About My Website
This is not a
"for-profit" business but
rather a retirement hobby
with the objective of
preserving vintage radios
and phonographs so they will
continue to be used by
future generations.
I approach this objective
from three directions:
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1931
De Forest Crossley Clock Radio |
1933 General Electric
Model K-80 |
First: I
salvage radios that are
about to become part of a
landfill or left to rot in
someone's backyard. To
ensure that they function
flawlessly for many years to
come I do a complete and
comprehensive restoration
that involves replacing 90
to 100% of all internal
components along with
several tubes. I then
perform a complete alignment
before restoring the
cabinet. It many cases this
requires striping and
refinishing the cabinet
however whenever possible I
try to keep the original
finish. I then replace
the decals, lens and dials
where needed. Upon
completion each radio is
very much as it was when
first offered for sale with
the exception of the vacuum
tubes which normally have
several hours on them
although still within
original specifications.
Second: I
offer options to promote
the use of the vintage radio
by incorporating a module to
play Bluetooth, FM and MP3.
This enables the owner to
use the radio much as it was
intended for daily
entertainment. This
feature can be incorporated
in two ways; as a
stand-alone unit that
transmits an AM signal to
the radio or fully
integrated in the radio
activated by a remote
control.
Third:
As mentioned this
is a hobby with a purpose of
promoting the use of old
radios. Therefore, my
business objective is to
break-even at best. In
most cases I spend $100 to
$200 in the restoration
process, mostly purchasing
replacement parts. When
added to the average
cost of acquiring project
radios of $50 to $100 it
puts my break-even prices in
the order of $200 to $300.
This is a milestone that I
rarely achieve in my thirst
to make room in my shop for
new projects.
Play
music
from
your SmartPhone or
listen
to your
favorite
FM
Station
on your
old AM
radio
click
here |
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Current Restorations
Available to Purchase: |
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To Purchase a Radio email me at: |
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