Valve Radio Restoration: AWA Radiolette

[harrysin]

Well finally I have finished the restoration of a 1935 AWA Radiolette valve radio. Mind you I have only done the cabinet, the replacement of capacitors and such will have to wait, but this part of the restoratrion took well over 3 months on and off.

When I bought this radio it was in really bad condition, there was water damage to the cabinet and bits where the veener was missing. The water stain was on both sides and the front towards the bottom as you can see from the before pics. Normally I would just strip the old varnish and recoat with a poly or shellac, but the water stain was all the way through the veneer which meant replacing it. The first problem that I had was that I could not just replace the bits that were missing and or stained because the new venner would not match the old, both in grain and colour. The second problem was that if I was to replace all the veener I had to delicatly take the radio apart which is exacly what I did as you can see from the second pic. This was not easy to say the least, hide glue does a good job of keeping it together.

I managed to find some OLD (at least 10-15 years, going from the packaging) QLD Red Ceder veneer and I have finished it with at least 15-20 coats of shellac. Most radios of the era were not finished with shellac but I like the way it draws out the colour of the veneer compared to a poly.

There will be more restorations to come in the future but for now I hope you enjoy the pics as much as I did restoring it.

That is one superb cabinet restoration, I must confess that the last radio that I restored for my wife, about six years ago was a 1955 Bush VHF54 which was the first model with an added an FM module , a cow to service! I repaired the veneer, cleaned it up and finished it with rattle can high gloss lacquer.
You all probably know sources for valves but the best place that I found for them was "thetubestore.com" in Canada, the prices I thought were very reasonable averaging $8.20 each for four plus just $6.00 air parcel post, all US dollars.

[Castaway]

That is one superb cabinet restoration, I must confess that the last radio that I restored for my wife, about six years ago was a 1955 Bush VHF54 which was the first model with an added an FM module , a cow to service! I repaired the veneer, cleaned it up and finished it with rattle can high gloss lacquer.
You all probably know sources for valves but the best place that I found for them was "thetubestore.com" in Canada, the prices I thought were very reasonable averaging $8.20 each for four plus just $6.00 air parcel post, all US dollars.

Thanks for your feedback Harry and thanks for the link I have had a look already. Have been lucky so far and been able to get tubes off fellow members of my local HSRA. Yesterday I saw a similar set to the one you have mentioned except it was a bakelite version, the yanks were a few years ahead of us then. They had FM on there sets well before we did. Here in Oz we didnt have FM till we stareted making transistor radios

[harrysin]

I was still in England, newly promoted to Service Manager at the tender age of 20 when the first test signals went to air from Rootham in Kent. The only receiver that I'm aware of was a console model TV with a metal cream painted escutcheon which reflected the main product line of it's maker, English Electric, which was refrigerators! The added FM tuner from memory was operated by a thumb-wheel control. This was probably about 1953 and it was a year or two before the first Bush with an FM band arrived, hence the reason that I bought the very same model at an auction for the inflated price of about $140.00, it was supposed to be a goer but the only sounds that it emitted were heterodynes, but that's a story for another time, I've already intruded on your thread.!

[Clinton1]

This is an interesting area.
I carried a console radio/record player home that had been put out for council recycling.... the complete lack of net based info on it and the company is a real stopper. I'm waiting for a chance to get into the national archives and see if they have information available,

Mine is a a cabinet by Elvy's of Sydney, with a Stromberg Carlson radio and turntable, and is used as a television stand, dvd and sound system component cabinet. I'd love to get the record player and radio working, and set up the speakers to the sound system.

Beautiful cabinet, fantastic fittings... a real restorer that came up spectacularly with a cot and polish wax.

[Flaxton]

G'day fellas.

Your stories brought back a few memories of my father who died 5 years ago. He used to sell and service all that stuff over 75 years as well as make amps and PA systems etc of his own designs. I've still got a carton of valves and I think a valve tester somewhere in the back shed. I remember him taking me as a young child to the AWA factory and the Ferris factory up on the northern beaches of Sydney somewhere. My first train set was a Ferris streamliner. Whatever happened to them?

[Castaway]

G'day fellas.

Your stories brought back a few memories of my father who died 5 years ago. He used to sell and service all that stuff over 75 years as well as make amps and PA systems etc of his own designs. I've still got a carton of valves and I think a valve tester somewhere in the back shed. I remember him taking me as a young child to the AWA factory and the Ferris factory up on the northern beaches of Sydney somewhere. My first train set was a Ferris streamliner. Whatever happened to them?

Wow, to have visited those two factories must have been fantastic. I don't have the train set but I do have an early Ferris Portable car radio, it runs on mains as well as 6 volt high and 6 volt low, had a plug similar to an electric kettle. Weighs about 6 kilos. All metal hammer coat finish. Its down on the list of restoring, but will get to it eventually.

[Castaway]

This is an interesting area.
I carried a console radio/record player home that had been put out for council recycling.... the complete lack of net based info on it and the company is a real stopper. I'm waiting for a chance to get into the national archives and see if they have information available,

Mine is a a cabinet by Elvy's of Sydney, with a Stromberg Carlson radio and turntable, and is used as a television stand, dvd and sound system component cabinet. I'd love to get the record player and radio working, and set up the speakers to the sound system.

Beautiful cabinet, fantastic fittings... a real restorer that came up spectacularly with a cot and polish wax.

If you can get me the model number and maybe a pic or two I'll might be able to hunt down some more info for you.