Scratch Build – In Progress Zenith Antique Radio Complete Case Build- Update 24Nov10

This was very nice. Should dress up any room.
How about a full ATX build to go along with this one?

 

The problem though is that most radio cases aren't very deep, which is why I built my own case from scratch. That and the fact that a real Zenith 5-s-29 radio case can run hundreds of dollars or more if you can even find one. Most of the radios I've seen are no more than 12 inches deep, which isn't going to work for a full ATX MB.

 

MORE Finished pics!

And fancy sending us some niec large pics of the build and a project log so we can stick this on the front page? It's really excellent with some keen attention to detail and modding tricks that everyone should know

 

That would be excellent. I just sent you a PM regarding this with a couple of questions for you. Thanks.

 

Jump on this! The more front page we get, the more people will browse us with the Dremel addicted dreams.

john

 

Final Pics

I'm working on a revised case log for what will hopefully be the front page but here are some final pics.

I'm not satisfied with the internal shots due to the lighting, and may retake those. This is after a lot of work in Photoshop this week.

 

It's just gorgeous, the front fascia in particular.

I sure hope that in the near future you get the opportunity to work with a less "grainy" wood, the better to display your design skills.

 

Thanks Steve. Next time maybe I'll go back to Poplar, or see if there is some way I can source some Cherry wood. I have a friend at work who has a planer so if I could find some Cherry, I could glue it to width and plane it to thickness.

 

To those of us old enough to have owned these or worked on vacuum tubes/valves in college, the wood is just right. Well done.
Next one will be.....?

 

That's nice to know from someone who has been there done that on this kind of radio. Sweet!

As for the next one, I've got several things mulling in my mind so I still remain undecided.

 

My wife Marilyn and I are both originally from Sioux City, Iowa. Zenith was one of the major local employers until they went overseas. Huge 1 story assembly building later taken over by GM to build throttle bodies for their cars.
Zenith hold a special spot for us. Almost everyone in town had Zenith TVs and big console radio record players. My electronics college had Zenith stuff everywhere for vacuum tube training classes.

 

It's a shame that so much manufacturing has gone overseas to third world countries. They still don't get paid a living wage, and our entire system and economy as well as many other countries' are being completely undermined. And that is all thanks to our gov't.

Anyway, I got in some of that Petras gel stuff from Petrastechshop.com, and replaced the foam that I had under the pump with it. I have to say I am really impressed. With the foam which was about 1/4" thick, I could feel a little pump vibration around the pump area. With the gel stuff, there is not one tiny bit of vibration to be felt at all. Very impressive for some stuff that is only about 1/4" thick and costs $3. Now I know why everyone raves about it.

 

I got some new tools for Christmas from me for me. Could be useful sometime in the future...

I got this from a friend at work for $100. It is an older cast iron Craftsman contractor scroll saw in mint condition. They don't make scroll saws like this anymore. It must weight 70lbs table and all. This thing is like a porsche compared to my little previous scroll saw I used on this an previous projects.





This bending brake is going to come in handy also.



With a coupon, this bending brake was only $30 + $6 for a couple of good C clamps. Given that it would probably cost me that much to try to make one myself, I opted for the easy way out. It will bend up to 16 gauge (1.6mm). I can't seem however to find a scoring tool to score sheet metal before bending it to make for cleaner bends.

I've also got a new Dremel variable speed rotary tool waiting for me to unwrap it. I've worn out my 3 speed Black and Decker, and I am so looking forward to having variable speeds.

Now I just need to find an older router in good shape to buy. I hate my Craftsman plastic router. It won't hold a depth I set no matter what, and only takes 1/4" bits. I'm looking at one on Craigslist currently that I hope will work out.

 

Very tidy job there matey. New skool hidden as old school =)

 

@voigts I'm working on finishing up a mod of a 1940s Philco cabinet. I'm having a hell of a time figuring out how to get knobs to act as power/reset buttons. Can we get some information ( and possibly some shots ) of how you hooked up the knobs to the switches? How does the user interact with them?

I'd also love to know where you ordered your replica knobs from (and maybe the cost?)

Great work, and thanks for all of the information you've posted so far

 

Thank you!

I just used these vandal resistant knobs: http://www.moddersmart.com/en/vandal-resistant-switch.html , and used double sided tape to stick the knobs onto the switches. The thick 3m kind of double sided tape is very durable. You just push on the knobs to reset and turn on/off. The middle knob has a magnet stuck to the backside so that it covers the front USB ports. The top most knob is just for looks.

I got my knobs from http://www.alanjesperson.com/. He specializes in Zenith reproduction parts. I paid about $25 for all 4 knobs ( I think).

Do you have a worklog of your 1940s Philco mod?

 

Wow did I score another hit (via Craigslist). I've been looking for a good table saw for quite some time. The table saws I look at new are all in the $700+ range, so I've been trying to find a good used one for some time. I tripped across a table saw a few days ago on Craigslist, and couldn't pass on the deal. One guy owned this saw for about 4 years and barely used it, and they ran about $700 new then. It had a bit of surface rust on the top, but nothing serious, and the table extension needs a bit of aligning as it has sagged a bit, but this saw is in excellent condition. It even comes with the router extension. I landed it for only $150. Sweet!

 

Good find voigts that's a bargain at $150.

 

A table saw is such a nice tool to have, makes straight cuts so much easier to do. Have fun with it

 

@voigts Thanks for the tips. Much appreciated! Unfortunately I don't have a detailed work log for this. It's just been something I've been poking at from time to time over the last few months. I do have some pictures of the very beginning and then the the end of the stage I'm at now, and I'm about to redo the way the components fit, so maybe I'll take some more pics and explain what all I did. That's about as close to a log as I can get I'm afraid.