Ekco A104 radio speaker grill.

[boater sam]

In a moment of madness I dug out this old A104 set to see if it was worth spending time on.
A quick check showed a rotten rubber mains lead, speaker leads cut, lots of dust, and a completely wrong tuner string set up.
Powered up it produced some noises. A change of THE capacitor restored the correct bias on the UL41 output valve. Then realised that the UBC41 and the UF41 had been swapped round! Put right, it works!
Even the UL41 is OK.
Removing the speaker and support panel which also carries the tuning scale glass and frame I realised that the front fret was a strange perforated gold plastic moulding which is too small all round for the rebate in the cabinet front. It looks like something that should be in the front of a transistor radio. I have an early PAM TB60 tranny with similar stuff.
Clearly not original, distorted and a lousy fit, but what should be there?
A look on the Radio Museum site shows a dark fabric looking fret across the whole front. 
The question is what it is and what it mounts on, is it speaker fabric and is it backed with a thin wood panel?
If anyone has one of these sets could they let me know please and  upload a good 'photo?
 

[Yorkie]

I don't think that fabric on the one on the RMORG forum is original.

The stuff you described was widely used by several makers - I think yours may well look like the 104 featured here:

http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/attac...ntid=57904&d=1319815341

I've attached a pic of my Pye 'PM94MBQ' which used that type of plastic grille.

Unfortunately, though there are about four versions of the service data for the 104, none of them have a good picture.

[boater sam]

That's it, thanks David.
But this one is gold, or was before it got filthy. And why is it too small? It is literally  missing 8mm all round.
It is so small that I can see round the edges and appears to have been stuck on with a "string" of red mastic goo. The distortion means it is sticking out through the front near the speaker.
I cannot believe that this plastic could shrink that much. Even if it has been spray painted.
Anyway, it will have to be replaced with something. I'm thinking along the lines of a thin MDF board covered with my favorite woven plastic fabric place mat. I can then remount the tuning scale surround on this.
Unless anyone has a better idea?
Incidentally, what an odd way of securing the tuning scale glass into the surround?

[Aerodyne]

The plastic does indeed shrink, Sam. I think your idea of using an MDF panel has merit. It's a matter of making up the thickness of the grille in some way, to fill the gap around the scale escutcheon.
The plastic on an A104 I worked on some years back had shrunk to expose the edges, very untidy. Sadly I can't find photographs of how I got around it but I know I did, using a grille cloth as a replacement. I must have adapted the escutcheon mounting method to allow it to sit flat on the fabric. I believe the shrinking of the original plastic grille was made worse by exposure to heat, perhaps from proximity to an open fire. The A144 uses a similar grille plastic and I've restored one of those, but fortunately in that example the plastic had shrunk only minimally and I was able to re-set it to reach the cabinet edges without a gap showing.
Tony

[boater sam]

Thank you Tony, for reassuring me that I am not going mad and indeed it has shrunk.
How is another matter, perhaps its shrinking £ syndrome, and its a lot. Glad my jeans don't shrink this much.
The rebate in the front of the cabinet is 6mm so I should be able to fit a filler panel and fret. I could even get expanded metal in.
This set is incredible, I have never seen such a mess of a drive cord before. The knob went one way, the needle the other and the tuning cap part way between the 2, in the wrong direction as well!
The spec is for part wire/part cord but I have restrung it the right way round with cord only and it is fine.

[Aerodyne]

It's worth checking for loose IFT cores, Sam. The general performance of the set, once serviced, should be very good.
There would be more than enough room for for expanded metal grille. I believe I used fabric, probably making up the gap with an MDF or ply panel. I seem to recall doing as you have with the drive cord, too.
Comforting to know that your £s are shrinking as fast as mine are.
Tony

[boater sam]

It does seem to be a sensitive set, proper aerial coupling must help. Strangely the volume cannot be reduced to nothing and there is some audio distortion, will explore further. Short wave seems to be very lively.
I'll get some of the waxy 0.1uf caps replaced and see how it goes.
All coil cores are in place- thankfully.

[boater sam]

Decided on 4mm ply as a filler/facia board. Fret sawed a panel with cut outs for the tuning scale and to let the sound out of the speaker. Fits beautifully, now got to find a suitable fret fabric.
The distortion on the audio was residual 50 Hz hum, a couple of hours to reform the smoothing caps has cured it.
Volume control only goes to nought after the mains switch has clicked off. I can't see an answer to this without replacing it and that seems a shame as otherwise it is fine.
I may get round to some 'photos later.

[AlanBeckett]

A lot of Pyes didn't go to Zero Volume but that was on purpose because the Mains ON/OFF was on the Tone Control.

Alan

[boater sam]

A few pictures of the Ekco, note how much the fret has shrunk. The new ply backing is the correct size for the rebate in the front of the cabinet.
The plastic surround for the tuning scale glass has turned silver on the outside, I am assuming it was originally gold as is the back of the plastic fret. It will be a spray job. Now to find a suitable fret material.
Perhaps after last night it should be blue?