I finished my Silvertone!

[Paula]

I'll admit I have a weakness for these curious old battery-powered tube portables. By the time I came along in life, they had already left the scene, and I just assumed that transistor radios were the first truly portable radios. I wasn't even aware that it was possible, let alone practical, to power a tube radio with batteries, and still be able carry it around with one hand.

The radio featured here is a Silvertone model 210, a four-tube portable manufactured for Sears by Arvin in 1950. It is unique in that its plastic case is designed such that the chassis installs from the bottom, giving it a very clean and streamlined look, and I love the "Oriental Jade" finish! It came with its four, original Arvin tubes, though one of them needed to be replaced. The battery requirement is (2) "D"-size flashlight cells, and a 67.5-volt B battery. Quite a heavy little package with batteries on board!

The radio was in pretty good shape when I acquired it. I wet-sanded the outside, and followed up with Novus polish and paste wax. This had to be done with extreme caution since the plastic in this radio, after fifty-some years, is very fragile, and makes a very faint "crackling" sound whenever it is flexed slightly. It wouldn't take much to completely pulverize it!

All I did electronically, besides replacing the bad tube, was to replace the one electrolytic capacitor, and all of the paper ones. It's not a really strong performer, especially in this fringe area, but it picks up the signal from my home transmitter with ease. It's surprising how little heat these radios generate, even after an hour or so of playing, with their low-voltage tubes.

I really like this nifty little radio!

Paula