1950s Magnificent Magnavox HI-FI Console issues
 

Hello everyone, today a buddy of mine who has been a regular customer of mine as far as bringing me stuff to repair for him for his booth in a local antique mall has brought for me to work on a 1950s Magnavox Console that has a seized up record player (the power switch/reject switch doesn't work and neither does the speed control switch) and it also had a partially seized up function switch and a fully seized up bass control switch as well.

Anyways Part of the record player is attached to a switch that's mounted to the cabinet on the inside of the record player housing area and I can't figure out how to get that switch unmounted from the cabinet so I can take the record player out of the cabinet so I can tear it down and relube it, any ideas as to how I could get the switch out of the cabinet?

Also when I was trying to free up the bass control switch I ended up accidentally busting it (the wafer which the switch would ride on to make the different bass setting connections broke in half and it seems to be made of a thin wafer of plywood) and I'm not sure how to go about fixing the switch, should I just try and find a replacement switch for it on ebay from a similar Magnavox chassis that's being parted out or is there a way to repair the broken contact wafer and have the switch still work? Also what amplifier does this thing use? Is it one of the more well known and famous Magnavox amplifiers or is it another one that they used that wasn't so well known? The tube compliment on it if it helps is 4 6V6GTs with a 12AT7 tube and a 6V6GT with a 6AT6 and 2 5U4GA Rectifier tubes.

Any assistance would be helpful.

Thanks,

Levi

Your amp might be one of the bi amplified ones, with 4 6v6s for bass, and a separate amp for midrange and treble using a single or push pull 6v6. Many magnavox amps were bi amplified, before they went to stereo. Ive seen them with push pull 6v6 for the treble channel, is yours missing a 6v6? Looks like an empty socket in the photo.

I can see from the picture that your switch is just held on by that hex nut at the shaft. Just remove the hex nut.

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BUT...it looks like that might be one of those INVERTED "nuts", that need a SPECIAL tool--to properly remove--as they are HOLLOW_-with a nut-shape INSIDE. I just use a large straight screwdriver, put it inside the nut-shape, and rotate it till the "nut" comes loose...

You don't need any "SPECIAL" tool for those. All you need is an expanded needle-nose pliers to turn the nut.

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I said "properly" remove...of course...WE have to come up with ways to "Macgyver" them out...

That's exactly why I had asked if anyone knew of a way to get the knob loose because it DOES have the hex nut installed inverted with the outside of the nut facing into the wood of the cabinet and no way to remove it without damaging the cabinet which is still in pristine condition. one thing I noticed is that the panels on top of the radio for covering the record player are pieces of glass that are reverse painted to look like wood which I thought was weird and kind of unusual.
Also that empty "tube socket" is actually the power supply plug for the tuner section of the radio.
Also I was able to manhandle the record player out of the cabinet a little bit to get a view of the bottom side of the record player mechanism and sure enough it looks like it will be a nightmare to try and service it! :yikes:
Also nobody answered my question about how to deal with the broken bass control pot.

I don't have a pair of needle nose pliers that would work with removing this nut. all I have are the really fine needle nose pliers that are only good for removing small nuts and bolts that are about 1/4" or smaller not ones that are 5/8" in diameter or larger.

EDIT: I think they have those nuts glued into place because I tried both a screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers and the nut wouldn't budge I think there has to be a way to remove the pot from the back side of the panel without damaging the pot.

Can you post a picture of the switch? I think I know what you're talking about but I'm not sure. Is is one of those sliding terminal strip type switches?

If that's the case, I've had bad luck trying to repair those. You could hypothetically remove the wafer from the slider, epoxy it together, and put it back in, but my experience is they're pretty fragile.

I worked on a Magnavox stereo that was built in 1974, that had those inverted palnuts. The assembler at the factory, tightened the nuts, so tight that there was NO WAY IN H*LL, that I could remove them, without the proper tool. :thumbsdn:

Its a rotary switch that has 4 positions that's numbered 1, 2, 3, and High.

Here's a picture of the bass tone control in question, see below.

That's what I was thinking, so I'll probably just have to work on it the best I can with it just flipped over inside the cabinet.

I even went to the local Magnavox dealer to rent one. There was an old sourpuss technician, that had one. I offered to post a $20.00 deposit on it. No dice! I tried ordering one, through them, NLA. If it was available, it was something like $4.00, made special by Xcelite, for Magnavox. Not available through Xcelite.
I can see why the guy was that way, working on Mvx TV's for forty years. :sigh:

I think that it should be fairly easy to fabricate a suitable tool by grinding flats on the outside of a smaller socket or Xcelite driver. Likely a 1/2" size would work fine. I made this example in about 5 minutes... wrong size, but it shows what could be done.

jr

the only problem with that is that I don't have access to an angle grinder or a bench grinder, my dad has one of each but I think he would need to know the specs first before he could do anything, like what size of socket I need and where to grind down the socket.

UPDATE: I did manage to get the switch out of the cabinet, but I had to use a large screwdriver that I wedged into the support posts of the switch and gently loosen the switch that way and then loosen the switch by hand until I could push the switch and the nut out of its mount and then I took some pliers and then loosened the nut the rest of the way and then popped the switch out of the cabinet.

Also does anyone have a spare speed changer switch for a late 1950s Magnavox/Collaro Turntable? It looks something like what's pictured in the photo posted below, the one on the record player I'm working on is stripped out and also the retention spring is broken so because of that the knob just spins around freely on the speed changer mechanism, it got stripped out because I was trying to operate the speed change mechanism while it was seized up and so because of that the resistance from the speed changing mechanism was enough to strip the knob out and break the retention spring. Just send me a PM on here if you think you might have a spare knob I could have.

Thanks!

I did the same thing. I ground the down the flats on a 5/16-18 nut and used my 1/2 socket, no luck. Naturally, the ID of the nut, had to be drilled out to accept the control bushing.
I didn't think, Magnavox used that arrangement that early. The HI-FI in question appears to be a 1957 model.

Not hard to make a bench grinder....Mine was made (by it's previous owner) out of a large motor, shaft coupler to connect a threaded rod to the motor shaft, a grinder wheel and a nut to keep the wheel on the threaded shaft....Crude yet effective.

Does ANYONE have any idea of how I could go about repairing the Bass Tone Control? I need to get it back up and running!
Also does ANYONE on here have a spare Magnavox/Collaro turntable from the late 1950s that would be able to part with the speed control knob? I need a new speed control knob because the original one is stripped out and has a busted retaining spring so it can't change the record player speed anymore because it just freewheels on the control shaft and doesn't move the speed control shaft anymore.

If you can't fix the busted wafer, but know which contacts make and break at each setting, then you could adapt another wafer switch with enough contacts, or take one with less contacts and use it to control some relays (the contacts of which would duplicate the behavior of the original switches' contacts).

Rotary wafer switches are one of those things you don't want to ever break as repair/replacement is rarely easy/simple.

As for the knob: have you considered stealing the spring clip/retainer/shaft grabber off a random junk knod meant for the same type shaft and gluing it into the old knob.....Hell if the plastic shaft of the damaged knob is thich enough you might be able to make it into a set screw.

This should teach you a lesson NOT to force knobs. I destroyed a wafer switch once by forcing a knob....The lesson I learned from that I will never forget.

well first of all I didn't know it had that kind of control in there I just assumed it was a regular pot that had a bearing in it that allowed it to "click" into the different positions that it needed, can I even find a new switch like that anywhere?
Secondly as for the turntable speed knob I didn't realize it was that badly stuck to the point that it would end up stripping out the knob (its rounded out right where its supposed to be flat) and that the retention spring would break because of that.
Also, no I cannot use parts to make the existing knob work because I don't have any old turntable knobs that are of the right style, I have some knobs from an old Voice of Music made Zenith record player but the hole for the control isn't the right size and the retention spring isn't the right type, its the kind that fits into the hole and not around the hole like the knob that originally went with this record player needs.

UPDATE: I looked over at Mouser and Digikey and it appears that they do have some switches like what I need for the tone control on this Magnavox, the only problem is that they don't have the right kind of shaft shape or length. the kind of switch I need is an adjustable 12 contact, 4 position switch that has a shaft length of of about 1/4" or a little longer and has the half moon shaped end so that the original knob can fit it on it.

Someone over at the tube audio forum of AudioKarma may have the control you need to replace. Magnavox console amps are popular over there, and many people gut the console for the amp.
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.p...tube-audio.14/

That is a waste of a good hifi that is like fish tanking a vintage tv makes me sick...

Well I formed a thread over at AK to see if anyone over there could help me out parts wise.

I agree, I also find it rather disgusting when people trash perfectly good stereo and HI-FI Consoles just so they can "salvage" the amps out of them to make a stand alone amplifier out of them for their home stereo system. Especially old Magnavox consoles or even old Zeniths or Motorolas I just don't understand those folks, if they want a decent tube amp to power their record player or tuner then they should just buy an actual tube amplifier instead of trashing a perfectly good console stereo for one. :tears: :sigh: :no: :thumbsdn:

The amps do not sound right as stand alone there actually is a magnificent Magnavox club I have not been to thier meets all you do is type in your broser magnificent Magnavox they have a forum as well good luck on your part....Timothy

I'm not finding that magnavox club you mentioned so it seems they maybe went under?? :scratch2:

I built a buffer like that. A half HP 3600 RPM motor and a wire wheel for removing rust from large items.
I saw a lot of good bench grinders at garage and estate sales, priced reasonably, but I already have four of them. :thmbsp:

Well I found over at AES (Antique Electronic Supply) 3 switches that would of worked as a replacement for the original bass control switch on this Magnavox but the only problem is that they didn't have the half-moon shaped shaft like original switch's shaft does, the replacement switches I found just have a regular rounded shaft. Here's the links to the switches in question:
https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/P-H390,
https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/P-H391,
https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/P-H394

Maybe you could let me know if one of these switches would work but maybe see if they would cross with a switch similar to one that's on Mouser or Digikey that's got the half-moon shaped shaft on it.

Also someone on Audio Karma does has a tuner/preamp unit like the one I'm currently working on that they said I could have parts from and they also I guess have a spare record player like the one I'm working on that I could have parts off of as well, and I sent them a private message but I haven't heard back from them yet so crossing my fingers that they pull through so that I can maybe get the parts that I need without having to start from scratch.

I wouldn't worry about returning that unit to it's former glory! According to the pictures, the amplifier was a mouse-house before.
You'll find out that, anything that wasn't stored in ideal conditions are going to require a lot more work to repair. :scratch2:

If the shaft is round and you need half round JUST GRIND or FILE HALF THE CIRCLE OFF....It ain't rocket science.

OK... but that seems like a lot of work to put into something like that.

Thirty seconds with a file is a lot of work?

Also I am really confused about what you said about any of those three switches would work. Are you looking at them size-wise only? All three are distinctly different in their applications and functionality.

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Here's another board: http://vintagehifi.net/index.php/board,2.0.html

I'm used to metal working and filing a flat on the shaft, will take a bit longer than that. It depends what the shaft materal is, steel, aluminum or brass.
I'm a bit older than many of you and have the tools to perform, these tasks.
:thmbsp:

I've not really done any metal work before and I kind of doubt it would take only 30 seconds especially when I have zero metal working experience.

As for those three switches I mentioned and linked to, I said that they might be possibilities because they are the same general style of switch as what's in this radio right now as far as having the 12 lug solder connections on a little wafer board is what I meant and also I believe that they could also be adjusted to do any set of fixed positions kind of like how the original switch was where they had adjusted some stops inside the switch to make it so it only went to the 4 positions that were needed for the tone control application that it was being used for.

That's my point, and that wiscojim doesn't seem to understand about me, I'm only 27 years old, and I haven't done a whole lot of metal working at all in my life with files or grinders and I don't have any files or grinders and with me being on disability and not currently having a job (except what little work I get doing repair work for people with vintage electronics) I don't get that that much money to buy stuff like a $200 bench grinder or a $150 set of files. I'm lucky to of even been able to of gotten the tools I have right now that I use which were given to me by relatives for Christmas gifts, or I had bought for a real good price at Aldi or Radio Shack, or even got from my Grandfather when passed away. I just want you guys to know that I'm just trying to do my best with what I have to work with and what knowledge and experience I have gained over the past 15 years of working on these things, just be thankful that I'm one of the very few millenials that's even got an interest in these antique and vintage radios and record players at all because to be honest most people in my age group (as attested to by many of the posts on here) would rather just chuck these old radios out than try to figure out what they are or how they work, let alone try to fix them! The mindset of the millenials is that if it doesn't have a way to hookup an ipod to it or if it doesn't have FM Stereo then its garbage.

Please don't exaggerate the cost of basic tools to make a point. You don't have to buy top-of-the-line stuff.

A file for this purpose will cost about $3 new, and a bolt on bench hand grinder will rarely be over $10 at estate and yard sale.

And it's not very complicated at all to use a file. You should really learn sometime how to use basic hand tools. You'll be amazed how much money you can save in a lifetime by learning basic tool skills and investing in a very modest number of tools.

You at age 27 have a tremendous resource that us older guys didn't have. You-tube can quickly and easily show you how to do most anything.

Back in the old day us dinosaurs had to learn things on our own by experimentation or by going to the library and reading a book if we didn't have a mentor nearby. A lot of the older generations were already sufficiently proficient with hand tools long before getting through school.

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Yeah well the problem is that I don't own my own place, I rent, and I don't think that my landlord would appreciated me using a bench grinder in my place and before you say anything, NO I don't have a garage because the garage is where I'm in now (it was made into part of the house back in the late 2000s.)

Depending on the shaft metal and the file that is a 3-25 minute task.

You are seriously intimidated by not knowing how to use a metal file?....Seriously, would a screwdriver or saw intimidate you?....Cause a file is just as simple. I'm 24, there have always been tools laying around in my house, and I can't think of ONE that was too intimidating to just pick up and try to figure out and use on zero experience. And trust me files are not noisy.

You go to fleas, and presumably other second hand shopping.....I expect you could find a decent used file for 50 cents reasonably quickly if you keep your eyes open.

No money is a lousy excuse for letting a project overwhelm you....I've had times where I could not afford to buy caps, and needed to improvise with parts pulled from BPC TVs and dead CFLs, and had to sell at swap meets to get money to buy new sets, parts, and tools. Making gold out of dirt is an essential skill of restoration, and often that means stretching your dollar, material resources, tools and most of all your mind (to come up with better ways of doing so).

I can't see how this could bother a landlord. You clamp it to your table or counter-top, crank it for a couple minutes, put it away. No big deal.

https://photos-3.dropbox.com/t/2/AAA...68&size_mode=3