That's what it is- It was itching at the back of my mind that it was kind of like a somewhat 'current' style, but didn't know what... now I'm sure it's that... a goth radio. Only thing is that the tubes are the wrong types... they give off too much light and colour. :thmbsp:

One could always dip the whole thing in tar and cover it with a tarp...

or replace the tubes with a couple of these:
http://media.jamendo.net/so6etcho7/f...emobulblrg.jpg

Well, it's an RCA from the metal tube era...put all metals in it and no glow except the rectifier (which never made it as a metal.)

In that case: I rest my case :D

RCA did put metal rectifier tubes in some sets. I have one with a metal rectifier tube. I have not tried to restore it yet, so do not know the rectifier tube's condition.

Yeah, it ain't perzacly my cup o' tea, neither...But if I'd spotted it in an Anty-Kew emporium, I'd prolly cabbaged on it, just 'cause....

Yeah, but metal rectifiers didn't catch on much. Some RCA's had all metals except the rectifier was glass. They put a shield around it (no electrical reason to do so) so that you couldn't see the glow and it would "look" metal. I have a 1942 model 28T that uses metals but there is a shield base on the rectifier socket (5Y3) but somebody long ago discarded the useless shield. Metal rectifiers and power output tubes get really hot enough to burn you so fell out of favor. Metals are a great idea for shielding in RF and first audio stages but a lot of people (like me) like to see the glow. Adds to the magic!

You are correct in that they did not catch on. I also have a GE set that was all metal at one time. I have restored this one. At one point, a serviceman replaced the metal rectifier tube with a 5Y3.

I also have some metal 6L6 tubes. I am not sure what these were used for, although I have heard that the military in WWII used them. I have heard that these are not near as good as the glass ones.

Well since we are turning this back into a thread about radios and stopped the goth bashing. I feel safe to post my after photos, after hours and hours of disassemble, scrubbing, and polishing. It is fit to stand in the living room again. Still not sure what to do about the chassis.

http://i38.tinypic.com/dfdrno.jpg
http://i33.tinypic.com/nqpgzt.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/2qlbpk0.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/24w7fcn.jpg

I'd clean up that chassis and find a replacement transformer. It sure would be easy to work on. There may be some used transformers out there for you...Check the sticky's above this link for some sources.

Looks much better now :)

Thanks, no commit on the artwork :D I have a very interesting collection that spans from the 20's-70's. Everyone says my home looks like a museum. some how the radio fits in with the funky decor. I also think its now one of the most expensive pieces in my home. I have a chair down stairs that also matches it to a T. When I was younger I was into vintage/goth style....the fingernail painting and strange colored hair has worn off but I still do the vintage thing.

Make sure the transformer is really toast first-on my 8k, mine had leaked some tar and looked pretty bad. Luckily, if it turns out you do need a tranny, it shouldn't be too tough to find a replacement.

Reminds me- while we were in the Netherlands in May, we wanted to go to a radio museum in Borculo. The guy's site was still up, so we went (~1.5H drive). Turns out the guy had packed up and left years ago... and wouldn't take down his site.

He had an impressive collection... :tears: and we were pretty pissed off after that drive.

His site's still up... so you can see what we missed:
http://home.wanadoo.nl/radiomuseum/HOOFDMENU.html

Greetings from FixitLand!

If this beauty does in fact need a new power transformer, keep in mind that it's the same chassis as RCA Victor models 6K2 and 6T2 (part number 11848, presuming the Rating 'A' standard xfmr); might be easier to find a donor chassis of one of those models.

You've got the first-production chassis with the round IF cans; 2nd production used magnetite-core, square-cross-section IF cans (Rider vol. 8, pg. RCA-8-20).

Take care,
--
J. E. Knox 'The Victor Freak'

If you're feeling adventurous, you could probably re-wind the original... Voltage/current ratios can be calculated based on the # of turns... and vice versa.

Power in ~= Power out (some is lost) - P=VI, so Vi x Ii= Vo x Io

The voltage change is a function of the # of turns (well, the ratio), as you know.

If that were mine I'd want to restore the original chassis and keep it with the cabinet. The transformer looks fried "from my house" and it would appear that some long ago repairman soldered in a replacement electrolytic cap under the chassis, perhaps leaving the old tall caps up top in the circuit. The 'lytic cap towards the front of the chassis urped out its guts at one time leaving the white borax deposits, probably shorted. At any rate something shorted and took out the xfrmr, or the xfrmr commited suicide.

A new power transformer would be a horizontal mount like the old one, with 120 volt primary winding and the following secondary windings: 5 V @ 2 amps for the rectifier filament, 6.3 V @ 2.5 amps for the five other tube heaters, 250-300 volts center tapped (CT)@ 70 or greater ma. for the high voltage. Antique Electronic Supply has a sale on new Hammond xfrmrs., or Playthings of the Past may have a used one that would fit. A new one is going to run $50 or a bit less. Then new capacitors to replace the paper ones in the set and new electrolytics to mount under the chassis (leaving the old tall cans up top but disconnected, for looks) might be about $12 or so. There could be some bad resistors (check them with ohmmeter) but they are cheap if needed, fraction of a dollar. New line cord (Wally*World has nice ones 8 ft. long with molded plug.)

A few other tests before getting into it: continuity test with ohmmeter on audio output transformer, speaker voice coil, speaker field coil, RF coils, IF transformers. Make sure everything has continuity and registers at least a few ohms, nothing's open.

Thanks, you make it so simple. In words I know it is, but my mine is telling me oh god this seems difficult :D I know in all reality the hardest thing is finding the transformer. I am just concerned about connecting the wrong lead to the wrong area. I am keeping an eye out for a parts console on the bay with the same chassis figured that would be the easiest option for my mind to handle.

That's a pretty awesome-looking radio! It's world's away from what I'm used to, but that's what I like so much about it. I don't think I've ever seen one like it. Around here in the south, most old consoles that I see are usually of the less interesting garden variety. I think my chances of ever seeing a E.H. Scott in person are pretty slim. :tears:

Personally, I'm glad this John Vassos fellow thought outside the box! It's hard to imagine seeing something like this in someone's house that long ago. There are products made today, like Crosley radios for example, that try and imitate this vintage but modern, old-fashioned but futuristic look... They ain't got nothing on this guy, though!

I like it! I have a pair of office chairs from a 1935 movie theatre that would match it perfectly.

What a wonderful set! I would hold out and watch for a correct replacement transformer. The radio's not going anywhere and you can enjoy it as a unique period piece in the meantime.

If some day in the future you put it up for sale, the people willing to pay big bucks would care whether it has the right transformer or some other thing that's jerry-rigged to work.

Connecting the replacement transformer might seem confusing, but it's not rocket science. There are plenty of armchair quarterbacks in this forum and others who will help you get it right, when that day comes.

I do this rarely, but I'd also be tempted to "restuff" all of the capacitors when you reach that stage. This article has general info about recapping and links to other articles that describe restuffing electrolytics and paper caps: http://antiqueradio.org/recap.htm . That's another decision you can defer for now, though. I wouldn't replace any caps until you have installed the replacement transformer.

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

All good advice. Another thing I thought of: since this had a catastrophic power supply incident, I'd look at measuring the resistance between unsoldered terminals on the rectifier socket. Sometimes those sockets arc internally between pins. Might be good to replace it.

And once you have a new transformer in place, I would then (at least) replace the filter capacitors in the power supply before powering it up again. Bad filter caps can fry transformers.

Phil Nelson