Restoring Philips Radiogram

shafic

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Restoring Philips Radiogram
F9X 38A/05 Made in Holland



Recently I got a call from one of my acquaintance regarding a radiogram with couple of photographs. It looked huge and in bad shape. I thought the speakers could be of use to me. I was not interested in that cabinet.

I sent my people to collect that radiogram from an old Parsi couple. As it was very heavy they dismantled some components ( TT, RTR) and brought everything down from 3rd floor. I was thinking of throwing away the cabinet.

My person sent me couple of pics of catalogue, service manual and NOS styli etc etc. I browsed the net and came to know that it was a top of the line product of Philips, Holland.

This made me feel that giving away that cabinet in scrap was like throwing away a piece of history. Although I am very short of space I could not bring myself to let this piece be destroyed.
I decided to try and restore it.

It had been abandoned for years, maybe decades. Each components had thick layers of dust on it. Otherwise everything was intact and original although little rusty.

The first step was to get the cabinet in to a presentable shape so that I could bring it in to my house.

It took three people one week of hard work ( scraping, cleaning, polishing etc) to bring it to a decent shape. I changed the veneer of the top panel, put some sunmica in the bottom. It is made of particle board layered with real wood veneer. Finally now it rests in my living room.

As for the components, there is a long road ahead.

I am very happy that I could save this rare historical audio piece from going to scrap.

Here are some pics.

Thanks for reading.


 
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Great restoration of old beauty and your hard work is not wasted. It is a colorful page from the history of audio and Home entertainment.
 
well done, also the only person who i believe can work on radios like this one, is Mr. Pandu Rajan
on another note, out here in India, it is very hard to find good carpenters and technicians for restoration, you are really lucky to have such good people to work for you. great going!!
 
well done, also the only person who i believe can work on radios like this one, is Mr. Pandu Rajan
on another note, out here in India, it is very hard to find good carpenters and technicians for restoration, you are really lucky to have such good people to work for you. great going!!
Thank you Reuben.
Will contact Mr. Pandurajan soon.
I know this restoration is an uphill task. I will definitely ask your help.
You are an inspiration for many of us.
Thank you.
 
Hello
Shafic
Really a good job done by you. Holland Philips Radiogram is itself a piece of history that attracted eyes of a true audiophile like you. No word is enough to greet you for your endeavour to breathe in a new life to this beauty. You have done a praiseworthy job.
Regards
Thank you Bhaskar ji for your kind words.
 
Shafic, I am so happy you decided to restore it. How could you even think of throwing it out?:)

All the best for your restoration.
 
Very classy..This is a classic.Just keep everything in pristine condition.Enjoy.I also believe in the joy of restoration and optimising the product thereafter.Keep it up.
 
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