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Cabinet and Chassis Restoration and Refinishing For help with cabinet or chassis restoration (non-electrical), please leave a message here. |
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28th Sep 2023, 12:41 pm | #1 |
Diode
Join Date: Sep 2023
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Posts: 2
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Best way to recreate dial display
Hi all - I'm trying to restore an Ecko AC76 (I think - 1935 model). The display panel with the stations printed on it looks to be beyond repair so I'm thinking of trying to recreate it from perspex. Does anyone know the best way to do this or if there's a service which will etch it on to the perspex?
I have facility to cut perspex into any shape and know Photoshop, Illustrator etc. very well. Thanks, Rob |
28th Sep 2023, 8:26 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cottingham, East Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 5,770
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Re: Best way to recreate dial display
There is a seller on eBay who sells reproduction Ekco Dials, though not at the moment, for the AC76/AD76, about which he states thus:
Quote: EKCO AD76 DIALS: These are NOT available at the present time-if there is sufficient demand production of dials for this model will be introduced. It is 'possible', with some degree of manipulation, to utilise the AD65 dials in the AD76 cabinet although the dial cut-out radius is different! The ends of the AD65 tuning dial leave a small gap of about 1cm at the ends when fitted in an AC76/AD76 cabinet, which can be easily filled with thin plastic or card, suitably coloured to match the cabinet colour. These dials look exactly as the original tuning scale did when the Ekco A22 and AD65 came off the production line and will greatly enhance the appearance of any of these classic radios. Unquote. See: https://picclick.co.uk/EKCO-A22-AD65...818877381.html His eBay link is here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313818877...=&toolid=10050 Forum member Robert Darwent has also created superb accurate artwork for replica dials. If you wanted to try to create your own dial, Robert might be able to advise. See: www.wavesintheair.co.uk/dials.html I hope that might help. Good luck in your endeavours Rob.
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28th Sep 2023, 8:27 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 14,014
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Re: Best way to recreate dial display
If you can get a good rendition of the panel - either by scanning the original or using software to produce a recreation - a chat with a local print-shop/signmaker-type business will reveal an interesting range of options.
Don't think you have to go into milling Perspex/Lexan. Printing onto semi-transparent film which you then sandwich between a couple of thin sheets of Polycarbonate would be my preferred path. You could easily re-work the station-names and calibrations to reflect more-modern assignations: the 60s Pirate-stations [OK, they moved around a lot] and of course 247, 275 and 285M should be marked Radio1 and 208M should be marked Luxembourg.
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I'm the Operator of my Pocket Calculator. -Kraftwerk. |
29th Sep 2023, 10:00 am | #4 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Carmel, Llannerchymedd, Anglesey, UK.
Posts: 1,509
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Re: Best way to recreate dial display
I noticed the chap from the repair shop using some software to hand-craft a radio dial and making a very good reproduction. I'd love to know what the software he was using is.
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29th Sep 2023, 10:35 am | #5 |
Diode
Join Date: Sep 2023
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
Posts: 2
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Re: Best way to recreate dial display
Thanks for the helpful replies everyone.
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8th Jan 2024, 8:14 am | #6 |
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2024
Location: Penticton, British Columbia, Canada.
Posts: 2
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Re: Best way to recreate dial display
Re: Knobs. This company has helped me with some weird / rare knobs over the years:
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/knobs 1326 standard knobs, and there are an additional three categories of knobs to choose from...! A. |