Crosley 739A

[PaulOF]

Went to Kutztown looking for knobs for my Electrola. After an hour of wandering around drooling, I found the exact three I needed plus a pair of spare 24A's, so I was a happy camper. Then as I was fixing to leave, this little fella made puppy eyes at me, and I just had to take it home:


It's a Crosley 739A. bc/sw 7 tube transformerless The case is in quite decent condition as are the dial and pushbuttons.


The back cover is missing and with it the loop antenna.

I can replace the loop, but if anyone has a picture of the original back they could post it would help me in making a replacement.

There is a bit of surface rust on the chassis, and seriously thick dust everywhere, along with lots of spider egg cases. I wonder where it was stored.


I've already removed the speaker and put it aside for safekeeping. It has a couple small tears I need to repair.

Tubes all check out ok. 5 of the 7 bear the Crosley label. The coils all ohm out reasonably.

Here's the bottom.


There appear to have been a couple of ham handed repairs. One of the solder joints on the new power cord is not a thing of great beauty.


And there are a couple of caps just soldered to wires floating in space unsupported by any sort of solder lug.


I figure I should put a polarized plug on the line cord to force the chassis to ground, fuse the hot side, and move the switch there too. That way if the cap across the mains goes the chassis won't be hot with the power switch off and will blow the fuse when it's turned on.

So, while I wait for the caps to arrive, its time to drag out the naval jelly and attack the rust on the chassis, then make some decisions about the cabinet.

Intellectually, I understand the idea of preserving the old finish, but with a little sanding and detailing and some laquer it could just look so nice.

Anyone have any thoughts about how best to clean the dial without damaging it? Also, some of the white stripes on the bakelite buttons have lost their whiteness. What could I fill them with to bring the whiteness back?

Paul