Estelle has a matching radio!

[spacepig]

We bought Estelle a matching radio. It is also made by GE, so it matches her perfectly! The plate behind the radio dial/numbers is turquoise, as well as the power cord. It has similar "piano keys" on top, too! I believe the radio is a 1957 so is similar in age as well.

 

[turquoisedude]

Wow!  They are meant for each other.  Congratulations!!

 

[ken]

Very nice. Havent seen that design of GE clock/radio from that era. Matches Estelle for sure.

 

[cfz2882]

GE radio

I had that exact radio,bought at a rummage sale for $1 in 1982 Heavy duty cord and a timed outlet on the back.Lighted radio dial and usual AA5 radio circuit.Mine was made in 1960,but model may have been made other years.Fully "period correct" in any case

 

[spacepig]

Yes, there is an outlet on the back, but I did not know it was timed. I have searched very briefly online about the radio, but haven't found much yet. One model I saw said 1957, so it is believable that it was made for a few years in that time period.

It is cracked on the bottom and there are things rattling inside, so we think it may have been dropped at some point. We have not plugged it in to see if it works as we'll probably open it up first to see. At the very least we hope to get the clock working. In any case, it is a great addition to the retro look we are going for

 

[rp2813]

I had that exact clock radio too!  The radio part went dead and I foolishly let it go several years ago.  If there was one radio worth keeping, it was that one.   It was exactly as you described.  I loved the big "Snooze" tab below the clock.

 

The easiest thing to get going, if necessary, is the clock.  It uses a Telechron rotor, which could still work fine, or if it's stuck or raspy, it can easily be revived to run quiet as a mouse.  It's likely a copper cased rotor, which is the most responsive to a little heat and several drops of 3 in 1 Oil (the blue can, not the red one).

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

A match made in heaven! That radio is beautiful!

 

[spacepig]

Thanks for all the compliments and suggestions on the radio. We are very excited about it, and hopefully getting the clock to work won't be difficult. We don't have a clock in our kitchen, as we would just use the clock that displayed on the new Samsung stove (which has been usurped by Estelle). However, Estelle's clock is hard to see from across the room, and we can't see the coffee pot or microwave clock, either, but the radio clock is the perfect size to see from anywhere in the kitchen.

If the current speaker is in bad shape and the radio is nonworking, we have toyed with the idea of replacing it with a Bluetooth speaker. That way, we could enjoy the modern convenience of playing music via smart phones, without losing the retro look. yet another project to add to the list.

 

[rp2813]

Bluetooth

That's an excellent idea!  The AM band has become a vast and often hate-filled wasteland.

 

[spacepig]

Ralph,

I agree about the lack of good AM content, especially in the part of the country that I live in.

As for the radio, we plugged it in and turns out the clock works just fine and is very quiet. The radio does come on, but there is a constant loud hum. I was able to pick up one station, but there was lots of static.

We didn't open it up to see what parts are flopping around inside, as we can't figure out to remove the knob on the back. We've tried pulling, but it doesn't budge, and we don't want to use too much force and possibly break it. The instructions on the back just mention removing the knob, but don't say how. Any ideas?

 

[rp2813]

That clock adjusting knob has a reverse thread.  Hold the stem with pliers and you may be able to remove it by hand.

 

[rp2813]

Jeannine,

That clock adjusting knob has a reverse thread (aka Righty-Loosey).  Hold the stem with pliers and you may be able to remove it by hand.   Worst case scenario you'll need two pairs of pliers.

 

If it's really stubborn, heat will help.  Use a blow dryer on it, or briefly hold the tip of a soldering iron to the end of the stem in the center of the knob.

 

From what you described, the radio needs all of its capacitors replaced.   Typical for something that old.  Contrary to (midcentury) modern legend, tubes rarely go bad.  Only a hobbyist would bother to do the work for you, though.  The bluetooth idea sounds like a winner to me.  Just don't compromise any existing parts in the conversion and stash away the old speaker.

 

[panthera]

that particular era

Of GE radios is well documented and there are people out there who are happy to fix them. They're way cool!

There are two main problems which come up in these radios, both interestingly enough caused by capacitors.

First - an essential component (it's in the big cardboard or sometimes metal tube sitting on the circuit board) drys out over time and stops 'filtering'. That's why you have a hum. It's dangerous to play around with the innards of these radios - the chassis is hooked up directly to 120V - but an easy fix for someone who knows them. Very easy, fast fix.

Second - the capacitors used in the radio's tuning circuit sometimes had trouble with silver migration. There problem is called 'silver mica disease' and it, too, can be fixed. Takes a fair amount of skill. I'm attaching a link to the repair process of both in one video. The man doing it is one of the most famous restorers.

 

Unless you have good AM stations - you said you don't - I think the bluetooth solution is the way to go. Remove the chassis completely and do the wiring safely and you'll be all set for decades. I would lube the clock now, while it's still happy.

 

Cool!

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Wh41Mbf9A&t=156s

 

[spacepig]

Ralph and Panthera,

Thanks for the info. We were able to get the knob off fairly easily once we used a set of pliers to hold the stem. We removed the backing and the insides are a bit dirty, but that's to be expected after ~50 years of dust accumulation. The "rattling" noise inside turns out to be that red thing being unsecured (see picture 2).

We were able to pick up a couple of stations, but the loud hum continued throughout. Interestingly enough, the voices on both of the stations sounded like Daleks from Dr. Who. So, Daleks have either taken over the AM airwaves in Northwest Florida, or something is going on inside the radio to make it sound that way--lol!

 

[panthera]

The red thing-y

Is the antenna. It's the reason you sometimes have to turn these radios sets around to improve reception. Once the rest of the radio is fixed, you can reglue - there will be traces on the inside of the cabinet where it was hung.

The great big tube shaped thing in the middle of the chassis, right to the left of the loudspeaker is what has died and is causing the hum. It's a super fast, super-cheap fix to replace it. Some people hollow them out and stuff the new (and really tiny) capacitors up in the tube, leaving everything looking original. I've done that. I've also just clipped and tossed and put the new capacitors in it it's place. Up to you, but you might want to watch a youtube clip on the subject or two. It's really quite interesting.

Don't forget - all the metal parts have 120v on them. That's why there is an interlock on the back of the radio. It's also why GE - never know to spend two cents when one cent would do - went to such trouble to keep the clock mechanism completely away from the electrically 'hot' parts of the radio.

There should be a heat shield across the top of the case - probably like an old fashioned grid out of Star Trek's engineering room. If there isn't one, then it's best to go the blue-tooth route - the heat from the tubes will destroy that beautiful cabinet without it.

Cool!

 

[rp2813]

What Keven said.

 

And, if you're inclined to make this repair yourself, a "cheater" cord will eliminate the need to put the entire case back together for testing.  Here's what one looks like.  Just be careful when using one, because as Keven stated above, there's danger of electrical shock from those guts.

 

 

[panthera]

another word for 'cheater cord'

Is 'Widow Maker'.

Most people naively think 120VAC isn't that much. It isn't in the grand scheme of things. BUT - it's 120VAC at 60Herz - which is the worst possible frequency for sending the heart into a conniption fit that kills you.

It's appalling how low the amount of current needed at 120VAC, 60 cycles per minute needed to kill you. Appalling.

 

So, yeah - isolation transformer, cheater cord and caution. Especially with the modern isolation transformers sold in the US, which aren't. Not really. Sigh.

 

[rp2813]

Timely advice.

 

Just yesterday they activated the 1KW current on a nearby ten-mile BART extension set to become operational later this year.   A good portion of this line is at or near grade level.  While high fences and other deterrents are in place, the warnings have been issued to stay away even though trains may not yet be running.

 

Per the article in today's paper, just 40w is enough to be lethal.

 

[spacepig]

Panthera,

I don't recall seeing a grid on the inside of the lid when we took it off, but there was a piece of silver reflective tape. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the inside of the cover.

Tomorrow we are going to pick up a blue tooth speaker and then go from there. We've been watching a lot of the videos which have been very helpful. In other news, we're going to pick up an old wooden cabinet radio at my father's house over Memorial Day weekend and see if we can't get that one completely restored.

Thanks for cautionary reminders about the electrical. We are definitely wary after having an electrical scare with Estelle when we tried to clean the contacts on the thermostat as suggested. I still need to make a post about that to figure out where to proceed.