Antique Radios

I enjoy restoring antique radios. This particular radio is a General Electric Model 202 from 1946. On the left column are photos of the radio as it was when I bought it, and the photos on the right are after restoration. This was a complete restoration, both cosmetic and electronic. I hope to have more radios up, as soon as their restorations are complete.

Click on photos for larger image

External Before	External After
The radio was in pretty good shape externally, mainly dirty. The brass was dull, the bakelite had almost no shine, and the gold paint had worn off the knobs.	I used a damp cloth to clean the outside, then plastic cleaner/polish to remove the scratches and give the bakelite a shine. I used Brasso on the speaker grill and dial, and a gold paint pen for the knobs.
Chassis Before	Chassis After
The chassis were also in good shape, thought quite dirty. There was no rust or other damage to the metal. The light bulb was burned out, however, and I had no idea where to find one.	I cleaned the metal with a damp cloth, followed by a little bit of Brasso. The tubes were cleaned with a damp cloth, and one of them needed replacing as it was out of spec. I found that the bulb used for the dial is the same type as is used in many modern night lights, making for an easy replacement.
Inside Before	Inside After
The inside was in great shape, and was even mostly clean (most of the dirt must have gone right to the chassis). :) Some of the wires were worn and brittle, and missing some insulation	I cleaned the inside with a damp cloth, and replaced the worn wires with new ones. The speaker was replaced with a modern one after this picture was taken due to a tear in the paper cone.
Electronics Before	Electronics After
The electronics needed a little work. The radio played, but quite weakly, it was difficult to get any reception, and there was an overpowering buzz from the speaker.	Apoligies for the somewhat shaky picture. An antenna wire was replaced to fix the reception problem. Almost all of the capacitors in the radio were out of spec, so needed to be replaced with new ones. Most notably was the power capacitor (in the lower left corner), which was replaced by two modern electrolytic capacitors to eliminate buzz from the 60 Hz power.