That little red indicator light is its connection to Magnavox.....
How do you like the electrical wire I used for piping in the main cabinet? The wire I used housed telephone wires. I removed the wires and just used the empty jacket. It worked out really slick, easy to work with, hard to damage, lays out really nice.
I wondered what a roll of telephone wire would be good for. Now we know....
A good leader is someone who can tell you where to go, and make you look forward to the trip.
Never allow someone who has done nothing to advise you on anything.
electra225 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 4:18 pm
My intention was/is to go thru a parts changer I have that has the Custom tone arm.
If I mess it up, it won't be the end of the world.
You guys can talk me thru it, then, if that is successful, I'll dig this one back out and go thru it. I haven't had a lot of experience with changer servicing, but this one looks really nice, in good shape. If I read the codes right on the underside of the changer, it was built in the 38th week of 1962.
I'll follow your instructions and see what I can do to fix my screw-up.
Thanks for your patience and for your input.
Greg, Let us know when you buy the parts-changer.
Your changer sure was built in Sept 1962.
There are 2 specific videos I'll post then by Jordan P. which address the
V-M 1297 series mechanism, of which the 1245 is a family member.
Once you complete one of these, you will want to do another,
to establish confidence.
That's how I started out on changers.
Who'd a thunk I would ever tackle a Micromatic ?
But now, they are familiar friends (most of the time). [ : )
I restored the operation of the changer in the GE stereo I messed up. It worked real good for about six records. It dropped the next record when I heard something pop. The next record wouldn't drop. Apparently, something in the 45 adapter broke, so now it won't drop records. I used the one out of the Magnavox and it works fine, so it's not the changer.
A good leader is someone who can tell you where to go, and make you look forward to the trip.
Never allow someone who has done nothing to advise you on anything.
William wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 6:03 pm
I like the little red indicator light on the front, it adds class.
Agreed. I'm a sucker for pilot lights and dial lights. I love the yellow glow of 1930s Philco dials and the cool edge-lighted glow of '50s and '60s car radio dials. Those little jewel pilot lights are a big plus.
I will let you in on a couple secrets. First, if you work with Tolex and if I work with it in the future, use contact cement rather than water-borne Tolex glue. First, it sticks better, it will stick Tolex to Tolex and the corners don't roll up. Plus, when you pull the corners up to remove the remnants, the contact cement stays on the wood, Tolex glue can lift, then you have to use Super Glue to fix that. You can use a hair dryer so it will dry faster. It is fumy, use plenty of cross ventilation. Concentrated fumes may make you high. Contact cement is cheaper than Tolex glue.
Second, the grille cloth I used is reversible. I used the back side out. The front side had too much gold and the pattern looked clunkier. The reverse side had more red and more white.
A good leader is someone who can tell you where to go, and make you look forward to the trip.
Never allow someone who has done nothing to advise you on anything.
I'll let you in on another little secret. I just spent four miserable days in bed with an infection in my throat from breathing the fumes of contact cement. Of course, typical me, I found out AFTER I got sick that they make water-borne contact cement. I have to be really careful of breathing strong chemical fumes. Very careful. I got in a hurry, my mind wasn't in the right place, I got careless, now I just spent four days in bed paying for it. Weldwood makes water-borne contact cement. It's a tad higher than the stinky kind, but it's a cheap price to pay if the other stuff makes me sick. There are other brands as well, but I'm not sure what is available locally. Even if you are necessarily sensitive to chemical fumes, please be careful when working with any chemical without adequate ventilation. We live and learn....
A good leader is someone who can tell you where to go, and make you look forward to the trip.
Never allow someone who has done nothing to advise you on anything.
If its any consolation ... your project looks good I used contact cement when I recovered the transoceanic, I used it in the garage with the doors open , but yea the fumes are nasty , that stuff will kill ya probably should use a respirator like when painting cars? ...
I have a quart of Weldwood water-borne contact cement on order. It is alleged to be low order with some kind of govment nomenclature that says so. Water-borne Tolex glue is nearly odorless. Water-borne Weldwood is about 7 bucks a quart more than the solvent-based kind. I must be really careful and I wasn't. That is on me, but I got smarter the last few days......
A good leader is someone who can tell you where to go, and make you look forward to the trip.
Never allow someone who has done nothing to advise you on anything.
The main cabinet is done. I'm two screws shy, for some reason, so the RH lower lid latch is not on. It's not possible that I miscounted, now is it? Anyways, it is what it is. I wanted to get a picture playing a Connie Francis record. And with the little red pilot light on. This thing seriously needs a new needle. I've got a list going in to Gary that can cure the national debt....I'll give myself a couple days to get over the crud, then I'll get back on the other wing speaker.
A good leader is someone who can tell you where to go, and make you look forward to the trip.
Never allow someone who has done nothing to advise you on anything.
I realize most people don't restore nice items, but this thing was pretty far gone. And, I have to admit, I'm getting tired of messing with this thing. Would I do THIS one again, if I had the chance? Probably. I like orphans, things many would turn their noses up at. I would also not do overlap joints. Even if I had to redo a panel I cut wrong, butt joints just look better. I'm satisfied with the colors. They are distinctive without being gawdy. Red grille cloth would certainly have been too much. On the gray metal tube cover, this set is coded "Black", but was produced in gray. Gray and white with silvery grille cloth and two colors of trim, gold and silver. Trim colors are not carved in stone on this unit, since it was used as a parts set. We bought it as a parts set and we used parts from this one on Don's. I can't swear this is the original changer to this stereo, but it is the same model that would have come in the stereo from the factory. This particular changer still has a factory GE needle, or a genuine replacement. If the changer and the needle are indeed factory items to this stereo, it is a low-hour set. The reason I won't do overlap joints again is that I have trouble getting Tolex to stick to Tolex on the overlap. I have to use Super Glue on ends and corners that don't stick right. That is tacky to my way of thinking, pardon the pun. If the water-borne contact cement works as well as the solvent-borne type, then we are golden. If not, my days of doing Tolex are done. I can't breathe the fumes of solvent based contact cement and I don't like how Tolex glue works.
If you decide to put Tolex on a cabinet with piping, don't worry if you can't find the right size. Interior shops and craft shops sell piping, along with guitar amp shops, such as AES, but you may not have access to those facilities. Electrical wiring works really slick. It comes in many sizes and colors and can be painted if you so desire. Press it in the groove with a screen piping tool, available at home stores, then use a drop of Super Glue on the corners to help stabilize it. Cut it to length, a fuzz too long, maybe 1/8" too long. This lets it smoosh into the corners and gaps without bending or looping. Make sure you remove the writing on the wiring before you install it. I used two sizes of white wire on this project.
One minor faux pas to report. I don't know exactly where the bracket for the 45 adapter goes. I didn't document it.
A good leader is someone who can tell you where to go, and make you look forward to the trip.
Never allow someone who has done nothing to advise you on anything.
The Tolex is finally done on this stereo. I still have the hardware to install, but the hard part is over. Water-borne contact cement works really nice, except the Tolex-on-Tolex areas. I'm sure the trouble I'm having is from a lack of experience. I still need to glom down some of the corners with Super Glue. The water-borne material is essentially odorless, which is a good thing for me. It doesn't turn hard in the brush if you store the brush when you are between panels in a little bowl of water. You can wash the brush out and use it again. I'm glad this is finally done. I'll get pictures when I'm not so beat.
A good leader is someone who can tell you where to go, and make you look forward to the trip.
Never allow someone who has done nothing to advise you on anything.
