Zenith AC/DC Radio

[mrflex65]

Found this old zenith AC/DC radio at a yard sale for $2
Looks like it's been sitting in a barn for quite awhile,the plastic dial window is warped beyond recognition (dial still works though),the knobs aren't much better and looks like the back cover is missing But other than a few scuff marks,the cabinet is in pretty good shape! i have no idea how old this set is.Can anybody help me ID this little gem and is it worth restoring?

Regards.

[mrflex65]

I've never seen this happen to a can cap before....
Also there was a big chunk of a mud daubers nest that was sitting at the bottom of the cabinet (probably the same vintage as the set)

[Electronic M]

Definitely 1940's era. Later on I'll try to look it up in my collectors guide and see if I can get a more precise date. Those dial plastics were almost universal and tend to be bad if the set was not stored in a REALLY good environment all it's life. Many types of plastic used back then tend to degrade over time BTW.....

[David Roper]

I was going to say it looked like something from the immediate postwar period, but then I noticed the bit about 'Consol-Tone'. It's a 1942 model, the 6-D-2614.

[Reece]

I have a similar model in the same cabinet, but it has a short wave band, also. Unfortunately, somebody tried to refinish it with a belt sander and they got down through the veneer in some places. It's been sitting waiting for me for years to reveneer it.

You can buy a new dial cover or make your own. Bill Turner sells a kit for making them.

http://www.dialcover.com/dialcovers.html

[mrflex65]

Thanks guy's for the help! Do you think they make a repo of the back cover and the can cap?Haven't had much time to do a search on it yet.

[mrflex65]

Ok, the cleanup has begun!
The knobs crumbled upon removal which i kinda figured what would happen.
Chassis cleaned up pretty nice (except for the top of the I.F. coils) with alittle compressed air and various paintbrushes and a ammonia/water solution and cotton balls Now i have to locate a sams folder and recap it and a new line cordThe only thing i've done to cabinet so far was to wipe it down with a little lemon oil....

[Sandy G]

Dah-Yum...Talk about a Silk Purse from a Sow's Ear...1/8 or even 1/16" Plexiglass oughta do the trick for the dial window...I'd wager Antique Electronic Supply has suitable knobs, too.

[radio63]

Originally Posted by mrflex65

I've never seen this happen to a can cap before....
Also there was a big chunk of a mud daubers nest that was sitting at the bottom of the cabinet (probably the same vintage as the set)

Ancient mud dawbers of the 1940s! LOL! What a great find for $2! It should be a fun project to restore this little set. Hopefully the lemon oil will help the cabinet to look nice again! You may have to reapply, since I'm sure the dry wood will absorb quite a bit.

Gilbert

[Sandy G]

...At least they were Dirt Dobbers, & NOT them Mean, l'il Striped Sumbichin' Waspers that'll eat you alive...

[mrflex65]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

...At least they were Dirt Dobbers, & NOT them Mean, l'il Striped Sumbichin' Waspers that'll eat you alive...

Well, there were actually two nests in there! The other one fell out when i took the chassis out of the cabinet. Took a hammer to one of them and hit it like three times before it broke in half! More than likely these critters were way before my time.....

[Reece]

If you google "make radio dial cover" you'll find many articles on how to do it. Here's one thread:

http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/...c.php?t=110419

[mrflex65]

Originally Posted by Reece

If you google "make radio dial cover" you'll find many articles on how to do it. Here's one thread:

http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/...c.php?t=110419

This is uncharted territory for me! Have you or anybody else here ever try it?
I'm not sure how the wife is going to react to me "cooking" plastic in the oven...
One quick question, do you what this material is stapled to the bottom of the cabinet? I hope it isn't asbestos!

[sean]

Renovated Radios has reproduction knobs:

http://www.renovatedradios.com/parts.html

I made a dial cover for a little Zenith radio a few months back. I used the clear plastic from a birthday cake package and made a mold from some masonite. I cut out the shape of the dial cover with a knife and sanded the cutout piece to allow clearance for the plastic between it and the outer piece of masonite. I warmed the oven up on its lowest temperature (something like 200 degrees) and laid a piece of the plastic over the inner piece inside the oven. I bumped up the temperature until I saw the plastic start to droop then I pulled the plastic out and pushed the outer portion of the mold over the plastic and held it together with some weight until it cooled. It turned out pretty good although the size could be adjusted a little bit. One thing that I noticed is the plastic did shrink a little and clouded up when it got to the temperature where it drooped. The cloudiness went away and the plastic became a little thicker than it was before being heated.

BTW, that is asbestos in the bottom of your cabinet. You can either wet it down and remove it or spray it to contain it and leave it there.

[mrflex65]

Originally Posted by sean

Renovated Radios has reproduction knobs:

http://www.renovatedradios.com/parts.html

I made a dial cover for a little Zenith radio a few months back. I used the clear plastic from a birthday cake package and made a mold from some masonite. I cut out the shape of the dial cover with a knife and sanded the cutout piece to allow clearance for the plastic between it and the outer piece of masonite. I warmed the oven up on its lowest temperature (something like 200 degrees) and laid a piece of the plastic over the inner piece inside the oven. I bumped up the temperature until I saw the plastic start to droop then I pulled the plastic out and pushed the outer portion of the mold over the plastic and held it together with some weight until it cooled. It turned out pretty good although the size could be adjusted a little bit. One thing that I noticed is the plastic did shrink a little and clouded up when it got to the temperature where it drooped. The cloudiness went away and the plastic became a little thicker than it was before being heated.

BTW, that is asbestos in the bottom of your cabinet. You can either wet it down and remove it or spray it to contain it and leave it there.

Thank you Sean for the info!
I think i'm just gonna wet it down and remove it for safety's sake!
Will it take away from the value of the set if i install the chassis on bare wood or use some other kind of material to set it on?
It's a good thing i was working on this cabinet outside....