A new/old radio!

[ledhedsymbols]

Picked up a new radio yesterday. It's a 1940 Zenith console model 10-S-470. It's in good shape and is a player. Someone went through the trouble of stripping the old finish off, and didn't put another finish on it. I'll clean up what's there and apply a toned lacquer finish. It's one of my favorite styles from the period. It's common to see a statue or other art object in the alcove. I was thinking about picking up a cool art deco nude for it.

[ledhedsymbols]

Something like this!

[porsche4life]

Very cool! Any way to mod it to take an aux in?

[silverc4s]

Beautiful cabinetry! Amazed at the condition overall.

[Nostril Cheese]

Can you point me in he right direction to find something like this for my wife? Shed love something like this as a surprise.

[varmint]

want to get one with nice wood but a basket case radio.

gut it and put an MP3 player and some decent speakers inside.

[ledhedsymbols]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Very cool! Any way to mod it to take an aux in?

Easy easy... I use a transmitter, because I've got a ton of these radios. If I want to use an aux input, I install a switching jack between the receiver section of the radio and the audio section. This let's me inject a signal into the audio amp all without any kind of interference from the radio receiver. Parts cost is about two bucks and it takes me an hour, most of which is taking apart and putting it back together.

[porsche4life]

Cool... May have to do that for my next office radio. I have set if computer speakers right now hooked to an airport express for streaming.

[ledhedsymbols]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

Can you point me in he right direction to find something like this for my wife? Shed love something like this as a surprise.

Here's where I get most of mine. They usually need some electronics work to be safe to use long term, but most of the parts are fairly cheap and the work isn't too difficult if you can read a schematic and solder.

portland antiques "radio" - craigslist

[porsche4life]

What would something like this cost to get into good safe useable shape with a line in? Philco special edition baby grand circa radio

[ledhedsymbols]

That one is a reproduction. It's solid state with FM, not the same thing as these tube radios. If you just want something plug and play that's reliable out of the box it'll be as good as any inexpensive boombox radio. As far as a line-in, I don't know if that one would already be equipped or not. Some have tape players, so you use an adapter. I've seen a couple with a 1/8" line-in jack. Don't know about that particular repro.

If it were a REAL radio that it is supposed to emulate, a restored Philco 70

https://www.google.com/search?q=philco+70&biw=1280&bih=913&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Hc_eVIntE4PwoAS8m4L4Dg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg

or Philco 90

https://www.google.com/search?q=philco+70&biw=1280&bih=913&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Hc_eVIntE4PwoAS8m4L4Dg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg#tbm=isch&q=philco+90

could run you several hundred dollars for a nice one that has been restored electronically. They are fairly valuable and very collectable.

[porsche4life]

Good to know. I thought it looked cheap, didn't realize it wasnt a tube type. I'll have to keep my eye out for one.

[ledhedsymbols]

Phoenix is pretty tough for old radios from what I understand. The entire mountain west and southwest in general. Late settlement, late electrification, not many stations... The pacific northwest is pretty good for the hobby. Seattle and Portland had lots of timber and shipping in the '20s and 30's and lots of hydro, so the cities were electrified pretty early on.

[porsche4life]

Most of what I saw on clist was late 40s to 50s.. I'll keep an eye out and find something eventually.

[madmmac]

As nice as that cabinet looks, I'd just Tung oil or Howard's Feed N Wax it.

[pors1968]

I have a old De forest crosley model 8D932 1938-1939 one day ill do something bought it 30 years ago .

[targa911S]

WoW! that is so cool/ Honor it by finding a Frankart nude....

[Scuba Steve]

I'm looking forward to seeing how you refinish this. We have an old radio about that size that I hope to at least refinish sometime soon.

[nota]

I have a large RCA radio cabinet from the 30's
mahogany with double doors

when I saw it at a local yard sale
I asked how much
the woman selling it said $50
I said sold
she said you haven't looked inside yet

it had a full stereo pre-amp amp reel to reel and radio station quality turntable

[scottmandue]

I need to get started on this resto:



It actually works!

Not sure what do about the wood finish it is pretty bad, thinking of striping it and doing an oil/wax finish.

Radio works but needs a belt for the dial.

On/off knob doesn't work so I need to track that problem down, probably just a knob gone bad.

Sorry for the hijack.