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   In 2001 I received a call from a  retired repairman who was cleaning out his garage. He had two radios, this one and a Philco 48-460. Needless to say, they both followed me home. This radio sat on a shelf for the next five years, in miserable condition, waiting for that chance to once again come to life. The radio had several damaged parts, including broken tubes, a cracked dial glass, and veneer damage.

    The electronics received the usual repairs. New capacitors were restuffed, including the electrolytics. The rubber coated wired were badly dry rotted, so they all had to be replaced, taking the time to route the new wires in the same path as the originals. This radio was designed to be powered using batteries or 120 volts AC. A battery eliminator would easily work to power this radio, but I opted to power it using AC.

    The cabinet was solid, with the exception of the bottom strip of veneer, which was almost totally missing.  Just by luck I had a huge stash of veneer from a veneer factory I did some work at, so I was able to match up the wood. The new veneer was cut to size, and submerged in a pan of boiling water for several minuets. Once pliable, it was bent around the radio, and clamped down using some big rubber bands, bar clamps, and C clamps. Twenty four hours later, it was dry, and in the form of the cabinet. Next some wood glue was painted on, the veneer applied, and it was clamped down.  Since the original finish color was unknown, some Mowhawk brand toning lacquers were used to build a new finish. Below center: the new veneer glued in place.