1948 General Electric Vacuum Tube Radio Restoration

I get a diamond in the rough General Electric radio from 1948 back up and running. Recapping, new power cord, alignment, and making the busted up case look like new.

[@MrCarlsonsLab]

That was a fun video Rob. Thanks for sharing!

[@RobsFixitShop]

You're welcome. I am thrilled to give back after watching, and learning so much from, all of your videos!

[@terryblackman6217]

Really great job. In my opinion bringing these old radios back to life is a the most enjoyable kind of recycling. And saving a small piece of history.

[@Wil_Bloodworth]

Really nice work Rob!

[@marconiufuk]

clean job nice result 🍀🍀

[@RobsFixitShop]

Thanks 👍

[@dkd1228]

A plus with this radio is that you don't have to worry about silver mica disease in those types of IF cans. Nice catch!

[@erin19030]

I liked your basic approach to the cabinet repair.lucky you with an artist in the family. I am an expert in electronics and do this work too, but Often stumble at Bakelite cabinet repair.

[@silviowel]

saudações brasileiras ou mestre.................parabens pelo lindo trabalho de restauração desta joia de radio, não esqueça tambem de comprimentar seu primo pelo trabalho de pintura..............uma verdadeira obra de arte os vossos trabalhos..............espero ver todos seus videos agora e aprender sua arte.......abraços e novamente saudações brasileiras ao mestre

[@RobsFixitShop]

Obrigada!

[@My1925World]

Great idea using spoons to remove the knobs. I'll have to try that.

[@joeschoebel1458]

Love the HP 973A multimeter. Those are great bench instruments!

[@RobsFixitShop]

I really love it. I've had since around 2003 when I bought it used.

[@jamienoel]

AWESOME! I love watching how busted cases are repaired!

[@eduardobronson8653]

instablaster

[@wtaylorhudson3702]

Appreciate you sharing the case repair. Regarding the cord set upgrade, concur with grounding the chassis. Why don’t we isolate the neutral from the ground by setting an insulated tab strip with all the components that land on the chassis being transferred to these, and then terminate our supply cord neutral to the strip?

[@manuelsalinas686]

I love the smell of bondo in the morning, smells like victory. Great job.

[@hestheMaster]

Love the Bakelite cabinet repair! I usually use Rustoleum 2X Ultracover Paint +Primer spray satin paint in Expresso. Color matches MOST dark brown cabinets. I also remove the speaker,dial glass and clean the whole cabinet inside and out to get an even finish all around. After the paint dries you can use two or three light topcoats of clear gloss.

[@RobsFixitShop]

Thanks for the tips. I was worried that pulling the clips that help the dial glass down would damage the clips so I left it in. The light does not properly illuminate the dial for some reason, it is like the plastic is supposed to act as a light pipe but doesn't.

[@hestheMaster]

@@RobsFixitShop I always remove the metal spring clip ears one at a time to remove the knobs and dial face. No need to have the knobs hanging loose on the cabinet and the ears are not needed anyhow ( the ear tabs)as the knobs are a friction fit like any other radio!

[@batman387]

I learned a lot. Thanks for teaching us. Take care. :-)

[@sorindumitru6101]

Felicitări !

[@chiayanhui5613]

Very good job

[@RobsFixitShop]

Thanks

[@krishmurthy7289]

Very interesting

[@jbcctv7957]

Yep - hafta try the spoons so I can look in the chassis. I have a 1946 fada in the plastic case. Sold as working and it is.... very well in fact but doesn't look like it's been cleaned inside. Do you recommend re-capping if their are no noise issues? Newer caps might not last like the old ones.... I know they get out of tolerence though.

[@RobsFixitShop]

I am of the replace all the caps camp. If one of the coupling caps is leaking it will overdrive the tubes and wear them out. And it is a fun part of the hobby. If it is working now, you can replace a some caps and test so you never get too far ahead of a wiring error

[@JerryEricsson]

Years ago, when I was a much younger man, I worked as a gunsmith, even took one of those famous mail courses and got my diploma from Modern Gunsmiths. Anyhow after landing a volunteer job with a couple of local smiths who formed a rifle barrel factory, I worked and learned a LOT about gunsmithing from them, they were both graduates of a gunsmith school in Arizona. At Any rate we used to repair and bed wooden stocks (as well as fiberglass) using Acroglass from Brownells. To color the stuff we used some of the stuff that came with it for that purpose but for accuracy to get the right shade we used Hershey's Coco mix, the kind that comes in the dark brown can. Perhaps one could do the same thing with that body putty? Another use for the glass bedding compound was to fix breaks in wooden stocks, for example one group of hunters were out on the prairie where they took a big buck. We could drive up to the downed deer in our state to pick them up, so they got a pickup and, after laying down their 5 rifles on the ground, one dude went back and got their pickup, To get close to the deer, he happened to drive right over the 5 rifles breaking the stocks at the wrist of all 5. A couple of hours inserting pins and using Acroglass and the rifles were as strong as ever with but a hint that they had ever been broken.

[@RobsFixitShop]

Interesting about the cocoa it would have been the perfect color and maybe could have been made to look mottled like the bakelite. I can't imagine the looks on their faces when the truck backed over the rifles, I bet it took some years but they laugh about it now!

[@mikedragneff6804]

Nice job! I'm working on a ge model 102. Mine has no dial light, but otherwise is the same. Should it have one, or did some models come without?

[@MrRadar]

11:00 Is that the KUOM station ID I hear there? As a resident of the Twin Cities it's always a nice surprise to discover when people online are local to the area. Also, great job on the restoration too.

[@RobsFixitShop]

Good ear! I'm from Scandia (Just 20 miles north of the Twin Cities for those not familiar) .

[@juanmiguelcarballo3200]

Un Saludo desde Cuba

[@rkshrivastava9000]

Information of technology is good

[@rondeldebbio9219]

Great vid. When aligning the radio, you have the sig. gen. hooked with the capacitor (blocking?) to the tuning coil output (antenna). Just want to know what is the capacitance and voltage of the capacitor and is there a range of values that would work? Thanks!

[@adriansimionescu6868]

Good job 👍 despite the so looooong talk

[@tubeDude48]

At 7:24, why not use a Binding Post and connect the wires and CAPs to that. It would look much nicer!

[@marinotubez]

Salve. Mi sono iscritto al tuo canale , anche se non capisco l inglese.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Anyone thought about modifying the unit to use 12V heaters and a B+ of 12V and a Transformorless Push-Pull out stage to drive the speaker and would run of a 12V Wall-Wart

[@loyeantleyjr.8646]

🥰😍🥰

[@fabinhoosmar]

Ficou muito bom...!!!

[@tubeDude48]

Sorry...WRONG! Leave the switch where it's at, and add a polarized cord; with the ground side on the bottom. Placing the filaments on the ground side all the time is crazy. The belong on the HOT Side when switched ON...

[@OddJobFix]

To here and there and... WTF? Maybe identify the terminals, huh?

[@RobsFixitShop]

Fair criticism

[@OddJobFix]

@@RobsFixitShop Sorry, I sounded a little terse. Someone must have pissed in my Cheerios.

[@paramanandchandawarkar2046]

Give me I will restore it 👍👍

[@bettyseago7450]

Hello my name is Betty I have. Old Radios i need to talk with you

[@philliplucaroni7806]

you guys crack me up thinking your making a radio that has worked for 70 plus years safer what a joke