Consoles Rog-Z

The first radio I ever bought was a console, as was the one that hooked me on collecting.  I was coming home from a camping trip up on the Bruce Peninsula (during which I managed to put my dad's new car into a swamp, but that's another story) and stopped at a little junk dealer just outside of Wiarton.  Sitting out front was an old Stromberg Carlson 62.  This had sat out in the rain for years, it seemed.  The veneer was all coming off, it had no knobs, the dial was ruined, the tubes were all smashed out.  I got it for $10.  It turned out that the thing was totally infested with spiders, including one big fat grey one that was still hiding under the tuning capacitor days later and took very poorly to my alcohol spray.  To this day, it is still known among our friends as 'the Spider Radio'. (This also inspired a comic strip which is on the 'comix' page.)  What can I say?   I was hooked.

Lots of the consoles listed here are no longer in my possession.  They take up too much room and don't stack well in the basement.  I've found they make great gifts for major occasions. (Hey, Uncle Herb, that's a mighty attractive corner over there in your living room....)

 
 Make: Rogers 
Model: 6R632 
Year: 1936 
Tubes: 80, 6F6M, 6K7M (2), 6A7M, 75M 
Power: 25/60-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Aberfoyle, 1997 
Made in: Toronto		    
 
This Rogers console is the latest to receive the choice spot in the living room corner. This is a three-bander with a tuning indicator in the top centre (sort of an odd one - a light behind a plastic lens that goes dimmer (?) when the signal becomes stronger). I had thought that this was an unheard-of Rogers set that actually used normal tubes, but in truth, the weird tubes had just been subbed for. This is one of the green-dial Rogers' sets (not quite a Zenith black dial, but I like it), which have one unfortunate tendency. Oversize replacement dial lamps tend to burn the surface of the dial, or cause it to crack. I don't think these are reparable, though the crack in this one is pretty minimal. I've seen much worse.

The finish on this set is original. It had some good sized cat scratches which have come out after some good polishing, but I may still have to try to rebuild the finish on top. The finish is basically too good to strip off, but has blemishes that are beyond my current ability to repair. Eventually, I'll learn how to do burn-ins, either that or get my hands on a fairly fine lacquer sprayer. It was a pretty good trade for the RCA, eh? (although there was some cash involved as well)


 
 
 
 Make: Sparton 
Model: 24 
Year: 1931 
Tubes: 435 (4), 427 (3), 435 (2), 480 
Power: 25-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Aberfoyle, 1992 
Made in: London, Ont.
 
This was also a fairly major reconstruction job.  All the repwood detailing had warped and had to be flattened out.  The chassis, after years of trying, was finally convinced to run this February.  The biggest challenge of all was the fact that the entire base was missing and we had absolutely no idea what it even looked like.  All we had to go by was the shadow left by the lacquer when it was originally sprayed.  The base it currently stands on was fudged out of four stair bannisters and some base moulding.  Set in the context of living room furniture, it looks quite convincing (although maybe a little tall).  This set really needs another couple of coats of finish and some better colouring on the base.

 
Make: Stromberg Carlson 
Model: 60 
Year: 1934 
Tubes: 37, 41 (2), 80, 6A7, 6B7, 6D6 
Power: 25-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Yard sale, 1960's 
Made in: Toronto		   
This set has been in our family longer than I have.  My dad picked it up a long way back, and it was the first big old radio I was ever exposed to.  (This passion obviously runs in the family.  It's not my fault.) Kind of odd styling on it - the front reminds me of a cartoon character making a really horrified face.  I've always wanted to carve a pumpkin with this expression on it.  The Philco 3118, by contrast, has a really happy face, despite being stuck in the basement. (For another one, look at the mountain in the Paramount symbol, just when the movie starts.  It's a dead ringer for the shark in the "Jaws" poster.) 


 
 
Make: Stromberg-Carlson 
Model: 62 
Year: 1935 
Tubes: 6SA7, 6SK7, 6SQ7, 6F6G, 5Y4G, 6AF6G  
Power: 60-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Wiarton, 1990 
Made in: Toronto
This is the Spider radio.  It's really kind of plain, given the fact that it inspired the rest of the collection.  Knowing what I know now, I really should refinish it again and do it properly.  At the very least, I could match up the colours a little better.  Those knobs are converted furniture knobs - the first step in a long line of "cheats" I've attempted when I really have no idea what the part I'm looking for even looks like.  I think they work, though.  I drew up a comic based on this set for Dan's birthday. (I'm the sort of neurotic-looking one.)  The set is still running, though it is now at a friend's house.

 

Make: Westinghouse 
Model: 512 
Year: 1936 
Tubes: 6Q7, 6L7, 6A8, 6F6, 5W4  
Power: 
Schematic: Unavailable 
Acquired: Aberfoyle, 1997 
Made in: Canada (Toronto?)
This was a really rewarding set to work on because it came out so nicely.  I did it for my cousin's wedding.  I was a little leery of it as a gift, since I realize that the radios are my passion, and not everyone shares it with me, but they both loved it and listen to it all the time.  The drawer in the front originally contained a little booklet which listed local broadcasters and some station finders.  I scammed one of these, and my cousin is making a copy of it before I give it back.  On the refinishing page, I will use this set as my example.

 
 
Make: Westinghouse 
Model: 823 
Year: 1936 
Tubes: 6H6, 6F5, 6A8, 6K7, 6L7, 6L6, 5Z3, 6G5  
Power: 
Schematic: Unavailable 
Repaired for boss, 1997 
Made in: Canada (Toronto?)		   
 Look familiar?  This set is the upscale version of the 512 above.  My boss brought this into work about three weeks after I bought the 512.  It only needed a new tube and a good cleaning to bring it to the above state.  The bonus was that I was able to steal the coarse tuning knob and make a copy of it, as well as the booklet from inside the drawer that had all the station listings.  Not a bad turn of events, as I had been completely unable to find either of them.

 
 
 
After
 Make: Westinghouse 
Model: 780-Y 
Year: 1940-41 
Tubes: 6SK7 (2x), 6SA7, 6SQ7, 6F6G, 6U5 
Power: 25/60-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Aberfoyle, 1996 
Made in: Canada (Toronto?)
 
Before
I've had two of these, one of which went to a friend's fiance. (He'd seen mine and liked it, so she asked me to hunt for another like it.) This is the one I gave away. My version is exactly the same, though with a less glossy finish. We had to cast a set of pushbuttons for this one, as they were all missing, plus there was some pretty substantial water damage to the base. It is hard to find in the finished version.  The fiance's mistake was letting his mother see this radio.  It went immediately in her living room and he still hasn't gotten it back.  I may have to get them another one.

 
 
Make: Westinghouse 
Model: 780-Y 
Year: 1940-41 
Tubes: 6SK7 (2x), 6SA7, 6SQ7, 6F6G, 6U5 
Power: 25/60-cycle 
Schematic: Available 
Acquired: Aberfoyle, 1994 
Made in: Canada (Toronto?)		   
This is my version of the above radio.  It had gone completely green before I got it, the chassis was rusted out, and it was generally a hurtin' case.  (No spiders, though.  Serious bonus.) This is the model that is in my room and has my CD-player hooked into it through the phono jack.  I've moved this up to Ottawa and back a couple of times without a scratch.  The only damage came when my roommate's bunny decided it looked interesting and gave it a taste. (Now, I loved this bunny, but there are limits....)

 
Consoles still to come:

Consoles A-RCA
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