Philco 42-380: Anyone up for a challenge ?

[Reece]

I just got back to town and found this thread. Oh, I don't know: some wood glue, a little sandpaper, .... but I never liked that style of console. Too bulky. I'll pass.

[Jeffhs]

This radio is too far gone, IMHO. The radio chassis is a mess, the cabinet will need refinishing and possibly regluing of some joints (to say nothing of a very thorough cleaning to get rid of the smell from those barn critters!), the speaker cone is missing, at least two of the station selector buttons are missing as well (looks like the pushbutton mechanism may be shot too) . . . I hate to say this, but unless one has all the time and money in the world, restoring this set is probably, almost likely, a foregone conclusion.

This set also uses a 6X5 low-voltage rectifier tube, which is a major trouble spot in many Zenith console radios of the '30s -- if the tube shorts it can take the power transformer with it. I wonder if this was also a problem with Philco radios using one or more such tubes.

If I were restoring a set like this, or any antique/vintage radio, for that matter, I'd put a fuse in the power supply so that if the tube or a filter cap shorts, the power tranny will be spared.

I'm surprised these early radios did not have line fuses. Didn't the manufacturers realize the potential for major damage to the set if the rectifier tube, filter caps or other components in the power supply were to develop shorts? Putting a line fuse in these sets probably wouldn't have added much to the price of the radio, unless the makers were trying to build the sets as inexpensively as possible; however, I think leaving the fuse out was false economy since, if the rectifier or filter cap(s) should short and burn out the power transformer, it would cost the owner of the radio a lot more to have the set repaired than if a fuse blew as soon as the short occurred. The power tranny would be protected from further damage and the repair shop would have less of a job fixing the radio, which also means the customer would pay far less for the repairs than he or she would have paid if the power transformer (for example) went up in smoke...or worse. The only way I can see a fused system being heavily damaged would be if the set owner jumped the fuse with a piece of wire, although somehow I cannot quite see this scenario playing out in the 1940s; I don't think most people knew enough (anywhere near enough) about radio in those days to want to fiddle around in back of their sets, even to replace tubes.

[Sam Cogley]

Originally Posted by Phil Nelson

Yuck. Pull the tubes & knobs and drag it back into the barn to let nature finish its work.

Philco did make 1942 consoles with car radio chassis. I owned one years ago until I wised up and gave it to the first taker. Ugly things, with dials much too small for the cabinet. I believe manufacturers were allowed to sell off whatever inventory they had sitting around when the 1942 moratorium took effect. Maybe this is one of those.

Phil Nelson

I almost bought one of those at an auction, but instead of a misproportioned cabinet, it was in a very cool art deco chairside table.

[marty59]

Jeffhs,
As for line fuses, these radios were made during the depression era so many times, there were compromises....plus during those days before UL was around there was more leeway for a lack of safeguards...just think "resistance line cords" running along the drapes and carpets in most homes!

Plus, the local radio repair shops were able to keep busy I imagine!!

I believe most of us would put line fuses on those kind of radios...I've got two old pre-war Zeniths with 6X5's...some things just make sense including using the better designed rectifiers too.

[bandersen]

I have some early Spartons and RCAs which are fused, but none of my Philcos ranging from '31 to '46 are.