Rebuild 1937 Marconi Model 114 cabinet radio

[Legtod2]

While I am waiting for parts for my jukebox rebuild its time to get to one of my childhood radios.
Growing up I had a 1937 Marconi model 114 cabinet radio in my room. This thing was really cool.

After decades of abuse, dings, scratches the radio was left alone collecting dust.

My plan is to completely refinish top to bottom. The shell will be stripped to bare wood, replace peeling vener, replace speaker cloth, rebuild amp.

Going to add an auxiliary input for mp3. Lets face it how much am or shortwave do I really plan on listening to.

This radio has 3/4 oak all the way arround. Why would you put vener over that, I'm not sure. Oh well it going to be restored to what it originally looked like.
I have the marconi sitting beside my 1946 Philco radio cabinet. The woodwork on the Marconi is much nicer.

[ed12]

same builder
just phico was what was called a poor mans radio
marconi top of the line
is yours ac plug or dc battery's ?
1 of mine is dc batteryand the exact same floor model i have is ac driven
they look beatui when rebuilt

ed

[Ken Layton]

When rebuilding old radio circuitry, I like to buy the capacitors from Just Radios in Canada:

http://www.justradios.com/

They've got the best prices, styles, and values of capacitors.

[ed12]

yes ken correct

ed

[Legtod2]

Slight typo on my part this is the cabinet version not counter top version.
Model 113 and Model 114 Same radio different cab. Both the Canadian models.

This one is the AC not DC. (Batteries not included) radio..

[ed12]

yes correct
they came as 2 models
floor is ac-in
counter top was batterys >>98 volt<< + 6.3 vdc

ed

[pbj]

 

[Legtod2]

Removing the vener was a bit of a challeng arround the left and right pillars, especially on the top arches.
Lucky for me the wood under neath is all oak. I used a putty knife and rubber hammer.

Radio is all capped and done. Have not run my aux port yet for mp3 input. My plan is just to run a simple switch that toggles between radio and mp3. Later I'll replace the switch with my logic circuits to the raspberry pi to its music storage system. The pi will run mopidy web front end so I can control music from apple tablet.

See picture below. Recaped radio, and vener removed with trial fitting of new vener on left side. Notice new wooden cap on top of right pillar.

[Legtod2]

I have not tested the radio yet, want to add the aux port and switch first.

Next I should look at speaker and the new speaker cloth install.

My skills at installing new speaker cloth kinda sucks. Anybody want to chime in and give some suggestions on best method of attaching the cloth to wood.  Glue, staples, velcrow, double sided tape magnets corner, thumb tacks, etc what worksbest.

My agenda today is gluing vener to pillars and speaker grill.

[Ken Layton]

I saw three "MicaMold" capacitors under the chassis that you did not replace but should have.

Also, did you replace or "restuff" the two can style capacitors? It looks like the one can style which has a nut on it wasn't touched.

[Legtod2]

Ken,

Let me be honest. I am just beginning to learn how to do this new hobby of mine. I am bound to make many mistakes. I got done what stuff I had on hand from hand me downs from my brother. Most is just self taught and lurking in forum web sites. That how I learned to build a pinball machine from scratch including building my own driver, cpu, lamp boards and software logic.

Any way his hobby of rebuilding jukeboxes, grammaphones etc rubbed off. I have a number of projects that he never started that are hand me downs. Some thing is true for old caps, resistors, etc.
 
My hope is the community will offer pointers and educate me on the right way to do this stuff. I'll admit I have built a few frankenstien devices but I learn from building things from the seat of my pants

[ed12]

i am just courious as to how u are tie in a mp3 ?
as that unit is fully stage coupled

ed

[Dermbrian]

I greatly admire your electronic and woodworking skills and willingness to tackle a value-add restoration like you're doing.  I have four vintage radios (1929 Pooley low-boy cabinet with a 1931 Philco in it, a 1938 Zentih 'chairside', a 1941 Silvertone console with record player/record cutter, and 1961 Philips transistor tabletop), and I regret giving away a 1939 Zenith shutterdial console.

Like you, I don't have much interest in AM radio as it exists today (unless I were DX-ing and trying to receive distant cities) and shortwave, to be honest, is dead as a hobby.  I have a decent shortwave radio, but there is very little listenable content anymore.

What I chose to do is convert all four to be, basically, Bluetooth speakers.  I don't gut them, I just move stuff out of the way and use what I can.  I light the dials with LED's, hook up the power switch to turn on the bluetooth receiver and a small amp inside, and listen through a two-channel single speaker in the bigger radios and use a mono bluetooth speaker rewired to the existing speaker in the 1961 tabletop radio.

My biggest write up and biggest effort is detailed here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Antique-Radio-as-Bluetooth-Speaker/

I have several videos of them in operation, too:

https://www.youtube.com/user/dermbrian/videos

Everyone of them gets frequent use, listening to my mp3 collection, our Amazon Echo(!), and a phone app called 1RadioNews that plays english language news broadcasts from dozens of countries.  I can pretend very easily that they are actually radios playing as radios and not Bluetooth speakers. 

Good luck finishing up your radio.  I'd love to see a video of it working when you're done.

Brian

[Legtod2]

I will share some youtubes of it in action. I have three projects on the go right now.
Building an arduino powered pinball machine, jukebox, and this radio.

Here is the arduino powered pinball work in process


Here is one of my first jukeboxes a seeburg sl1


And here are some before and after of my 1946 Philco

[Legtod2]

Here is the cabinet with the left pillar vener installed. Some glue penetrated the thin vener and can be seen near the middle of section. My methods of binding the wood to the curve at the top required a gradual gluing and rebinding approach. This would have been simpler if if build a curved mold for the top section, but maybe next time.

I also was distracted for a craft beer sampling session hosted at the liquor store. A few dozen craft beer companies showed up for free taste testings. A mans gotta have priorities... beer or working on a hobby. Yesterday I did both.
My favorite was from pumphose beer, love my blueberry beer, and something called radler. The radler is a lite beer with a hint of grapefruit juice. Strange combination but its great as a summer hot thirst quencher. Oh yah, forgot to mention. The pumphouse beer group had a ballet for a Penny farington bike. I signed that ballet, how cool would it be to tour the block on a Penny? Can't be any worse then riding my unicycle arround the block.


Ok back to work for me.

[Legtod2]

Eighty years ago these speaker grills were added and today they are new

[Legtod2]

The vener is on. I have found some wrinkling of the vener 3/4 of the way on top right pillar.

Going to try a moist cloth and iron to smooth it out. Once it becomes plyable I will do my best to flatten it out.

On another note my capacitors arrived from digikey.ca for my jukebox. Oh boy

[Legtod2]

Getting closer stain on and first coat of poly.

[pbj]

This is really looking good, bro.

 

[Legtod2]

Speaker grill installed - check
Pillisters installed - check
4 oak knobs refinished - check

Looking better - check, check

[Mike A]

I really like this.

[Legtod2]

Get ready for youtube video. She is done.

My auxilary input is now installed.
I have my raspberry pi 2 with mopidy installed.

The radio works perfectly receiving from its interal radio stations or from the aux input.

What a beautiful fully function machine that we enjoy every day.
My 80 year old Marcon is ready for it new life and continue for a century of service.

I have two more radios to complete, a 1937 RCA victor and a 1931 Philips model 90.
The RCA and the Marconi are both 80 years old but the cabinet on the marconi was built with solid oak.

[Legtod2]

Here is the link to the youtube video

[Legtod2]

Dermbrian

Love your youtube collection and radios. I am using the original tube radio as amp.
No bluetooth here.

I am in process of using mycroft instead of amazon echo for voice control

Since I already have a web interface but voice control will bring it over the edge.

[adgloride]

Considering how the radio started out it  looks like you’ve performed a miracle.