Here we do a full restoration of an old early 1920's Westinghouse Aerola Sr. radio. It was complete but in very worn condition. Finished, it is beautiful and plays great.
I'm glad to see you back in business restoring these radios. I really appreciate that, unlike some other channels, you show the whole process of restoration and especially the cosmetic part. Anyone with some knowledge about these sets could fix them but walking us through the process of making it look like a brand new product? I don't see that very often!
It's such a shame that youtube is filled with mind rotting nonsense that millions upon millions of people intently consume daily, but unparalleled content like this remains so relatively unseen.
Thank you for posting this. Very few detailed restoration videos of Radiola/Aeriola Sr’s are on TH-cam. I have one with very similar issues, your video is a huge help!
So happy every time I see that there is a new video from Ron here. One of these days it still would be so nice to see your collection Ron. As always, there are tons of us that sincerely appreciate every single video you put out and hang on every word, thank you so very much for every one. Buddy Ron, were those the original hinges to the box? If not they sure looked perfect!
My first tube radio was a 6AL11 compactron super regenerative BC band from an article i found in one of the magazines of the time. I was in the seventh grade and it won 2nd place at the school science fair. That was 1965/66. Love watching your vids. I'm 67 years old and still learning from you and many of your techniques. Thanks so much Ron. Keep it coming.
Have been binge watching and enjoying these videos for several days now. My first job and hobby was fixing tube radios. Still do 60 years later. Thanks! BTW, the radio is an Aerola; an areola is the dark circle around a woman's nipple.
I wish there were some way I could send you some radios to restore without endangering your privacy. But, with your skill level, I'm sure you are never short of work! I have a Zenith Super Triumph I let the magic smoke out of (selenium rectifier?) that is stone beautiful.
Good day. I like that you use very simple means and tools, except measuring ones. I like your diligence but you are not exaggerating, you just repair well as if it were repaired by a good mechanic from the era. For example from 1950. I look at your work with great pleasure, you give a second life to these devices, and maybe a third :) I wish you a lot of health. Best regards from Poland (it's in Europe) Robert SP5RF
I just love the way you can almost read my mind just as I am thinking why do that a text appeared with the answer. Great work as always thanks from Spain.
70 years ago we had a tube radio of the 26 80 45 tube type a antenna with insulator's on the house lightenin struck the tree the fabric coated wire was attached .a Orange ball followed the wire with a buzz in the radio and it dropped where the wire entered the house 🤗scare the hell out of me.
As a kid theese radios 20-30were being thrown out on cleanup to where we used to just pulled the tubes left the sets they were everywhere.dad wouldn't buy a 32a roadster pick up for 35$ was cut up for scrap metal worth50k today.un believed.🤗
I restored a brass mandrel from about 1912(ish) and it rusted to crap the very next day, I didn't even get it wet and that was over the summer, some of that old metal really had no protection built in when it was cast, like a phosphor
It's amazing that you're getting any sound of that loud speaker with a single tube radio. In my experience I had very low volume even with a 2-tube set. You're usually regulated to headphones with these models. Beautiful job though, as usual. PS - I have a short WD-11 in mine. They say to put a piece of fishing line under it that you can tug on the ends to get it back out. It originally had a tall pointed type WD-11 that you could easily get a grip on.
Another great, instructive video. When you used 45v for the B supply instead of the 22 (as on the hookup card inside lid)....that’s OK for permanent operation? I’m using an 845 tube that they sold a few years ago that is adapted to the WD-11 base.
Fessenden created the first AM broadcast by a low frequency radio (50KHz or 100KHz) xmission in 1911 using a high frequency alternator and a magnetic-amplifier(saturable reactor). Commercial AM radio didn't come online in the USA until 1920, I think. 5:15 No, they want it too look authentic - beauty in retrotech - - a look & feel that is faithful to its vintage! In the TRF sets of the very early days, they had a series resistance connected to the grid(of the tubes) to draw just enough current during the + half cycle to lower the crkt's Q. That way it wouldn't oscillate
@Lets NOT Play With Electricity... Your screen-name reminded me of this video.... someone needs to have a little chat with these two linemen. :-) th-cam.com/video/jW-yzxEF4G4/w-d-xo.html
I really think the tarnish on the silver could have been removed without removing the original screen print and then clear lacquered to preserve them and prevent them tarnishing.
Why don't you make a video showcasing your methods of how you would have removed the tarnish. glasslinger has taken the time and energy to display one method of completing this task. Your method could be vastly superior, but we will never know unless it is documented.
You know it just occurred to me that one could use thermal transfer ink much like they use on ceramic mugs for the dials. It would be easy enough to apply. All you'd really need is a sheet of high temp silicone, a hot plate or griddle, and a weight to hold the part firmly against the silicone pad. It should work just about perfectly and appear as the original epoxy enamel would. It would even replicate the embossed feel of it. Honestly I feel kind of stupid for not having thought of it before.
Depends on the setting of the filament control. I had it set just low enough to give good gain but not go into oscillation. Easier to adjust. It does howl like crazy with the control set way up.
Is there a reason you didn't remove that dial tarnish chemically? I'm not talking about abrasives or cleansers, but rather using a chemical reaction. There seems to be a lot of processes out there. I am a great fan and really love your channel. I think you do beautiful work.
Is this guy amazing or what I wait patiently for every new video wondering if you take on jobs I'm located in Connecticut so I don't know how far away it would be to ship something
Jewelers use a chemical bath to clean silver. The solution they use is called "pickle". When silver is immersed the changes to silver jewelry is dramatic cleaning the metal to a bright finish in a very short proof of time. I wonder if this would work for the bezels on the knobs.
The problem is storing the supplies. I don't have a lot of extra space to keep a setup with containers and other supplies needed to do this kind of work.
The part where you're heating the nail with the torch reminds me of when Naomi Wu was doing that while building her backpack 3D printer. I suggest keeping a worn out soldering iron tip around to use as a hot knife - somewhat easier to control the temperature. A book I read a long, long time ago frowns on merely jumping an open capacitor with a good one just in case the capacitor decides to go short later on. Is that kind of capacitor made such that once it fails open, it's highly unlikely for it to go short later on?
Hotter is better in melting the holes in plastic. Ideally, the plastic will vaporize totally. Too cool it forms a gooey mess. In a power circuit the old capacitor must be removed. This is a low level signal circuit with microvolts level voltages. No chance of the old capacitor shorting.
Tomjones99992& I assume he used a laser or ink jet on acetate sheet. You often to this to make a photo negative when etching PCBs. Here are some other ideas th-cam.com/video/rGUgt_2gXy8/w-d-xo.html
Still put in the Old Flatbed Scanner and do a Full Ultra Scan..#2 Dirty, Paws out some Brasso 8Oz Polish..I like used look.. I am still Thinking of Letting you Tinker with my Old DuMont Oscilloscope 224 Heavy 50 Pound puppy..
I don't know how you do it...what area of the country you from? without being specific? I'd love to know your background...I'm glad for the recent flurry of new videos
@@KAFKUBA he one-time rebuilt a late 20s Wurlitzer jukebox. The Jukebox had a carousel style turntable that had some missing parts. He rebuilt the turntable and those parts that were missing he manufactured himself using nothing but his expertise and an old photo in a piece of advertisement. He also put together a wrought iron fence around his house that he himself welded using an old Lincoln welder that he rebuilt himself. He also reroof his house himself and made his home more livable. He is a member of the local radio club and yet despite his idiosyncrasies (the dress for example) he was soon recognized as the smartest man in the club. I seen well-seasoned, well-educated Engineers and technicians come to him for help or guidance on a particular project. Years ago when I was at his house talking with him I asked him about his education. I could swear he told me that he learned Electronics through a correspondence course he took in the 1960s. In other words he never went to a university and over the course of time he taught himself the engineering discipline. This man is amazing. The man is one of the few Grandmasters of both theory and practicality that I have ever met.
Where do you find these old radios? I agree with you, I'd also prefer to restore the radio. I suppose that means restuffing capacitors and disguising resistors to look like the original I suppose, at least on sets where the parts would normally be visible. Those WD-11 tubes are rare and the filaments burn out easily. You took a risk cranking up that filament resistor! Also I think this set was intended for use with headphones not a speaker, although on a very strong station it could drive one of those old time magnetic speakers.
There is a radio club here in Houston Tx. Get some there. Ebay is an excellent source as well. I had the main power supply set to 1.4 volts, which is within the ratings of the WD-11 filament voltage. Of course it is always best to use as little filament power as practical.
If were younger, I would be begging you to let me become an apprentice under your direction. I have an interest in electronics and doing handy work but my knowledge and skills pale by comparison to yours. Thank you for making the videos you make.
In TRF sets in the very early days, they had a series resistance connected to the grid to pull just enough current during the + half cycle to lower the crkt's Q so it wouldn't oscillate
Ron just blows me away with his knowledge and skills an amazing guy
I could watch these videos all day
Me too. Love his videos. Really informative.
I'm glad to see you back in business restoring these radios. I really appreciate that, unlike some other channels, you show the whole process of restoration and especially the cosmetic part. Anyone with some knowledge about these sets could fix them but walking us through the process of making it look like a brand new product? I don't see that very often!
very nice ,great work glad to see you here often again
You really know your stuff, a real expert.
The Master at work!
It's such a shame that youtube is filled with mind rotting nonsense that millions upon millions of people intently consume daily, but unparalleled content like this remains so relatively unseen.
Thank You wery much for continue uploading such high quailty content! You are awsome Ron!
Thank you for posting this. Very few detailed restoration videos of Radiola/Aeriola Sr’s are on TH-cam. I have one with very similar issues, your video is a huge help!
So happy every time I see that there is a new video from Ron here. One of these days it still would be so nice to see your collection Ron. As always, there are tons of us that sincerely appreciate every single video you put out and hang on every word, thank you so very much for every one. Buddy
Ron, were those the original hinges to the box? If not they sure looked perfect!
Love the binding posts and the top of the tube sticking out! We'll never see such functional design art again.
Another fabulous video thank you.
I am not sure if you have done one before but I would really like a shop tour and a look at your bench equipment
You have such an amazing skill set. Not many people can make their own tubes, along with everything else you do.
Excellent Restoration!! Thank so much for sharing.. So glad to see you share your skills and knowledge
You always do a nice job of restoring electronics, but an exceptional job of finishing wooden cases!
Another wonderful job and a amazing video ... indeed, I'm a fan of your channel! Thank you very much for showing.
If there is something he cannot accomplish I haven't seen it. What a talented individual!
My first tube radio was a 6AL11 compactron super regenerative BC band from an article i found in one of the magazines of the time. I was in the seventh grade and it won 2nd place at the school science fair. That was 1965/66. Love watching your vids. I'm 67 years old and still learning from you and many of your techniques. Thanks so much Ron. Keep it coming.
Another absolute *beaut* , Ron!
It's a very beautiful work on restoring...congrats...
Good for another 100 years
Every new video from you is a work of art! Thank you, Ron!
Nice to see you're back and sharing your projects. Thank you. Best regards from Germany.
Your videos are an inspiration for me. Thanks
Great thanks as always friend,have a safe and great day/night.
Alex.
Amazing job! Congratulations anf thanks for showing.
you're the perfect blend of a perfectionist and practical...I'd be so panicked taking that apart I'd have a heart attack and be stressed out
You do beautiful work.....
Nice to see you posting again......
Another fantastic video ,thanks
Good video. Nice to see someone do the work w/o talking your ear off.
SIR LOVE YOUR VIDEOS THEIR EXCELLANT KEEP EM COMING.
Have been binge watching and enjoying these videos for several days now. My first job and hobby was fixing tube radios. Still do 60 years later. Thanks! BTW, the radio is an Aerola; an areola is the dark circle around a woman's nipple.
What?!? A man doesn’t have areolae?
@@gordonjones7550 I'm only interested in the female version :-)
I wish there were some way I could send you some radios to restore without endangering your privacy. But, with your skill level, I'm sure you are never short of work!
I have a Zenith Super Triumph I let the magic smoke out of (selenium rectifier?) that is stone beautiful.
Awesome content as always Ron - ATB
Good day. I like that you use very simple means and tools, except measuring ones. I like your diligence but you are not exaggerating, you just repair well as if it were repaired by a good mechanic from the era. For example from 1950. I look at your work with great pleasure, you give a second life to these devices, and maybe a third :) I wish you a lot of health. Best regards from Poland (it's in Europe) Robert SP5RF
Brilliant to watch, thanks.
Great video i alway's enjoy your video's thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom with us
I just love the way you can almost read my mind just as I am thinking why do that a text appeared with the answer. Great work as always thanks from Spain.
Get well soon
Another very interesting and informative video thanks.
I have so much respect for you Brother! :) x
I really like that restore nice radio that would be a keeper. Thanks
70 years ago we had a tube radio of the 26 80 45 tube type a antenna with insulator's on the house lightenin struck the tree the fabric coated wire was attached .a Orange ball followed the wire with a buzz in the radio and it dropped where the wire entered the house 🤗scare the hell out of me.
As a kid theese radios 20-30were being thrown out on cleanup to where we used to just pulled the tubes left the sets they were everywhere.dad wouldn't buy a 32a roadster pick up for 35$ was cut up for scrap metal worth50k today.un believed.🤗
I restored a brass mandrel from about 1912(ish) and it rusted to crap the very next day, I didn't even get it wet and that was over the summer, some of that old metal really had no protection built in when it was cast, like a phosphor
good job very nice
It's amazing that you're getting any sound of that loud speaker with a single tube radio. In my experience I had very low volume even with a 2-tube set. You're usually regulated to headphones with these models. Beautiful job though, as usual. PS - I have a short WD-11 in mine. They say to put a piece of fishing line under it that you can tug on the ends to get it back out. It originally had a tall pointed type WD-11 that you could easily get a grip on.
One word: HEADPHONES ... High impedance ones!
Or use a transformer to adapt modern low impedance headphones to the radio.
Great video.
You make your own tubes? How cool! How do you do it? You should make a tutorial video for us! Pretty please?
He already did 😅
You must have such fun restoring these radios. Luckily, you can get tubes easy.
Here, tubes would cost much more than the radio itself.
Another great, instructive video. When you used 45v for the B supply instead of the 22 (as on the hookup card inside lid)....that’s OK for permanent operation? I’m using an 845 tube that they sold a few years ago that is adapted to the WD-11 base.
Fessenden created the first AM broadcast by a low frequency radio (50KHz or 100KHz) xmission in 1911 using a high frequency alternator and a magnetic-amplifier(saturable reactor). Commercial AM radio didn't come online in the USA until 1920, I think.
5:15 No, they want it too look authentic - beauty in retrotech - - a look & feel that is faithful to its vintage!
In the TRF sets of the very early days, they had a series resistance connected to the grid(of the tubes) to draw just enough current during the + half cycle to lower the crkt's Q. That way it wouldn't oscillate
Great video Ron keep them coming
Very good restoration!
Where do you find all these radios? Swap meets? Hamfests?
Ebay mostly swap meets can be hit or miss.
make sure to get real good photos of anything off ebay as always.
Alex.
@Lets NOT Play With Electricity... Your screen-name reminded me of this video.... someone needs to have a little chat with these two linemen. :-)
th-cam.com/video/jW-yzxEF4G4/w-d-xo.html
I really think the tarnish on the silver could have been removed without removing the original screen print and then clear lacquered to preserve them and prevent them tarnishing.
I just cringed seeing him sanding them....
Why don't you make a video showcasing your methods of how you would have removed the tarnish. glasslinger has taken the time and energy to display one method of completing this task. Your method could be vastly superior, but we will never know unless it is documented.
Interesting little project
You know it just occurred to me that one could use thermal transfer ink much like they use on ceramic mugs for the dials. It would be easy enough to apply. All you'd really need is a sheet of high temp silicone, a hot plate or griddle, and a weight to hold the part firmly against the silicone pad. It should work just about perfectly and appear as the original epoxy enamel would. It would even replicate the embossed feel of it. Honestly I feel kind of stupid for not having thought of it before.
Please do a video showing how to do it! I would like to see if it really works! It would be a great new idea if it was practical.
Ron, the tickler control should cause the set to break into oscillation but doesn't seem to be working. Try reversing the leads to the tickler coil.
Depends on the setting of the filament control. I had it set just low enough to give good gain but not go into oscillation. Easier to adjust. It does howl like crazy with the control set way up.
very nice...this would be a fantastic radio in an old 1930's B sci-fi movie. 8*/ thanks.
25:45 - Chairman Mao is looking at your work. :)
Hahaha, at 4:51 "it's a, a kind of uh, psychological malady in these people". That is one tough coil
Is there a reason you didn't remove that dial tarnish chemically? I'm not talking about abrasives or cleansers, but rather using a chemical reaction. There seems to be a lot of processes out there. I am a great fan and really love your channel. I think you do beautiful work.
Nice use of a Leather punch.
Nice work as usual! Where did you get the dial lettering plastic decal things?
www.radiodaze.com/westinghouse-1-set/
Lets all take a shot everytime he says "ok"!
@Homeless Home Movies I now say "Okay" after I solder a component at work of screw a terminal screw in.
Do you play the piano Ron? You have the fingers for it. Great video as usual, thank you .
Is this guy amazing or what I wait patiently for every new video wondering if you take on jobs I'm located in Connecticut so I don't know how far away it would be to ship something
Looks Great!
Where did you get the decals from? Did you print them from a computer? If so, where did you get the patterns from?
www.radiodaze.com/westinghouse-1-set/
saluti da roma italia li signore è un genio
51:35 ' I'm allergic to something'
... I'm allergic to house work :-)
Jewelers use a chemical bath to clean silver. The solution they use is called "pickle". When silver is immersed the changes to silver jewelry is dramatic cleaning the metal to a bright finish in a very short proof of time. I wonder if this would work for the bezels on the knobs.
The problem is storing the supplies. I don't have a lot of extra space to keep a setup with containers and other supplies needed to do this kind of work.
Very enjoyable! How about making a replacement tube for this?
Hi!
I make wd-11 tubes for the radios I sell. I use the originals in radios in my collection!
Have your ever tried to build tubes with more than one grid?
No. I am more or less concentrating on rare old tubes from the early 1920's which were almost all triodes. I'll get after it one day!
You can get paint pens they might work a little better than permenant markers, you can wipe it away if you mess up too
Where do you get these things!
How can I get a new paper for my similar radio?
0:29 The "box" of this first model was made of Poplar wood.
35:03 One of those SHARPE markers or Magic Markers can do the same thing. . . . . . ?
Where do you get those printable plastic sticky sheets from?
J: Radiodaze.com carries many replacement radio dials and decals.
This radio looks manufactured, but some of its components seem to be World War 1 in there hardware design. Almost Edwardian, except for the tubes
The part where you're heating the nail with the torch reminds me of when Naomi Wu was doing that while building her backpack 3D printer. I suggest keeping a worn out soldering iron tip around to use as a hot knife - somewhat easier to control the temperature.
A book I read a long, long time ago frowns on merely jumping an open capacitor with a good one just in case the capacitor decides to go short later on. Is that kind of capacitor made such that once it fails open, it's highly unlikely for it to go short later on?
Hotter is better in melting the holes in plastic. Ideally, the plastic will vaporize totally. Too cool it forms a gooey mess. In a power circuit the old capacitor must be removed. This is a low level signal circuit with microvolts level voltages. No chance of the old capacitor shorting.
Can you explain how you made or obtained the plastic lettering on the dials /
Exactly what I wanted to know
@@toothrobber8076 me too I want to know that!?
Tomjones99992& I assume he used a laser or ink jet on acetate sheet. You often to this to make a photo negative when etching PCBs. Here are some other ideas th-cam.com/video/rGUgt_2gXy8/w-d-xo.html
Do aluminum in warm salt water not work for cleaning silver plating?
i was also thinking of electrolysis to restore the silver plating
Very nice.
انت مبدع بالتوفيق حظا سعيدا
Still put in the Old Flatbed Scanner and do a Full Ultra Scan..#2 Dirty, Paws out some Brasso 8Oz Polish..I like used look..
I am still Thinking of Letting you Tinker with my Old DuMont Oscilloscope 224 Heavy 50 Pound puppy..
Reline that page and mount it?
I agree I would rather it look like i just bought it new than to be dingy and old it already has character in looks alone
I don't know how you do it...what area of the country you from? without being specific? I'd love to know your background...I'm glad for the recent flurry of new videos
glasslinger lives in Texas. He is a retired electronic engineer.
@@FrankJGZ he's a more useful engineer than I ever was or will be
@@KAFKUBA he one-time rebuilt a late 20s Wurlitzer jukebox. The Jukebox had a carousel style turntable that had some missing parts. He rebuilt the turntable and those parts that were missing he manufactured himself using nothing but his expertise and an old photo in a piece of advertisement. He also put together a wrought iron fence around his house that he himself welded using an old Lincoln welder that he rebuilt himself. He also reroof his house himself and made his home more livable.
He is a member of the local radio club and yet despite his idiosyncrasies (the dress for example) he was soon recognized as the smartest man in the club. I seen well-seasoned, well-educated Engineers and technicians come to him for help or guidance on a particular project. Years ago when I was at his house talking with him I asked him about his education. I could swear he told me that he learned Electronics through a correspondence course he took in the 1960s. In other words he never went to a university and over the course of time he taught himself the engineering discipline. This man is amazing.
The man is one of the few Grandmasters of both theory and practicality that I have ever met.
@@FrankJGZ thank you. That's an awesome story. He has inspired me for sure...I took on restoration because of him
I like the idiosyncrasies...we all have them
Using the dials wouldn't scrape any of the clear transfer off would it?
Where do you find these old radios? I agree with you, I'd also prefer to restore the radio. I suppose that means restuffing capacitors and disguising resistors to look like the original I suppose, at least on sets where the parts would normally be visible.
Those WD-11 tubes are rare and the filaments burn out easily. You took a risk cranking up that filament resistor! Also I think this set was intended for use with headphones not a speaker, although on a very strong station it could drive one of those old time magnetic speakers.
There is a radio club here in Houston Tx. Get some there. Ebay is an excellent source as well. I had the main power supply set to 1.4 volts, which is within the ratings of the WD-11 filament voltage. Of course it is always best to use as little filament power as practical.
Thanks!
If were younger, I would be begging you to let me become an apprentice under your direction. I have an interest in electronics and doing handy work but my knowledge and skills pale by comparison to yours. Thank you for making the videos you make.
Good video but you never mentioned what the A voltage was but I assume it was about 1.1 to 1.5.
You should be able to adjust the ticker to the point of oscillation. Just back off slightly for maximum gain and selectivity.
In TRF sets in the very early days, they had a series resistance connected to the grid to pull just enough current during the + half cycle to lower the crkt's Q so it wouldn't oscillate
Where did you get the dial decals?
made them on the computer with Paintshop Pro 5. Use inkjet with mirror image so the ink is on the inside when you glue the decal on.
I have one of those but the dials are black. Don't know if mine works yet.