An amazing find at local flea market

This is a link i found, regarding the console radio i saw at a flea market in town yesterday. :tresbon:
(http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/zenith_10s160_10_s_160_ch1004.html)

i didn't know the model number, so it took ages to google it by description. It is a Zenith, and on its big round, black dial, it says Long Range Worldwide (or something close to that) and Medium Range Local, plus a Police Band.

Only problem with this one, aside from not working, is someone decided to do that sickening "Antiquing" paint job from the early 70s on it....First painted a cream color, tinted with brown, then after dried, stained varnish was applied with a comb designed to make a false wood grain.

It becomes a larger problem, since Zenith used what they called a "Photo Finish", which is an expert false woodgraining technique, using nitrate varnish as in old guitars. That would come off with any stripping....good thing i used to refinish furniture as a 2nd job, years ago, and i feel i could restore this effect. I guess they merely wanted to add a quilted burl-type grain, as this cabinet is solid walnut. Without the "Photo Finish", it loses $500+ in value.

In working order, with the wood corrected, it sells for upward of $1500. they have it at $100, currently. The tubes are easy to come by, and are usually, aside from possible crumbling wire insulation, and very possible—the paper caps, the only things that really go wrong, unless someone allows the rectifier tube to go out, which can kill the first transformer. The caps are available at various price points. i could likely get it for half the asking price, by detailing the issues and repair costs.

i would more than likely use this purely as an investment, as i plan to put a an analogue recording studio together. Does anyone have any experience with this beauty? Am i making a mistake, assuming this will still bring the price it has been bringing, or even brought back in 1937? i would love it for myself if not for lack of space, and the plan to put this studio together. In any event, all input, opinions and suggestions are very very welcomed.

Cheers,

—dave

Oh, and P.S. —it has a "Magic Eye" for fine tuning at the top of the dial. Yay!

Can you post a picture?
And does it look something like my Zenith in my signature picture?

I've always disliked the "photo finish" sets. Philco used this finish in the '30's, too. The cabinets are impossible to restore without ruining originality. I choose not to buy them.

If the "photo finish" is alcohol or lacquer based, and the subsequent finish is oil based, I have a conservation stripping formula that will remove the "antiquing" without harming the original finish. But, don't think that the photo finish hasn't degraded prior to the antiquing. It wears off.

Let me know if you want the formula. I'll have to hunt for it in my file cabinets.

Zenith made sets in big impressive cabinets that ranged from "not worth much of anything" to extremely high end.

Actually...

This link will show you the one i saw, sans the antiquing. The first link i posted was incorrect. It is Model #10S464, and this is the link, showing many views: http://www.decoradios.com/consoles/10s464.htm

Manhattanman, i would be very very grateful for that formula. i hadn't thought about the difference in the solvent of each finish allowing the paint to come away, leaving the underlying finish. As you said, it wouldn't be a shock if the Photo finish was not so good. The antiqued version is still far worse.

In the event it cannot be restored to a worthy piece as is, would the amp or speaker be of a quality to be useful for another application? i have a Walnut Victrola VV-XIV cabinet with no guts at all, and i thought of creating an updated mono phonograph setup with it, using tube era technology. i am not sure if this amp or speaker would suit that application. i believe the speaker is 15".

No matter how you slice it, it is certainly an incredibly interesting piece. i don't need a moneypit restoration. It also is missing a number of the plastic tabs, either side of the dial. It may just have too much wrong to put it back like it was, time will tell. i may just take a pass on it. The Amp looked strong and nice, but looks are looks.

Cheers,

—dave

JHS2RT said:

Can you post a picture?
And does it look something like my Zenith in my signature picture?

Click to expand...

Too much work for a good result, labor of love territory.
The amp section should stay part of the radio chsssis, a cold start with an Edcor xformer kit would be a more sensible approach to a mono amp.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

The schematic is here:

http://www.nostalgiaair.org/PagesByModel/689/M0024689.pdf

Just go to page 2 of the pdf. It is not their ultimate set, but it is a good one and definitely worth restoring.

I should preface this post with a few caveats.

The stripping formula you asked for is a formula used by experienced wooden object conservators. I did furniture conservation work in a museum environment and apprenticed under a conservator that had studied at The Smithsonian.

I personally have never tried this formula, so can't advise you about application. The formula ingredients will need to be ordered through a chemical supply company. They are shown in grams and milliliters.

100 ml. deionized water
5 ml. triethanolamine
2 g. abietic acid
0.05 ml. triton X 100

You'll need to determine whether the underlying photo finish (offset litho ink, I think) is alcohol or lacquer based. The stripping formula removes oil based finishes. If the antiquing is water based, the formula won't work. If the photo finish is oil based, the formula will remove it.

Good luck.

A 10-S-160 rough is worth $100.00. I have this model it can be a very good player. This has a PP 6L6-G chassis that sounds better then the 12-S models that use 6V6-G outputs, also this chassis goes in a tombstone model a 10-S-130 a very rare type worth over $1000.00. If it has the correct knobs that set is worth $100.00