Philco Baby Grand

[robbinsandmyers]

So while my A407 has been getting me frazzled lately I needed to blow off steam and find something old to buy to add to the collection of junk. In between scrolling through my Tumblr app checking out porn I would check out Offerup also one morning in bed and found a 1932 Philco Model 52 cathedral radio for only $50.00. I contacted the seller and took the 30 mile drive to get it. His wife claimed it worked but alas when I got there it didnt. I ended up getting it for $30.00. After spraying contact cleaner in the tube sockets and on-off and volume controls it works great. A nice little addition in the kitchen.

 

[cfz2882]

cool!

I have quite a few tube radios-only cathedral style style I have is a Fada from 1932;it is complete,but fairly rough condition and not working.my oldest one a 1924 Atwater Kent,best condition one a 1937 zenith-it works, but performance not all that great-a quality recap probably would get it back up as it is all original right now

 

[robbinsandmyers]

Im sure this will need to be recapped to be safe. Sometimes it does get staticy in the speaker even if I turn the volume all the way off. I had hoped the electronic parts bath spray would have solved that but it must be something else out of my rhelm. The more I use it the better it gets though.

 

[cfz2882]

old radio problems

dirty switches and controls is the most common problem I have run into with my American tube radios,with tube socket problems and bad capacitors next on the list-tubes actually usually good on '30s sets I have got working,but bad tubes seem more common on later series string radios with the miniature tubes.Carbon resistors can drift up in ohms with advanced age too,but I have never changed any in my radios as I have been satisfied with the performance of the sets-when I get around to the refurb of the 1937 zenith,will probably check to see if any resistor drift is apparent.Vintage TVs are a little more complex-when I get around to my '57 hotpoint portable TV refurb,that will be a major project-it works,but performance is iffy and I know it has a couple weak tubes and some stale caps -series string tubes and two selenium rectifiers instead of a transformer

 

[arbilab]

In a nearby thread we were talking about cooking smells. Wait till you find out what 'cooked' selenium smells like.

 

[cfz2882]

selenium rectifier

Oh yeah-I know that odor-and the red smoke you get with a good burnout many years ago discovered selenium rectifiers only handle about 25-30 volts per plate:a 4-plate bridge rectifier from a toy train transformer doesn't like being powered up with 115v LOL.Never had any trouble with the seleniums in my equipment though,but a book I have from 1950 mentions long disused selenium rectifiers benefit from a reform process(by holding at PIV for an hour or so) for best performance.Earliest US usage of selenium rectifier I have seen is 1942-Germany was using them starting in the mid '30s.

 

[goatfarmer]

I have a Philco replica of that radio, circa 1976. Has AM/FM, still works good.

 

[tolivac]

"Stinkulium" rectifiers-remember those in battery chargers,toy train and slot car supplies,series strung TV's and some radios(Zenith)When they went-the smell was like burning dirty socks!!!The worst electrical smell ever!!!Shorted caps in the TV's would do it!!!!