The Nice Man Restores a Vintage 1939 Zenith Bakelite Radio!

Watch as Doug uses simple modeling skills to repair and restore a valuable 1939 Zenith 6D311 vintage radio made of Bakelite! Using common hardware store materials (Cyanoacrylate glue, baking soda, fiberglas fabric, two-part resin and Krylon spray paint), the final product is pretty impressive!
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[@gerryroberts662]

the intro is funny as heck./. Great video in great detail; Absouletly gerat video,

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Thanks so much Gerry! Please subscribe! Doug

[@nefflz]

Ylu missed pointing out how you stained the filler to match the bakerlite

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Yes…sorry for missing this. I actually sprayed the radio case with Krylon! It is amazingly smooth! Doug

[@zeronmaster2801]

Kinda cool fact. In ww2 Both the USA and German military’s used Bakelite for knife handles And handgun grips, radios and com units for tanks. All around great early plastic that is cheap and effective. Great job man Love you’r work.

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Thanks for the cool factoid! Great to have you here!

[@mmgraff1]

i just was given aold chief radio stock 4-a-25 and this helps but i didnt wanna have to sand and paint cuz i thought Sacrilege!! but I guess I'll have to. It doesnt work so I'll have to tinker with that too its one of the Cream colored ones its Pawesome! thanks for vid

[@davidpar2]

Try using simichrome polish. If you like the results you get with brasso, you’ll love what simichrome does. Works on metals and plastics

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Thanks! Doug

[@Denvermorgan2000]

It would’ve been nice to see this come back to life.

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

I agree. I’ll have to start looking for the missing tube! Thanks for hangin with me!

[@hanielmoore1791]

Great video! How did you recolour the case after you filled it?

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

I used Krylon-branded spray paint! This paint has amazing gloss…looks like plastic!

[@christastic100]

Looks amazing

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Thanks! I am easy to restore a streamlined Philco next! All the best! Doug

[@lennonschechter7867]

Hi nice job, it looks great I have the same radio chassis but in a different cabinet, table side and I have the schematics but I cannot figure out what ballast tube goes in it. Can you look at yours and tell me the part/tube number? Thanks

[@entity9742]

I have that same radio just bought it yesterday and its still factory original in working order talk about good old engineering

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Wow! One of my favorites in good shape...awesome! Send a photo if you get a chance. Thanks for the note! Doug

[@ajrigger]

Beautiful! I have just received one and I want to restore it. How do I take the knob off? Thanks.

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Hi ! The volume knob is a friction fit, so just pull it if. The tuning knob has a set screw.

[@eugenetheodore2956]

Doug, have you ever repaired a back that had the t-pin area messed up? Is so, what did you do?

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Hi Eugene! You can go here to find the part: renovatedradios.com/productlist.php Or LarryBToys on eBay has some nice replicas for cheap! Hope this helps! Doug

[@makyhsmakyhs6766]

Many people can repair and restore the vintage radios, but very little technicians who can clean it properly and turn it into zero In the whole case and the backlit machine just like the China plates after geting washed ! Who can do it is a ginues ! Very very little technicians who can dismental to repair and clean the vintage radio machines and assemble em again , who can do that is a truly genius, do you agree with me !

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Hi MM! I knew several old WWII veterans who were excellent with vacuum tube electronics during my Amateur Radio days. I am not even close to their skills, but I learned a lot from them. They were heroes and geniuses!

[@makyhsmakyhs6766]

@@FullEarthWorkshop 🌹👍 thanks, God bless their soul. You are doing a real amazing work too. but please I saw an old technician and youtuber at the same time on a youtube channel named 415 radio, he is introducing a high skillful level of restoring the vintage radio, he turns every inch of in / outside of the case and machin of the set into zero, like the China plates after getting washed who is he please. I will be happy if he was you paw ! kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZfJXoZrZsajjdE

[@josephconsoli4128]

Informative, but I needed to know about the paint process - what type used, prep, etc.

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Sorry I left out that part! The paint process is amazingly simple; Krylon Gloss Black Paint/Primer was used in just one coat. Krylon is amazing paint and by far the best spray can product available. I learned about this stuff back in Industrial Design school when upperclassmen were making incredible looking product models. Krylon flows smoothly and is my only choice when doing glossy finishes from a can.

[@josephconsoli4128]

@@FullEarthWorkshop Thank you! Yes, I too have used Krylon in the past and done following directions, comes out like glass. I recently chipped and cracked a rather hard to find bakelite radio :( I ended-up using shellac sticks for fill. I looked too good to paint over.

[@ChrisEffort]

Great video, very cool. Is it safe to sand Bakelite without any protection? I have a pickguard for a guitar that id like to patina and relic, but I can’t find any info if it’s hazardous and dangerous to breath while sanding Bakelite.

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Hi Chris! I’m not sure if it’s hazardous to sand Bakelite. You might want to wear a mask just in case!

[@rentacowisgoogle]

keep it wet while sanding and wear a mask. you wont have anything to worry about! be careful that you don't get too aggressive with the sanding or you'll permanently damage the bakelites glaze.

[@47blasko]

Doug, what did you paint the plastic outer cover with? It looks great!

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

I used Krylon spray paint! I have a complete pro spray system, but Krylon spray bombs provide amazing gloss finishes right out of the can. This is gloss black too...which is one of the hardest colors to make look good. Amazing stuff!

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Is this my first best friend Brett Lasko?

[@47blasko]

Yes it is my friend! Love your radio voice and the Full Earth Workshop series!

[@eugenetheodore2956]

I used Krylon on a radio cabinet & the finish is good. However, there is a small run on each side. If I wet sand it & tape the area off, I will have tape lines. How would you take care of this?

[@hestheMaster]

I suggest you don't tape over the areas directly. Use the tape as a holder for a piece of cardboard. Loop several pieces of tape and put a small bit of the loops 90 degrees onto the radio and opposite that the pieces of cardboard parallel to the radio so the cardboard stands away from the surface to be sprayed. The cardboard should be an inch or two away from the radio cabinet if done right. Make sure when you spray you don't let the force of the paint coming out of the can push the cardboard into the cabinet ! What you are doing is making a shadow box effect for the paint.( This is far easier to do with an airbrush be could be done by a can spray.) Don't spray too close to the tape pieces on the radio.

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

I find that there is less chance of runs if you use an initial dusting coat, then spray Krylon sparingly...it tends to flow into a smoother surface as it dries. If the paint runs, sand and paint the entire cabinet again. Once the paint sets, it is difficult to blend just a section.

[@eugenetheodore2956]

Doug, how did you hide the repaired cracks before painting? Did you use a primer before a finish coat?

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Hi Eugene. I used Tamiya putty , primer and Krylon in a spray can...amazing gloss is possible with Krylon!

[@eugenetheodore2956]

@@FullEarthWorkshop Did you use light coats of paint? If so, how many?

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

I used one light dusting coat to adhere the paint, then just a few minutes later, a final coat. I hope Krylon is available where you live...that is the secret!

[@HEHE-dx9og]

As a kid growing up in the 60s I used to see radio`s like this on the curb all the time. Too bad I could not have seen the future value in tube gear.

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Me too! I used to grab the internal parts for my electronic projects and leave the rest. I was too early old and too late smart! Doug

[@RenkTV7]

Looks like a Radio from Vault Tec - Fallout (Computer Game).

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

I look like a very OLD Fall Out Boy!

[@johnmorgan1566]

"Nice" Job. Reminds me of This Old Tony but without the sarcasm.

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Thanks John! That is so NICE!

[@rykergael5335]

pro tip : watch series on Flixzone. Me and my gf have been using it for watching loads of movies recently.

[@kaisonduncan7151]

@Ryker Gael yea, been watching on Flixzone for years myself =)

[@kadedeclan3968]

@Ryker Gael yea, I have been using flixzone for months myself =)

[@skullheadwater9839]

I fix tube radios as a hobby, usually wooden ones. Did you really pay $200? I find bakelite ones like that locally $5 to $40 . I could see if it had been fully restored and worked maybe paying $100 or more depending on the rarity and the look. That one is pretty art deco so would go for more than average. Ebay prices have gotten retarded for radios. I see people asking the moon for broken radios but they generally sit there until they wise up and lower the price. I have followed radios and eventually they start coming down after a month or so. I have followed a few hoping the price will go down because I like a particular radio, some people don't get it and after 3 to 4 years the radio still hasn't sold and they won't go down with 12 followers basically saying I want to buy it but I am not dumb. Some people think their broken am radio is this rare thing. Just because its old doesn't mean its gold. They made millions of table top radios in every size shape and color and the average person has no interest. A lot of people put them in the garage or attic as technology changed. I could see a new collector might be duped into paying way to much though thinking wow that's rare. I even but the big floor console radios for cheap. I go to second hand stores and the price will be $120 or whatever then I pass back every week or two and check and offer lower prices. After a month or so they realize not many people want these old radios especially not working. That's when I swoop in and they approach me and say " Are you still interested in that 1935 RCA console $40 cash its yours" The problem is like the RCA I am talking about I spent around $150 in parts to restore it. Now after $175 and 80 hours labor over a couple months of sanding, lacquering , buffing, soldering, troubleshooting, more soldering ,using test gear to do a factory alignment etc now you have a radio that looks and works like new and is worth $350-$400. You can still get any tube you want from tube dealers or ebay for not much money. If you are lucky all you will need to do is change all of the capacitors and out of spec resistors. Wish you wouldn't have painted the knobs ,kinda sacreligious . Cheers

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Thanks for the note Scott. There certainly are many tube radio survivors out there, some are much more desirable than others. My first career was radio broadcasting, so I have a soft spot for these things. Thanks for watching!

[@Bodragon]

Araldite is a UK product that is still very much available here in the UK. And you pronounced it wrong. The stress is on the first syllable, *_(Ar),_* not the second, *_(Ral)_* So it's: *_ARaldite,_* not *_aRALdite._* Great vid otherwise. >

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Thanks for the heads up... this crazy Yank still calls it alooooominum! I wish we could get Araldite here in the states, but I guess I’ll have to settle on whatever is sold at The Home Depot! All the best... don’t forget to subscribe!

[@Bodragon]

@@FullEarthWorkshop You know what ? I prefer JB Weld to Araldite. I actually think JB Weld is a superior product but this could just be a case of the grass looking greener on the other side. ...and same from your side. >

[@FullEarthWorkshop]

Ha! Great to have you aboard! All the best! Doug