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Vintage Radio (domestic) Domestic vintage radio (wireless) receivers only.

View Poll Results: restore ?
Swap parts around 36 65.45%
Repair / restore both 18 32.73%
Do nothing 1 1.82%
Voters: 55. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 5th Mar 2021, 3:14 pm   #21
mark pirate
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Default Re: Keep original ?

Quote:
Obviously, swap parts to make a worker, then post the leftovers in 'offers'
I agree, it is a good idea to help others complete a restoration with good left over parts.

I recently bought a couple of very tatty Bush TR82 sets for a fiver, both will be used for spares to complete other sets, one had a decent back and a good dial.
It was worth the money just for dial alone!


Mark
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Old 5th Mar 2021, 6:02 pm   #22
RojDW48
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Default Re: Keep original ?

Make one good one - there are bound to be some working bits left over to give away.
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Old 5th Mar 2021, 6:36 pm   #23
G6Tanuki
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Default Re: Keep original ?

I'd happily swap major parts like IFTs, mains-transformers, valves, coils/variable-capacitors in order to make one properly-working radio.

For smaller parts [resistors/capacitors] I'd just replace any defective parts with modern ones.

To me, reliability and functionality/performance/usability are far more important than originality.
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Old 5th Mar 2021, 6:58 pm   #24
crackle
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Default Re: Keep original ?

I have answered "swap parts around" to make a good set, but the remains of the other set have not tended to be thrown away whilst I was actively collecting, because there is often someone who wants a part.. However things have changed and I am no longer collecting radios. So there are a fair number of scrap chassis and one or 2 cabinets around, which will probably end up being disposed of.
I have tried stripping the chassis and offering the parts as spares but it is not worth the effort..

Mike
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Old 6th Mar 2021, 12:50 am   #25
Glowing Bits!
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Default Re: Keep original ?

It's quite hard to answer this poll but I went with the first option, if one good set can be made out of parts, it's better than nothing.
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Old 6th Mar 2021, 1:24 am   #26
clockman
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Default Re: Keep original ?

Hi LLoyd i have the same problem i need parts for a friends clock so am bidding for same movements so i will have parts to fix his. so should i put the movements i do not want back on ebay or go back to my old hobby of clock fixing Re keep the original i will scrap one for spares as parts are now so expensive try and repair the case as most of the sets i restore are the cheap common ones but they are my favourites. I am now working on a Little maestro and a Ultra troubadour ?
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Old 6th Mar 2021, 5:36 pm   #27
stitch1
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Default Re: Keep original ?

I would swap to make a good working set then see what I was left with.
As a radio fitter in the RAF we'd call this Christmas Treeing, no idea why, maybe taking bits off and putting them somewhere else like decorations.

John
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Old 6th Mar 2021, 10:01 pm   #28
slidertogrid
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Default Re: Keep original ?

Many thanks for all of the replies and to all who voted.
I asked "what would you do" as I wanted to see if other collectors would do the same as I had done because as I said my opinion differed from my friend's. Well it seems my friend's opinion was the most popular!

The two sets that I have are both Bush DAC90As.

One is cream with its original box. This set is working and has been recapped the chassis is very clean and it works well. The downside is that it has the usual heat crack above the dropper. The dial was flaking slightly, it had a chip in the wave-change knob, and a dent in the speaker grille.

The other is Brown it has an excellent case, good dial glass but some corrosion to the chassis and rust on the stays that support the tuning display.
The speaker is damaged with a tear to the cone and it has all of its original capacitors in place. It had an old label on the back giving a previous owners name and stating that the speaker transformer is u/s. (It is, the primary is o/c).
I restored the cosmetic faults on the cream set. I touched in the dial glass. bleached the crack and re-polished the top. This improved it but it is still there... I repaired the chipped knob and touched it in, the repair is now invisible to my eyes. The speaker grille I pushed the dent out and turned it upside down it now looks fine.
The brown one I have left untouched it displays well and as Lucian has said some sets need to be kept as they came out of the factory as a reference for the future. ( I accept that there are no doubt plenty of DAC90As in unrestored condition around so I am not expecting a call from the science museum soon...)

When I told my mate what I had done he said that he would have swapped the chassis and other parts over "to get the better set going" .
I didn't agree with this preferring to keep the sets as they were made I could always restore / repair the chassis, replace the transformer and repair the speaker at a later date if I so felt. But as it is all original I think it's best left as it is. I just use the working one...

If I had swapped bits around I would have two sets that were not original instead of one and if I had made one good one and used (or disposed of) the other for parts what would I have got from it ? A damaged speaker, a flaking dial glass, a chipped knob, a dented grille, an o/c speaker transformer and a corroded chassis full of waxies.
So just some valves and two front control knobs... and one less DAC90A in the world.
Now I have told the full story has anyone changed their mind?
Just interested....
Rich.
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