FIXING & RESTORING a Stunning ROBERTS RFM3 Radio

Here we have a truly stunning radio made by Roberts here in the UK. This one was purchased faulty on eBay. Can it be fixed and restored to it's former beauty.
If you have already seen the first episode of 'The KZbin Fixers' then you will have already seen a edited down version of this, hence the reason I have not pushed this video to my subscribers.
Roberts is a UK company founded in the 1930s, and still going strong today. If you want to check out some of their recent products then here is an Amazon Affiliate link for the UK:
amzn.to/2SsOQZV
If you would like to support these videos, please click here / mymatevince
Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things. I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things, so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series. Many thanks, Vince.

[@Mymatevince]

Spoiler Saver & Riddle Divide 110 into 2 parts so that 1 number is 150% of the other number. What are the 2 numbers? For example 40 and 70 make 110... BUT it is incorrect because 70 is 175% of 40.

[@dancoster7332]

44 and 66?

[@sepgorut2492]

66 & 44: 44 x 1.5 = 66+44=110

[@CoroaEntertainment]

In case you didn't know, the antenna can be stored inside the case. Turn it straight up, then push it all the way down inside itself so it's of the way of the carry handle.

[@UltimatelyEverything]

I don't know if i'm the only person but there's something really satisfying about seeing things like this radio getting cleaned and seeing how nice they look after. Another great job Vince and another thumbs up from me.

[@kiphakes]

LOVE THIS - My Grandad would only buy Roberts Radios. He had one that looked very similar to this - I spent many hours playing with it. I loved the click on the buttons, I'm surprised I didn't break them with the amount of clicking I did! He died about 30 years ago so this has made me very, very happy.

[@samuelfielder]

Lovely radio. Deja vu. It took me a while to realise this was excerpted in KZbin Fixer s1 e1.

[@TheSkaldenmettrunk]

Aah that's why I thought I had see this before😂 Thank you!

[@paulscarth]

That was freaking me right out…. 🙈 😂 Just woke up from a nap and saw this. Thought I was loosing my marbles 🤦🏼‍♂️🤪😁

[@louie207]

Ahhh i thought so

[@louie207]

@@paulscarth me too

[@LindaLooUK]

As someone who has a bit of a thing for Roberts Radios, this makes me very happy. Thank you. 😁😍

[@Mercgribern]

There's just something wonderful about a well assembled radio. I know it's esoteric technology, but how lovely the finished product. Even with all the B&O products you've restored, this is wonderful.

[@stuartarundale6219]

Good job. I used to work for a Roberts dealer, and the only time these ever came into the workshop was due to the switch bank failing. Affected most models and was at one time available as a service item. It was probably the only weak point on these sets, that and the battery connector. They always had a lovely rich tone

[@TheSkaldenmettrunk]

I had a big deja vu I thought I saw this before and Samuel Fielder's comment reminded me it was features at the first youtube fixer's video. What a nice fix and clean.

[@yuvallahav]

Absolutely lovely. Can say I thoroughly enjoyed this one, less for the technical issues, more for the style and restoration. That is a beautiful piece.

[@StezStixFix]

Soooo satisfying, Vince! That thing looks like it just came out of the factory. Excellent job! 👍

[@peterjensen3162]

Say hello to Dave from me 👋🏻

[@PrawnCocktailBro]

The build quality on both this and the previous Roberts radio is something to be admired. Loving these radio videos, even though i don't own a single radio lol.

[@teknikal6969]

Was originally a little disappointed I'd already seen this fix, but I did end up watching it again and with this longer version I can really see how much effort cleaning that up must have been.

[@jesuslovesyou5819]

Honestly it is so relaxing watching you fix things and clean them.

[@89ludeawakening1]

I do a lot of cleaning and repairing old tech like this, and here's a good tip. What would help you a lot on the cleaning side is to put some IPA in a small spray bottle. Just mist the parts you need cleaned and then wipe them with cleaning wipes. The spray bottles I've found to be perfect are 3.O FL OZ/89 ml GARNIER Fructis hair care products. The atomizers spray the perfect amount of IPA. I'm sure many other bottles would work though. 🙂 Oh I meant to put this as well. When it comes to repairing think chrome stripes, the Molotow Liquid Chrome markers and FLOWMASTER Mirror finish markers are amazing!

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you for the tip Micah, just Googled the Liquid Chrome markers and they look very nice 👍👍👍

[@89ludeawakening1]

@@Mymatevince no problem at all. The markers work great if you put it on with smooth clean strokes. It really turns out looking like chrome.

[@michaelgreenhaf6624]

Vince the aerial on the Roberts radio pushes right down into the radio only the round top showing give it a good push

[@Mymatevince]

Oh yes it does!!!! I missed that. Thank you Michael 👍👍👍

[@stephenlittle7534]

They always had really good speaker sound. Deep and not tinny. Well done. So nice to see an old radio back to life.

[@RandyDarkshade2]

Hi Vince. Loved the video. I went to a carboot yesterday and found a Roberts R606-MB which seems to be the bigger brother to yours. I did buy it as the seller only wanted £5 for it. My one has treble and bass controls on it and seems to be a little bigger than the one in your video. All it needed was a good clean and the volume control cleaning. I am listening to it as I write this comment. Roberts certainly do make good quality radios.

[@ultraviolettp3446]

Bloody splendid! When I compare this (even in its dirty form) to the Chinese cheap junk we get these days, I smile at the time when people really built quality products with pride! The materials and construction is truly first rate. Great job and video!

[@BigNiqEnergy]

I love restoration projects you take on. Not only the repairs.

[@diarmaidok]

Lovely wee radio and looks class at the end. Wilkos sell the ronseal ultra tough polyeurethene varnish, its the spirit based one and in my opinion its a lot better than the water based one, it doesn't raise the woodgrain and goes on flatter.

[@robertjpayne]

I have the same model and after watching this I gave the lovely thing a good cleaning too. They are very fine pieces with lovely sound.

[@ellensburgamplifier]

Well done Vince! Your meticulous work pays off well.

[@brutlern]

This was more like a trying to restore video, but I didn't mind at all. It was just as relaxing as usual. Much thumbs up.

[@Paperghost]

Try Servisol Switch cleaner (Super 10) instead of deoxit. It's been my switch cleaner of choice for 30 years. A quick spray and your switch is not only clean but it is lubricated as well. I also use a foam cleaner with a toothbrush for hard (non porous) surfaces. Especially good at moving nicotine staining. Love your enthusiasm throughout your videos.

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you Gordon, just bought 200ml of the Super 10 from Amazon for £6.49. I do love DeoxIT but this really needed an aerosol to get right into the switch, and the DeoxIT aerosol is very expensive. Cheers 👍👍👍👍

[@andygozzo72]

@@Mymatevince be very careful with 'super 10' i've had it destroy several potentiometers, it can cause some plastics to 'crack up' , these pots had soft black plastic rotors, and they broke their wiper fixings a short while after treatment,, older type pots with grey or white nylon rotors seem ok, try electrolube EML , its 'supposedly' more 'plastic compatible' , but rather pricey, the EML is also leaves a lubricating residue behind, which is useful in some cases,

[@Wenlocktvdx]

Lovely to see these sets getting restored. I’ve been watching a load of Robert’s restoration videos on Radiocrunchers channel.

[@philtowle4683]

As kids a friend of mine and I went round asking neighbours if they had any old electrical items we could have a go at repairing. Got one of these and a russian radio. Didn't manage to fix them but learnt a few things from taking then apart.

[@mikethemusicman1978]

Wow I've loved this video Vince, what an amazing job you've done from it looking grubby to it looking perfect. Beautiful.

[@spooktasticaparanormal]

Great video Vince. I love restoring vintage radios and cassette recorders. Well done. Kind regards. Paul.

[@MarianCobirlie]

CONGRATULATIONS on the restoration. Very good video! I lived in the UK for five years. I bought a Roberts radio model R 24 for restoration from London U.K. I'm looking forward to starting the restoration and I also saved other models from the outdoor market Thanks for this video

[@JAY61ish]

Roberts Radios... The Rolls Royce of Radios... not sure what they are like nowadays , But they used to last for decades.. nice work Vincey..

[@fnglert]

That cleaned up real nice. I'm not convinced on the aesthetic, but you really brought said aesthetic out.

[@DanielGilbert86]

Great restauration on this one! I don't know why, but I love these radios from the 70s or 80s. Maybe because their PCBs are somehow easy to trace compared to PCBs nowadays, and most of the time, you can even find schematics for them. I have a Loewe Opta r115 52246 from the 70s standing on my shelf, restored it (a bit) and really, really like it.

[@Retro_andy_1977]

Great work Vince.I have several roberts radios like yours and they are more than worth putting the effort in.yours is now stunning.

[@richie152]

A fabulous repair, loved watching this. I love old radios like this and you done a brilliant job.

[@tomsimpson3322]

Another beautiful piece of work Vince. Your enthusiasm is a joy

[@dinosaur6756]

It's a miracle that the antenna isn't broken. Beautiful unit, I bet that cost a pretty penny sitting on the store shelf in its heyday. Refinish the wood, a good cleaning and it will be brilliant.

[@Codeeze]

I liked this - and well done. I fix Roberts radios all day, every day. You did well diagnosing the dicky switch, and were quite fortunate that it was only that (and a blummin deep clean!) that was wrong with it. If you need any of my tips or tricks with old-school Roberts radios, take a look at my channel. Plenty of older models on there. Not a shameful plug!. You're right about the quality - they don't make it any more! Modern Roberts aren't a patch on their yesteryear sets.

[@ewanwickward8587]

17:06 The tradition of spilling the alcohol continues! Great video as always, Vince!

[@Mymatevince]

🤣🤣👍

[@peterjensen3162]

Great fix and what a beautiful radio it became. Thanks for sharing this repair video, I really admire your patience and skills. Have a great weekend 😘

[@rastaman5105]

Beautiful UK radio , it looks like a Dutch Philips portable radio , from the 60,s , but the Roberts radio is beautiful !! , greetings from Assen in the Netherlands !!

[@marclaw4511]

Have five Roerts radios[most vintage] and a DAB digital.They are brilliant and a pleasure to listen to.

[@MizuhoChan]

That is so lovely, I'm glad you made a full video for it too. I think the right switch dial is a bit off though, might just not be on right. But yeah, really nice job.

[@PhilipBryden]

Mineral oil would be a good option for restoring the wood side. Very nice radio, well worth the time and effort to save it. Thumbs up.

[@yeahnewman]

I love the fix!! Just as important thankful you showed the cleaning process!! Thank you!!

[@briangibson8009]

I would love to see my mate Vince restore an old 70's Dynatron music centre , their units also carried the royal warrant and another example of British class from a bygone era.

[@johnwilson2250]

Beautiful radio. You really brought it back to life.

[@technocricket]

Beautiful, excellent restoration. Well Done.

[@paulie-Gualtieri.]

Excellent job. I enjoyed this from start to finish.

[@willrobinson7599]

Great fix and clean up vince , looks like really good quality,built to last , not like alot of today's throw away electronics

[@colin101981]

Totally in love with Roberts radios - thanks for sharing this one Vince.

[@watercreator]

Fantastic job! Loved the restoration!

[@kriswillems5661]

Beautiful piece for vintage lovers.

[@JonPadfield]

Epic grime removal there Vince. But what a lovely device - you've definitely done it justice with this restoration. I'm still constantly amazed at the level of dirt I find in these old audio devices - the cleaning always takes 5 times as long as the fix. :)

[@eightohmmedia]

Amazing, brilliant, what a fix Vince...superb..!!

[@omarg8663]

Oh this is Incredibly fantastic. I love all of your videos.

[@DEmma1972]

wasnt in my usual YT alert notifications, but made it into my recomendations

[@Mymatevince]

I didn't push this one to the subs Emma, as it was already part of the YT Fixers vid. But I still wanted the full version on KZbin, as this video is one of my favs. Even though not a lot of fixing was done. Thanks for watching it 👍👍👍

[@conrad4094]

That really is a cool little radio. The colour of the front and back would fit in well with the colours of my boat ! I’ve got to look for one now

[@snakemansnakes1]

Great little video. A very satisfying watch. Great job.

[@eliasfinney8892]

That looks cool, even just as an object. Brilliant.

[@six1nyne]

My Mate Vince! love to watch you work bro, beautiful, beautiful piece. Nicely done sir.

[@googoogjoobgoogoogjoob]

Genuine authentic Old English Vinyl - from the days when our vinyl was THE deluxe vinyl

[@arghjayem]

A radio good enough for the Queen! Literally! (It’s got the royal seal “by appointment to her majesty” bit on it).

[@MurrayMints]

Wow!!!! Looks immaculate. Great job My My Jammy Mate Vince 💥👍🏻

[@francislee9]

Excellent job, looks great!

[@jeffreyphoneLG]

Also, one more thing. Our mate Vince seems to have exceptional taste in music. Ever thinking of producing some music track videos for us? "The best of our (my) mate Vince!"

[@nomebear]

Wow! A great eye for the aesthetic.

[@megatronskneecap]

Quick answer to the leather question: It's a synthetic leather than was produced back in Sheffield in the 1920's called "Rexine". It was originally used in cars, but Roberts got a super special deal with Rexine's parent company to use it on their radios in the 60's. They actually someone take imprints of real leather and sort of mold it onto the vinyl. Just hope it clears things up :D

[@philtowle4683]

They should/could have been using offcuts.

[@paulb4uk]

Stunning work vince looks great .

[@mickyjb2003]

Love it,those radios are really good quality

[@DeakBrenan]

I used to fix Roberts radios like this and the larger model with the swivel base for the RNIB that gave them to blind people. The radios were robust and easy to operate for the blind and sighted but every one had a design fault on VHF (or FM) in that the sound was always slightly distorted. Fine for listening to the news or The Archers or cricket on Radio 4 long wave but terrible for VHF music. After a few hours use anyone would get a migraine without knowing why. Listen to a Sony all day and it would just be a joy. Made in the Morden area of south west London they stuck with germanium transistors when the rest of the world moved to integrated circuits. I hated them. Worse still someone makes perfect reproductions!

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Fantastic! These have always been great radios (The Queen agreed!) and even with its wood and vinyl/leather they don't look dated but have a retro appeal regardless. I think they do have the kite mark so rightly have earned a place in the Design Museum along with the Mini and much more!

[@gregfrazer7259]

I've never commented on any of your videos (I may have never commented on any video) although I have watched many. I'm unsure what it was about this video but it was one of the most satisfying to watch and I really enjoyed it. Thank you for creating all the content you do, I have spent many lunch times watching your videos :)

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you Greg, really happy to read this as I almost didn't put this one out on KZbin. I had already shown an edited down version of this fix in the new little series that I am working on (The KZbin Fixers) and I thought this might have generated negative comments as a duplicated video. Very glad I did publish it now. Thank you 👍👍👍👍👍

[@radio-ged4626]

The case comes up beautiful. Rare to get one with a good aerial (although you had to straighten it a little). The main I.C. TDA1220B doesn't seem to be available in small quantities from reputable suppliers anymore but they seem to be available on the bidding sites etc. Although these could be fake. Great job.

[@paulc9588]

Great video. I have a red R25 from 1988, one of my favourite radios. These were the days when Roberts really did mean quality. The only radios better than these were Hacker, which were more expensive, and some of the Grundigs. Roberts actually bought the Hacker brand name when the company folded so that it did not fall into the hands of a competitor.

[@Mymatevince]

Interesting, I had a colour Grundig TV growing up, never looked into their radios. I am tempted to get a Hacker, but I will also peruse eBay's finest broken Grundigs!!! 👍👍👍

[@andygozzo72]

@@Mymatevince grundig did many excellent radios, their 'yacht boy' or 'satellit' series being the best known

[@snagger2810]

Nice one vince. Looks awesome. The ariel is designed to be pushed all the way down into the radio so only about 10mm is sticking up.

[@howiedeblue]

wow....amazing attention to detail

[@beatertechbeatertech2893]

Real nice restoration on this one Vince, i appreciate the amount of time and editing you put into this video and the outcome is absolute quality. I do wonder what type of search filters you have active to find this retro hardware ... anyway more of these restoration videos for sure ! Thumbs up !

[@MrJav69]

The smegma on the buttons was nasty.looks great now good job Vince

[@andygozzo72]

best thing for the wood ends is teak oil, not varnish, pretty sure thats what was used in the factory, i've had those type switches give trouble a lot, they're not really designed for power switching, only signals, especially dc, if theres a capacitor one or both sides, they spark and damage themselves, you can sometimes remove the sliders to clean the contacts, from the rear end, sometimes the front, depending on the manufacturer, if you take the knob, spring and latch mechanism off, if it gives trouble again, you may need a new switch, may find them on ebay,, if not i may be able to supply one, maplin used to have 'similar' ones, very likely compatible, i bought a load before they went bust

[@precbass]

Really nice.You realise that the antenna should be able to disappear completely into its holder leaving just the top exposed? So much neater than having half of it lying out like that.Lovely jubbly.

[@garyrichardson6124]

If it develops issues pulling in stations, it would be worth replacing the electrolytic caps. I've just brought an RFM3 back to life, all the electrolytics were way off value, and one was even completely open.

[@WrenB111]

Love the industrial design aspects

[@Thomas-yr9ln]

I never thought a hole lot of the brand name to remember. But had one the same color and everything I got for my 12th birthday. I had it up until I was 17 and have no memory about what happened to it.

[@Patrickjdee66]

Stunning , pure class mate 🍷

[@dogsbody49]

Perhaps get yourself a Hacker portable record player something like a 'Cavalier' or 'Gondolier'. Lovely quality & something a bit different to work on. Being a child of the 1960's I grew up with tape players, valve radios, Record players etc & now have a laugh when people encounter these things for the first time as to me they are so commonplace. Keep up the great work Vince. I love your channel.

[@andygozzo72]

the gondoliers are very good, push pull ecl86 valves

[@adelestevens]

To clean vinyl or leather on old radio equipment etc. I've found that car interior cleaner and a soft nail brush works really well then just sponge it off with clean warm water. There was once a product called decosol which you painted onto vinyl seats and when it had dried peeled off like that time you might have done when you were a kid and discovered you could make copies of your fingerprints with school glue , lol.

[@gabrielreines]

fiebing’s saddle soap is one thing that’s worked very well for old film camera half cases for me. it’s in a tin with a yellow lid, i don’t know the availability of it outside the US

[@Lunatic3984]

21:50 A Lovely little Slowfox, thank you for that.

[@bobbus_74]

Just thought I'd say, I love this channel.

[@arthureverett8220]

Very good restoration!’

[@rastaman5105]

What a beautiful portable radio !!

[@sharkd1999]

If you plan on continuing KZbin Fixers for more than one season then might I suggest doing different types of objects in the different seasons? Ex: doing electrical devices or consoles in one season or clocks/watches in another. It could be as specific or general as you wanted I just think it could be I interesting. Great video, really enjoyed!

[@sihaynes]

This vid didn’t show up on my notifications or subs for some reason! Good job I check your channel regularly! Nice one vince

[@TheStig1961]

Midsommarhälsningar till Stockholm från Stig Österberg i Dalsbruk, Finland.

[@andrasszabo7386]

It is the first time I have seen that battery type

[@ole-kristianfossmann7682]

The push buttons you cleaned while mounted comes off if you pull, easier to clean then. The laquer you used could be switched out with teak oil, a matter of taste i guess. Otherwise good restoraion. i have restored quite a few vintage radios and tv's earlier, satisfying, isn't it ? Keep up the good work.

[@stevenallan9712]

lovely looking radio

[@MaxRager80]

Another really nice vintage radio Vince.

[@hugeelen]

Great job!

[@GadgetUK164]

Fantastic =D Super AMSR that was!