Antique Radio Cabinet Restoration

A simple cabinet refinishing will start at 495 with an average cost at around 700.

Antique radio cabinet restoration.

This presentation is part 1 of a class he conducted at the california historical radio so. When the cabinet is clean rinse it in clean water and leave it to dry naturally. Jim bradt is a well respected radio cabinet restoration specialist. We cover the full range of repairs from simple tube replacement to chassis repair to complete chassis and cabinet restoration.

First steps in restoration this article explains basic preliminary tasks cleaning and testing that are part of every restoration. This would include refinishing your radio console inside and out new speaker grille cloth knob decals if needed and cabinet feet. Our cabinet restoration includes full stripping and refinishing of wooden cabinets when desired by our customers. One of the things that people need on radio cabinets is photofinish repair restoration.

The best finish can be obtained by using a specialist bakelite polish. For practical purposes the service on a vintage radio should be considered as two parts the chassis electronics and the cabinet. The skill and tools required to service each of these two parts is so different that some technicians will only service the chassis and some cabinetmakers will only repair the cabinet. I have paid anywhere from 400 to 800 to have a large wooden cabinet completely redone.

The bakelite or plastic cabinet can be washed with warm water and washing up liquid. Our technicians are trained to repair all brands of vintage radio from the early 1900 s to the late 1970 s from very rare and priceless antique units to the popular and more sentimental units. Professional refinishing is also labor intensive. Services we offer complete repair and restoration services for vintage and antique electronic equipment with a primary emphasis on radios.

Most people don t even know what photofinish is or if their radio has it on it. If you spend hundreds of dollars restoring a vintage radio don t expect to recover that money by reselling the restored set. I do these jobs before i replace any parts and usually before i try to power up an old radio or tv. Simply put photofinish is decorative work applied to the cabinet to dress it up.

Whether it s a zenith rca philco admiral crosley airline ge or a foreign made model such as blaupunkt telefunken norelco and grundig we.