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Vintage Tube Radio restoration

B

Bubba57

Active Member
I would like to keep this thread mainly to vintage tube radios tips, tricks, mods, substitute parts and the likes. I would really appreciate averyones input on this to help poore ole boys like me.

Although I have many questions, the biggest one right now is:
I am redoing a Philco 48-472, 7 tube radio now. The plastic diffuser that lays between the glass dial and the single large Christmas tree type lamp to illuminate the dial. The current diffuser is scorched and needs to be replaced. It consists of about a 10" of white or frosted or opaque plastic or styrene approximately .020 thick.

Where can I get a sheet or chunk the of this material. I can't be the only one to have run into not this. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Bubba57
 
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Well, around here, I'd go to Tap Plastics for such an item. In addition to bulk material, they'll also do custom fabrication (my wife, a photographer, had some acrylic prop mounts made there for a recent project). http://www.tapplastics.com
 
thorpej said:
Well, around here, I'd go to Tap Plastics for such an item. In addition to bulk material, they'll also do custom fabrication (my wife, a photographer, had some acrylic prop mounts made there for a recent project). http://www.tapplastics.com
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Thanks thorpej, that looks like the kind of place that would have it for sure. I will call them Tuesday. I will also look for a similar place here. And again, thank you for responding.

Bubba57
 
Check a hobby shop that caters to R/C plane & car enthusiasts...might find what you need there. (Or something close)
 
ferninando said:
bring a big bank account to TAP.
Expensive stuff.
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That's some good information. Now excuse me whilst I grab my pencil and scratch this one off the list. Let's see TAP, there, it's off the list.

I still appreciate Thorpe suggesting this though.

Please keep the thread going. If we can come up with an affordable material it will help all who tinker with these old radios.

Bubba57
 
Hiya,

Bubba57 said:
That's some good information. Now excuse me whilst I grab my pencil and scratch this one off the list. Let's see TAP, there, it's off the list.

I still appreciate Thorpe suggesting this though.

Please keep the thread going. If we can come up with an affordable material it will help all who tinker with these old radios.

Bubba57
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Ask at this site. (I Am Not Affiliated)

http://www.philcoradio.com/index.htm

Frannie
 
electronjohn said:
Check a hobby shop that caters to R/C plane & car enthusiasts...might find what you need there. (Or something close)
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Yeah I have checked a dozen or so locally. They have various colors and shades but no white opaque. The brand I was looking at was from a company called Evergreen Plastics. I called the company and I'm gonna order a chunk and see if it works for this application.

Thanks
Bubba57
 
It still might be worth giving Tap a call. I suspect you don't need a large quantity.
 
You can always take a piece of plastic that is otherwise suitable and lightly sand the surface to scuff it up. This is one way to add a diffuser to clear LEDs. And speaking of LEDs, that's one way to avoid excess heat on the rebuild. Styrene, alas, is a very poor plastic for longevity. It is brittle, poorly ages, and has low heat tolerance. ABS is better, but not good in a high-heat environment. Some of the high-impact plastics designed for outdoor use are far better and will last a very long time.

I have found that custom lighting services and sign makers have all sorts of plastic bits and pieces left over from installations and will often just give you a piece from the junk bin. You can find ones local to you with the Thomas Register ( www.thomasnet.com ) doing a local search or with the yellow pages. Hand the worker who fished it out a tip and life is good for everyone.
 
You could try McMaster-Carr, they are a huge company with a warehouse in California and Chicago. They have lots of goodies for restorations.
 
I was also thinking McMaster

They have a warehouse in New Jersey as well, and probably some other places.


Not sure how that one is fixed, but one old German radio I owned used a simple piece of lightweight paper attached to a couple of strings as the diffuser. It had a string top and bottom with a spring hooked to posts, and the paper was folded and glued top and bottom to make a "pocket" for the string to sit in. Low tech, but easy to replace.
 
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What about cutting up a one gallon plastic milk container? Just a thought.
After that, I also recommend McMaster Carr.

BillWojo
 
battradio said:
Ron Ramirez , is here on this forum also as MrPhilco .
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Yep, Ron is My Philco and a very nice guy to boot. Frannie posted his website earlier. Ron may not have it, but probably knows what others have used. The Philco Phorum is a pretty active website frequented by collectors who are genuinely nice guys.

One problem with forties radios was the rubber insulation on most of the wires. You may want to check yours and replace as necessary. By the very late forties the insulation changed to a type that has held up much better over the years.
 
Ah, rubber wire. I had that joy in my 1939 Philco. I had to replace all of it, and rebuild the light sockets on the front for the channel selection indicator. Handily there was a tech document on philcorepairbench on how to do that with easily sourced bits from the hardware store.
 
BillWojo said:
What about cutting up a one gallon plastic milk container? Just a thought.
After that, I also recommend McMaster Carr.

BillWojo
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Bill, I had read the milk jug thang somewhere but I didn't want to the first to try it. Just sounded a little hokey to me. Have you, or anybody you know tried this?? I need something that will diffuse the glow and withstand the heat too. For what it's worth, the spec'd bulb is, I believe a 7watt and I have went back with a 4watt same candelabra style. That will cut some of heat. Thanks for responding, all of these suggestions are better than I could come up with.

Bubba57
 
ggregg said:
Yep, Ron is My Philco and a very nice guy to boot. Frannie posted his website earlier. Ron may not have it, but probably knows what others have used. The Philco Phorum is a pretty active website frequented by collectors who are genuinely nice guys.

One problem with forties radios was the rubber insulation on most of the wires. You may want to check yours and replace as necessary. By the very late forties the insulation changed to a type that has held up much better over the years.
Click to expand...

Thanks Gregg, I PM'd mrphilco today. That was a great call by both Frannie and you. The wiring in this particular radio is not that bad. The power cord was cut off and part remaining under the chassis was hard as a rock. You could snap it just like it was uncooked spaghetti. I have seen others with major wiring rotted though.

Thanks again
Bubba57
 
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