My Vintage Radio Collection

[decojoe67]

oh ya... definitely a kitchen counter radio in my mind! if you have had one too many you might end up trying to make your toast with it!

So true Eddy! I so want to put a vintage coffee cup on top! If you had the set on long enough it very well would keep it warm! Not a good idea though! I really like the almost porcelain looking buttery color finish. It even has light signs of cooking spatter embedded in the paint. I could so easily touch this one up and make it look mint, but I like the patina it has!

 

[decojoe67]

Yet another one! This 1941 Sentinel model 212W bakelite radio needed a bit of TLC, so I got it for a fair price. It's one of the larger and more impressive pre-war bakelites. Very nice details. It also has a lighter than typical chocolate brown color that shows the mottling in normal lighting. What you see is many hours of hand polishing!

 

[Edward Reed]

Yet another one! This 1941 Sentinel model 212W bakelite radio needed a bit of TLC, so I got it for a fair price. It's one of the larger and more impressive pre-war bakelites. Very nice details. It also has a lighter than typical chocolate brown color that shows the mottling in normal lighting. What you see is many hours of hand polishing!
View attachment 271389

very cool! I like the color of that one and you got it back to full original luster it looks like!

 

[decojoe67]

Thanks Ed. This was a 5 step process that I came up with myself. Three grits of Novus, then Maguires Plast-X, Novus finishing shine which I used to scrub out the residue, then Pledge with cheesecloth. It's tedious work, but the final product makes it worth it. Sometimes bakelite has bad sun fade that cannot be simply polished out.

 

[Edward Reed]

Thanks Ed. This was a 5 step process that I came up with myself. Three grits of Novus, then Maguires Plast-X, Novus finishing shine which I used to scrub out the residue, then Pledge with cheesecloth. It's tedious work, but the final product makes it worth it. Sometimes bakelite has bad sun fade that cannot be simply polished out.

great cocktail! it Does the job in making it look showroom original by that photo! I have cut and pasted your process and product list and added it to my notes for future reference. (royalties be damned! )

 

[decojoe67]

great cocktail! it Does the job in making it look showroom original by that photo! I have cut and pasted your process and product list and added it to my notes for future reference. (royalties be damned! )

Novus polishes are a must to have. Get the whole kit - #1-#3. Like I mentioned, #1 is just a finishing spray. I also like using Plast-X after #2 because it puts a final glass-like surface on plastics. It even does well on old painted surfaces that need to be buffed out. These products aren't cheap, but they last a long time.

 

[decojoe67]

I grabbed 2 impulse-buy sets today.
1. A 1947 Federal model 1040TB. This is a clone of a Philco set. This one was practically NOS. Amazing it plays perfectly on all it's original components. I just cleaned and lubed everything and it plays like the day it was made. I like the nice beige dial with red pointer and the deco knobs. A workhorse kitchen radio!
2. A mini 1948 Travler battery-only portable model 5029. This one needed serious TLC, but I knew I could save it. I spent the day on it and it came out pretty nice. I hooked up modern batteries and replaced one tube (I'm very suprised I had it being I don't do chassis repairs) and it came on screaming! I like the idea that I saved this one. It's a cute as they come.

 

[Edward Reed]

I grabbed 2 impulse-buy sets today.
1. A 1947 Federal model 1040TB. This is a clone of a Philco set. This one was practically NOS. Amazing it plays perfectly on all it's original components. I just cleaned and lubed everything and it plays like the day it was made. I like the nice beige dial with red pointer and the deco knobs. A workhorse kitchen radio!
2. A mini 1948 Travler battery-only portable model 5029. This one needed serious TLC, but I knew I could save it. I spent the day on it and it came out pretty nice. I hooked up modern batteries and replaced one tube (I'm very suprised I had it being I don't do chassis repairs) and it came on screaming! I like the idea that I saved this one. It's a cute as they come.
View attachment 273919 View attachment 273920

wow! nice ones! where on earth do you actually "go" to find these to make an impulse buy? I never see radios at the antique shops in my area. I only scan what is offered on eBay or Etsy
I would love to imagine a pretty girl going to the beach with that portable listening to frank Sinatra or an episode of Grand Ole Opry

 

[decojoe67]

Thanks Ed. When you're in the hobby as long as I have, these sets seem to find you. My biggest problem is having restrain. I know several sources here on Long Island that find these sets almost daily. They go everywhere and anywhere for them. Travler made a slew of these mini portables after the war. The problem with the small models is jamming modern batteries into them. I barely got the 67.5V B supply in there. The chassis is a micro size classic All-American 5 using miniature tubes. They perform well though!

 

[decojoe67]

I got this set in a trade from a friend. It's a 1934 Westinghouse model R-22. A decent 5-tube set that has a rather odd way of tuning. You must put downward pressure as you tune to engage the mechanism, otherwise the knob feels loose, wobbly, and does nothing

. This is my first amateur cabinet resto. I'm learning step-by-step. It's not easy!

 

[decojoe67]

A 1939 Delco model R-104. This is truly a "luggage-style" portable, but it's smaller than expected. Like mini piece of 1930's luggage. These were likely designed to be used in the car. The driver could place it on the seat next to him and have the dial facing up at him. The dial area is much like those in cars of the 1930's with the small ivory Tenite knobs. The chassis hangs upside down and is rather awkward to remove. My friend got it working on modern batteries and it plays very nicely with a mellow sound. A cute portable.

 

[decojoe67]

I found this tired and worn looking "as-found" 1938 General Electric GD-60 radio in a local antiques mall. I used to think this was homely looking set years ago when I first started collecting, but it's actually pretty attractive in person. A modern looking radio in it's day. I got it home and was pleasantly surprised to see it shine up beautifully. Also, the chassis had a basic recap years ago, so it actually worked well. It's a 6-tube set with a glass ballast that you could cook an egg on. You rarely see these with a good original finish, grill cloth, and decent paper dial inserts. By the original station tags, it's from the Chicago area.

 

[decojoe67]

This is a really excellent example of a hard to find battery only portable. This early 1940 4K400M is much less seen than the late version, model 5G401. That model had a detachable rear antenna with inputs to the right of the dial and decals that include the words "Long Distance". This one has a cleaner look. Even the insides are mint with all the original tall Zenith etched tubes, and Eveready batteries dated 1947! A pretty brown luggage-style cloth that also came in black, grey, tan rawhide, and, at $45 the most expensive model in genuine leather (that's almost $800 in 2020 money), has a dark-toned wooden front panel.

 

[decojoe67]

Here's a rare one and a set that was on my wish list for decades. It's a 1947 Remler "Scotty Convertible" model 5300. It's a mini radio/phono that was geared towards young people in advertising. It's made of ivory Plaskon and black bakelite with the phono bed in brown bakelite. It's so small that you have to put the top way back to play an 8" 78 record! These were sold primarily on the west coast as they were made in San Francisco. I added a photo with my hand to help show just how small the set is.

 

[decojoe67]

Here's an early, relatively large 1958 Emerson Vanguard 888 transistor radio. These early larger models are well made and more enjoyable to listen to than the later small models. The styling on this one has a sort of pop-art mid-century design. The grill has a jagged free-form design with two stalks that lead to the tuning and volume knobs. They came in slew of '50's colors.

 

[1930artdeco]

Neat radio. It reminds me of a ohm/dwell/volt meter case.

Mike

 

[crawlinkingsnake]

Here's an early, relatively large 1958 Emerson Vanguard 888 transistor radio. These early larger models are well made and more enjoyable to listen to than the later small models. The styling on this one has a sort of pop-art mid-century design. The grill has a jagged free-form design with two stalks that lead to the tuning and volume knobs. They came in slew of '50's colors.
View attachment 293693

Thanks for posting. I had one just like it only it was white. Spent many Saturday afternoons lying by the public pool with it tuned in to local rock & roll stations, trying my best to attract chicks.... which seldom happened.

 

[decojoe67]

Thanks for posting. I had one just like it only it was white. Spent many Saturday afternoons lying by the public pool with it tuned in to local rock & roll stations, trying my best to attract chicks.... which seldom happened.

You're welcome. Good story. I remember in the '70's as a kid, still seeing these sets used. You can't easily kill them! Most still work fine with no repairs done.

 

[tonyb]

1943

View attachment 269469

I happen to have that alarm clock. They made ‘em by the millions, I’m guessing.

 

[Edward Reed]

I happen to have that alarm clock. They made ‘em by the millions, I’m guessing.

ya thats a Westclox if I am not mistaken. very common and popular. during the war they made them out of pressed wood pulp fiber because of metal rationing. labeled WarAlarm.
was hoping to add one to my collection one day as they come up on eBay often.