Antique Radio Cabinet Restoration

For practical purposes the service on a vintage radio should be considered as two parts the chassis electronics and the cabinet.

Antique radio cabinet restoration.

When the cabinet is clean rinse it in clean water and leave it to dry naturally. If you spend hundreds of dollars restoring a vintage radio don t expect to recover that money by reselling the restored set. Our cabinet restoration includes full stripping and refinishing of wooden cabinets when desired by our customers. If your radio s wooden cabinet needs refinishing that s an additional cost.

Our technicians are trained to repair all brands of vintage radio from the early 1900 s to the late 1970 s from very rare and priceless antique units to the popular and more sentimental units. Professional refinishing is also labor intensive. I have paid anywhere from 400 to 800 to have a large wooden cabinet completely redone. Simply put photofinish is decorative work applied to the cabinet to dress it up.

The skill and tools required to service each of these two parts is so different that some technicians will only service the chassis and some cabinetmakers will only repair the cabinet. This would include refinishing your radio console inside and out new speaker grille cloth knob decals if needed and cabinet feet. I am very fortunate to have them doing your cabinet repair restoration. Whether it s a zenith rca philco admiral crosley airline ge or a foreign made model such as blaupunkt telefunken norelco and grundig we.

We cover the full range of repairs from simple tube replacement to chassis repair to complete chassis and cabinet restoration. A simple cabinet refinishing will start at 495 with an average cost at around 700. A washing up brush and a toothbrush are useful for getting the muck out of the corners and recesses. Services we offer complete repair and restoration services for vintage and antique electronic equipment with a primary emphasis on radios.

Most people don t even know what photofinish is or if their radio has it on it. The best finish can be obtained by using a specialist bakelite polish. Jim bradt is a well respected radio cabinet restoration specialist. This presentation is part 1 of a class he conducted at the california historical radio so.

The bakelite or plastic cabinet can be washed with warm water and washing up liquid.