Grundig 3028 Cabinet Restore

[Geaney]

                        I thought I'd post this here for anyone interested in the woodwork side of things. The cab has suffered some abuse over the years so hopefully I can get it looking OK without having to re-veneer. I've removed the brightwork and stripped all the finish. Apart from the damage to the top there is also damage to the lower edge. I'm not sure how I'll address that. The major issue to be sorted first is the major dip in the top panel. I clamped it straight for a few days but no luck. Now I've removed the original rear top brace and replaced it with a hardwood one of larger dimensions and glued it in place with a straight edge reference. I'm hopping the glue will hold it straight. If it works I can get on to the rest of the repair then think about finish.....

Cheers,

John
BTW, the chassis now works but a lot of cab work before I put it back together again.

[AlanBeckett]

John,
If that arrangement doesn't keep it flat the next step will have to be an RSJ
Alan

[Yorkie]

Thanks for taking the trouble to post the pics John. Glad to hear that the chassis is sorted and now works well!

It's such an iconic radio that it deserves the radical treatment that you are subjecting it to, and that it's fallen into your hands (or rather you travelled a long round trip to collect it!), and that you have the skills and motivation to to it justice. Presumably, with the cabinet being so wide (or should that be 'long'?), the heat from the valves over time has caused the dip in the top? It's haerd to see what more you could do to try to remedy that.

Looking forward to the next installment!

[Geaney]

OK, her'e my hardwood 'RSJ' - seems to be holding the top nice and flat now. I may cut it down to the same dimensions as the original but for now I'll leave the extra wood there. Next will be to find a fix for the damaged veneer around the top and bottom edges......

Given the history of this set, the sag was likely to have been caused by it being sat on fairly regularly!

Cheers, John

[Mark R]

Nice job John, looking good!

cheers Mark

[Geaney]

Serious de-lamination on the speaker mounting board. This was undoubtedly another cause of the rattling sounds when I tried to drive the speaker at reasonable volume. Hopefully I got all of it.

I made a new speaker gasket from two layers of felt I got at the local art supply place.

Alas the speaker cloth has had it so I'll have to hunt for a replacement for that. The metal grill was glued to the cloth and the cloth was glued to the board. Getting the metal grill off the cloth meant there was no way it was gong to survive...

Cheers,

John
       

[Geaney]

Speaker wiring replaced (got rid of the rusted staples used as cable clamps). Cleaned and repainted the main speaker grill. Now hunting for replacement speaker cloth - you can see the pattern in the remnant next to the speaker board. I've ordered up something sort of similar from eBay - will try it out when it arrives.

Cheers, John

[Retired]

Hi,

It's in good hands John and you are making steady progress. It will be interesting to see how this one turns out. I hope the top remains un-bowed allowing you to crack on with the restoration. Good luck.

Kind regards, Col.

[Geaney]

So far so good, the top seems to be staying nice and flat. I've sorted out the top edge but the bottom edge will take a while - the veneer is is poor shape especially along one side. Under normal circumstances I'd simply re-veneer the whole thing but given the history of the set I'll try to keep the original as much as possible. However I will have to put a binding strip along the bottom edge. There are places where the veneer is paper thin so I assume it got a bit too much sanding when it was being made.

Anyway, while I'm waiting for the grain filler to dry I started on the brightwork. It looks like proper brass with varnish. There are various types of damage to the surface so I need to get the varnish off. So far nothing I've tried has had much of an impact - acetone, alcohol, paint thinners, etc. If any of you guys know the knack of getting this off without me spending hours with wet and dry paper I'd be most grateful.

Progress is being made on the cab but it's s...l...o...w...

Cheers,
John

[Joe]

Paint stripper or ammonia may be worth a go.

- Joe