Western Visionette Restoration
 

I have recently been blessed with my first mechanical television, a Western Visionette. My example is in a non-factory cabinet. There is one other example that I know of that is very similar to mine which leads me to believe that someone bought the Western Visionette in a kit form, built a decorative custom cabinet for it, and added a radio to the package to tune the signal and make it a complete (vision only) set. I hope that I can find out some more information about who may have built the set, or find more examples.
The set was up for display at the ETF convention this year and I know many of you saw the set there. If you saw the set and have any ideas on its origins please let me know. For those of you who didn't attend the convention here is a photograph of the set at the museum.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5562/...6bd847c54f.jpg

Here is a photograph of the other example that I know of with a very similar cabinet.

http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/...le.php?id=1801

The only history I have been able to track down about this particular set is that it was found in a barn of a man who horded all things musical. I'm glad he decided this set was worth saving, even if it was sitting in a damp barn for who knows how many decades. The cabinet of the set definitely reflects the fact that it had been sitting in a moist environment for a long time. Much of the veneer is separated and "bubbling". Sadly my cabinet guy has recently decided to retire so I will need to find an expert to make the cabinet right again. Here is a shot of the stand with its seperated veneer which is representative of what most of the rest of the cabinet looks like.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2925/...06e8df17c7.jpg

Sadly the mice have made a home in the lower part of the cabinet where the radio chassis was housed. Somewhere in this picture there is a joke about a techno DJ.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2939/...18c4be387d.jpg

I think the radio chassis is a total loss. I am hoping to find another matching chassis and possibly swap as many parts as I can from the original chassis over. The chassis is a Crosley with a model number of 40s, 41s, 42s, or 82s. I found this online and it matches my chassis http://www.crosleyradios.com/buddy_data_41-S.html. If anyone knows where I can source a replacement I would greatly appreciate it.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5315/...2cd7d1b320.jpg

That's about all I've found out so far about the set. It will probably take a very long time to get this one finished, but I plan on sharing my progress the whole way so check back for updates from time to time.

By the way I forgot to give a very big thank you to Les :smlove: for helping me successfully load the set into my Uhaul trailer at the museum for its trip home.

Interesting, impressive, and very nice looking.
I look forward to the posts on this thread detailing the progress and discoveries regarding mechanical TVs.

The chassis reminds me of a Crosley I have that is just a tad better off than yours looks to be.

I've seen rustier chassis brought back from the dead, and made to look good....It's just a more involved process.

That chassis could be brought back, just depends how much effort you're willing to put into it. Ever hear of electrolysis rust removal?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ADeB6V1rQ

After that you could bead blast it and have it plated in cadmium, it would look brand new. The pots are probably long past gone, but maybe replacements could be found.

Another option: I picked up a gallon of Evapo-rust on the recommendation of a fellow VK member. Available at Harbor Freight and other stores. It works like magic.

I've seen some pretty rusty chassis brought back to life using the above methods, but this one is pretty bad. There are parts of the chassis that simply aren't there any more because they have rusted away. For now I'm going to keep looking for a match in better condition and if one can't be found I'll look into rust removal.

Try to find out what make that chassis is. The other visionette you have pictured uses the very common Atwater Kent 55c chassis. Possibly yours is also from a very common radio. Good luck.

Man, Crosley sure used a lot of different model numbers for very similar models. I think you will track down what you want, but what a process to get it!

http://www.crosleyradios.com/31.html

Amazing piece and a true historical part of television history. Enjoyed seeing it very much!
Joe

The 31 definitely doesn't have the same chassis as the one in my set. The dial face is all wrong.
I'm sure it will take some time to track down the correct chassis but I have two things going for me, I don't need it in order to make a picture on the set and therefore I am not in a hurry.

This document is pretty interesting, and shows it would be really easy to substitute any radio for the original one.
http://www.crosleyradios.com/pdf/40S...structions.pdf

I have most of the parts pulled from the cabinet in preparation for its restoration.

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...psvduf0rp4.jpg

I am having a bit of difficulty removing the scanning disc from the motor assembly. Can any one who may have done this before shed some light on how these two parts come apart?

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...psyvp5t5da.jpg

You can free the disk from the hub assembly by removing the 8 screws but since the disk is sandwiched between the outer hub and motor it still won't come off. To fully remove it you have to press the hub off and back on the motor shaft, so it really isn't worth doing unless there is a compelling reason.

So how about some pictures of the disk in operation now ;)

Darryl

No real compelling reason, just for ease of cleaning and inspection.

After a splendid evening with a double Manhattan, a bucket of Murphy's Oil Soap, and a baby sleeping soundly on the monitor I have the cabinet all cleaned out and ready for veneer restoration.

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0mi34l24.jpg

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...psui6qcvki.jpg

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...pswrmrjazc.jpg

I'll move on to the "chassis" components next.

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...psncmlivy1.jpg

I haven't had much time to devote to restoration lately, things have been busy around here this summer. I did manage to find something interesting though. The pictures below are from an article in the NY Times which include a photo of a set almost identical to the one I have although with a tuner that is different than mine, Art's, and the factory Western tuner. The caption below the photograph reads "Courtesy Western Television Co." Why would that photo come from Western if it wasn't a factory set? If it is a factory set why would they use some one else's tuner? Could it be that this set was a transition between the Visionette and the later 41 and Empire State models? Perhaps their factory tuner was a later addition to the lineup which necessitated the use of some one else's tuner in this model? Any one have any thoughts?

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...psfbmrmfaz.jpg

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...pslmuoc9nf.jpg

The set in the newspaper article does look similar to yours, though not identical. Note the ornaments on the side of the viewing lens on your set, but not on the one in the article. Also, the radio knobs are different, as is the base.

The ad I have for the Visionette (early 1931) show both the scanner and the radio. So, at that time, Western had its own receiver. I can't read the date on the newspaper you published. Can you let us know?

I doubt if this was an interim design, since it doesn't bear any resemblance to the Empire State or 41. These sets were not manufactured until Early 1932.

Hi John,
Are you going to try and get the Visionette operational ? If so ,how many holes does yours have ? What is the motor speed and picture frame rate ? Disk Diameter ?

I enjoy the mechanical television hobby.
Ed

My Youtube channel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0-KD-O2hhU

U.A. Sanabria's enduring claim to fame was the introduction of interlaced scanning to reduce flicker. Western Television sets have 45-line rasters divided into three 15-line interlaced spirals. The technique was not particularly effective at the scan rate of 15 fps, but when electronic TV took over in the mid 30s, interlaced scanning meant the difference between greatly perceptible flicker and near imperceptible flicker.

The illustration isn't a 100% match, but it's clearly the same set. The knobs are a different layout which is how I know the tuner doesn't match the one in my set, but also doesn't match the knob layout of the factory Western tuner. The tuner is what I can't wrap my head around. My first thoughts were when comparing it to Art's set, that some company in the Chicago area bought the Visionette kit and made a "deluxe" version of the set for sale. This would explain why our sets had tuners that were made from other manufacturers. However the illustration in the article clearly points to the set being from Western Television Co. but why would it have a Crosley tuner instead of a factory Western tuner? The article is dated June 13th 1930. Could it be that the factory Western tuner was made in later 1931 or 1932 and that this set was manufactured in limited numbers between the standard Visionette (1929) and the later model 41 and Empire State (1932).

One way or the other it's a mystery :scratch2:. On the one hand my original theory is correct and my set was made by some enterprising company that was selling their "deluxe" version of the set in a fancier cabinet complete with a tuner, but if that's the case why would the Western Television Co. take credit for, and provide an illustration of a television they didn't manufacture themselves? On the other hand my set is a factory produced set, but if that's the case then why would Western use another company's tuner?

The driving force of the world...MONEY. If they can buy a complete tuner of comparable quality to theirs cheaper than they can make one, then they would be throwing away money if they kept making their own. It was the great depression after all...It was either make a good/unique product at as low a cost as feasible or go out of business for many companies then.

John, you may be right and it is a factory cabinet, though I'm fairly sure that Western had the radio for sale at the same time as the Visionette.

I received an email from a fellow who reads here often but chooses not to post. His thoughts:

"I think Western worked with whoever made the cabinet and they submitted the photo because it looks more console radio like and less like a novelty. Maybe they were going to produce them and the cost was too high compared to just the small wood box. The big question needs to be answered, why would they not have their radio in it and where is the Western Company tag, stickers, etc.?"

Show the fancy cabinet and deluxe set produced by some other company (with some of your parts inside) but sell the plain version sans tuner yourself. Any one else have an opinion?

Another tidbit of circumstantial evidence to chew over. Below is a link to an article written by William N Parker who worked for Western Television Company. The article is a fantastic history of his recollections in the mechanical television field. On the third page he says the following:

"I arrived in Chicago about the middle of May with my first assignment; that of modifying Crosley three-dial, metal box, trf receivers for operation at 2100 kc. The 171 output tube passed sufficient current to operate a plate-type neon lamp."

So it seems Western was using Crosley tuners at some point early on before they released their own version. Perhaps my set predates the Visionette entirely?

http://www.antiquewireless.org/uploa...television.pdf

John, here is my thinking.

This set didn't appear in any sales literature that I'm aware of. Western may have bought some console cabinets and installed Visionette assemblies (they were available as kits) for demonstration purposes, perhaps with the idea that they might sell a console model. I doubt if yours predates the Visionette since it uses the exact same mechanism. So, your set might be a Western prototype.

Another possibility is that a cabinet company in Chicago made that cabinet and was selling it to the public for installation of a Visionette assembly.

Which style/model Visionette is shown in this picture of child adjusting Visionette.
http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wma...pnewsreel.html

John, possibly your Visionette motor may also give a clue. Manufacturer, patent number/date etc

From the article of your previous post: One of my early jobs was finding a supplier of 900 rpm synchronous motors. We received samples from GE, Holtzer Cabot, and Emerson,
... Finally, Barber Coleman was able to supply one for about a dollar!

rld-tv01, Parker was referring to the small motor that looks like a phonograph motor that is used in the Model 41 and Empire State.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/weste...storation.html

The Visionette uses a large, relatively expensive motor.

http://www.richsamuels.com/nbcmm/wma...ages/tvset.jpg

Very intriguing :scratch2:. That photograph clearly shows a set that is a combination of the two known survivors. It has the tall floor standing cabinet and dual chassis configuration of Art's set, but the vision tuner in that picture is a match to my set. I would love to watch the newsreel footage he has linked on his page but I cant' get it to play. Can any one else get that link to work and watch the footage? *Edit: never mind I got it to play with real player*

Meanwhile deep in the heart of the man cave I've been busy with the cabinet and re-gluing the loose veneer. I've had to use basically a hypodermic needle in some spots to get the glue back under the veneer. It's a slow process, but things are coming along.

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...pslokdfl3u.jpg

This clip is in an antique format (.rm). I have converted it to .wmv and put it on our site (W9XAP on the Silver Screen):

http://www.earlytelevision.org/online_films.html