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DeForest Crosley DC5
I picked up this DeForest Crosley DC5 at a local auction. I have another with an identical chassis but in a small console cabinet. I would estimate the vintage of these two radios to be about 1926.
The escutcheon calls it a Crosley C5 but a card inside the cabinet calls it a DC5 made by the DeForest Radio Corporation in Toronto, Ontario. The book “Radios of Canada” states that “In the years of 1924 to 1926 some dealers were selling sets that had a mix of Crosley and DeForest characteristics, and calling them DeForest radios.” The same book shows an advertisement for a DeForest & Crosley “C5” but it is a three dialer.
A quick examination indicated that this was not to be a quick restoration. I often acquire these “basket cases” as I enjoy bringing them back to life where many others would junk them. They are also cheap to obtain.
Removing the chassis bolts confirmed that this would be a difficult restoration.
This heavy rust will make complete dismantling of the chassis necessary.
With a heavily rusted chassis I like to gently sandblast them with a small sandblaster and sand obtained at the TSC Store. I do not have a cabinet so I do this outside over the gravel driveway with breathing protection. The small sand blaster is easily controlled whereas a large more powerful one may remove too much metal. Immediately after blasting I apply a couple of coats of Rust Check Rust Converter, available at Canadian Tire Stores. This converts any light rust that remains and acts as a primer for later painting.
The chassis had traces of black paint on it so it was repainted with a low gloss black paint suitable for metal. Some roughness is still evident from the heavy pitting. Often in those cases a Hamertone paint will help.
With the chassis finished I had a pile of very dirty parts to be cleaned and reassembled.
I reassembled the parts using as much of the original wiring as possible. Some small through chassis holes required the use of spaghetti and solid wire. The bypass capacitor was restuffed. Many star washers were used to ensure electrical continuity through the paint.
I was amazed to find that both audio interstage transformers were still good. I had expected that the large amount of moisture that this radio had seen would have damaged them. Often the laminations expand with rust to the point that they break the wires in the primary winding.
The chassis was finished up with new dial strips printed on the computer and new battery wires for testing. Yes I used modern PVC wires for now, a proper harness will need to be made.
Refinishing the cabinet completed the job. The escutcheon is a little too bright, perhaps age will tone it down. The corrosion on it required heavy tactics to remove it.
Ed.
Hi! Ed
That first picture makes it look like a very daunting task. The final result is nothing less than remarkable.
BobHello Ed
I think that this superb restoration would be excellent as an entry to the international restoration contest conducted by the SQCRA, you could represent the CVRS!
Think about it.
Daniel Labelle
Hi ED
Nice job. I have a couple like that and in same shape as what yours started out as or worse than.It will be a long time before I do one as I AM STILL LEARNING.I have visited you and seen your collection and it is marvelous.Hope to visit you again.
BruceBeautiful job, not many people would have attempted it. I just picked up the identical model at the Ottawa club’s auction. Fortunately, mine is in excellent condition! (And apparently working, though it needs a power supply and speaker.)
Some quick pictures at https://plus.google.com/photos/115317717741614936245/albums/6017522353406879361
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