Magnavox TP-241D record player cabinet restoration

[electra225]

I have a couple of spots that need Super Glue. I didn't get enough glue in tight spots. I also learned that you use a new end of the razor blade on each cut. A dull blade is your worst enemy. It lets you slip and make the wrong cut. I use a magic marker to mark the end of a blade when I use it. They are still good enough to use for "regular" operations but I want a fresh blade for each cut. I also covered the decal with weight overnight. They guy who made it recommended that. Bill, I'm getting into this. I'm in way deeper than I intended, but it's addictive. I need to come up with a glue applicator that is better than a paint brush. I hope one more session will finish the bottom cabinet. Then on to the grill, take the changer apart to paint the tone arm and overarm. Install the Magnavox emblem in the grill. Then finish the changer, drive tire, mounts, needle and platter mat.

The power cord is brown. It would look better white. I may start a poll.

[William]

Greg, how about using a small/tiny paint roller to apply the glue?

Bill

[electra225]

The glue instructions says to use a wet paint brush, and to put it into water after each use. The water doesn't thin the glue enough to hurt it apparently. The glue dries on the tips of the brush even putting it in water. I cut a quarter of an inch off the brush occasionally to keep the bristles from getting stiff. The tip of my finger works well in small areas and tight spots. Cleaner with ammonia or alcohol will take the dried glue off my hands. I can't use gloves because the gloves stick to the Tolex and it doesn't want to come apart. I'd think the glue would dry and build up on a roller.

[electra225]

I put Tolex on the bottom of the cabinet in one piece, or at least I tried to. What little information I got on installing Tolex on a record player cabinet suggested doing the bottom in four pieces. That would have necessitated two joints in the front of the cabinet. I got the brilliant idea of installing the bottom in one piece. I did cut it a bit long in case I got it started crooked. And, of course, I got it started crooked. I put it on in two pieces. It looks fine. The next bottom I do, I won't be so bullheaded, and will listen to good advice. There is a reason they recommend putting Tolex on in four pieces. I have one more piece of Tolex to install and I'll be done with it. The hard part will then be over.

[William]

Congrats on almost being done. You have done your work well and when done it will look great, I have confidence.

Bill

[electra225]

I appreciate your encouragement, Bill. After I finish the Tolex, next up will probably be finding a usable Magnavox emblem. I killed the one I had trying to "make it better". Then, I need to paint the grille, then get the tone arm and overarm off the changer so they can be sanded and painted. This procedure will guarantee the changer will never operate correctly again. I haven't found the correct colors of paint yet. I may end up at an automotive paint store to get the right colors. I need to order a drive tire, motor mounts, platter mat and needle from Gary. I understand he is swamped, so that may take a bit to get those all here. There is a scratch on the motor board I'd like to be gone, but I'll rub it out best I can, the remaining scratch will be part of its personality. I'd like to replace the power cord with a white one. Magnavox used the same brown power cord on everything. A brown cord will match the changer better, a white cord will match the cabinet better. Maybe I should start a poll?......

The power cord is stored in an area under the changer. If you put the whole cord in there, you have to fish it out. I'd like a bigger plug on the cord so that wouldn't happen. Also, I figured out why Magnavox didn't put grille cloth on the speaker board. The fingers from the Magnavox emblem would impact the cloth. So, if I use cloth, I'll have to put it on the grille, not the speaker board. The jury is still out on that. It would look better, but might be more trouble than it's worth.

[William]

You will do just fine with the changer; I will walk you thru it when the time comes. Please refresh my memory, what was behind the speaker grille? Just the speaker board with the speakers mounted to it?

Bill

[electra225]

Yes, that is about all. The speaker board is actually ported. You can see the tubes glowing thru the speaker grille. My plan is to put black grille cloth over the speaker board. The cone for the RCA radio speaker I am using shows thru the grille and looks ugly. It is dirty tan/brown. The original speaker has a black cone. I used some "gorilla snot" on the original speaker to see if I can get it to stop rattling. Better, but no joy, or not enough to put it back into the cabinet. I did it one more time. I'd sure like to have the original speaker in this record player. I played some 78's this afternoon. All I can tell you is that this little record player makes lots of good sound with P-P 35C5's. I'm impressed. The thing has bass like a 93 series, and that with an 8" speaker. I will need to remove the chassis from the speaker board, remove both speakers to put on grille cloth. I'm going to kick myself later if I don't do it. BTW, the Tolex is all done. I want to go over it well and put Super Glue on a couple spots the adhesive didn't get put on heavy enough. The next time, I'll do a couple things differently, but, over all, I'm happy with it. I need to go to the local Ace hardware and get some screws and things. They might also have paint that will work.

[William]

Good job, Greg, you should be proud, and it sounds good too.

Bill

[electra225]

I have some pictures I thought I'd share. I don't want to give away the final product yet, but I have so many pictures, I won't be able to keep them straight unless I post some.

I'll try to get these in some semblance of order. First, I marked off the cabinet for the 1/2" overlap of the "color" over the white in the changer compartment. Then I painted in the corners anyplace that would have white Tolex. It is possible to cut the Tolex straight, cutting against a METAL straight edge. It is also possible that the wood in the cabinet is not perfectly square. So, when the Tolex is applied, bare wood may show thru. To prevent this unhappy eventuality, I painted the corners white. Then there is a picture showing the tools I used. In that picture, you may notice strips of green masking tape, stuck to the cardboard I was using to cover the workbench. I used that masking tape to measure the pieces I needed to cut. It is impossible to bend a tape measure over all the lips and dips in the cabinet, so I put masking tape from Point A to Point B, then measured the tape laying out flat. That worked really slick. Then a couple pictures playing a Les Paul 78, and the cute little four tube amp with its glittery tubes.

Naturally, I posted them backwards. Just read right to left, and stand on your head, they will then be in the right order......

Putzing with the cabinet as much as I did paid off BIG when I installed the Tolex. You need the substrate solid before you apply Tolex.

[William]

It looks good, Greg and kind of give me confidence I might be able to recover my RCA in Tolex.

Bill

[electra225]

You can do it, Bill. I really like the idea of using masking paper to practice the different cuts, particularly if they are angled or otherwise complex. Just make sure the wood on the cabinet is in pristine condition and is dry and sanded with 320 grit sandpaper before you start putting on the material. The glue will dry three times as fast on the wood as it does on the backing of the Tolex. When the glue is totally dry, it looks like it has disappeared. I've learned to apply the Tolex with the glue on the material still slightly wet. This gives a little wiggle room. If you let it dry totally, you only get one shot. A heat gun would also be a blessing. Not only would it decrease drying time of the adhesive, but you can use it on corners and edges to make them sharp. I had to do a lot of rolling to get mine like they should be.

[hermitcrab]

I know tolex can be tedious to get right , but once you are finished , you can proudly say that you did it , and it is satisfying seeing the end result over what you started with... I guarantee it will be one of your showcase items ...

[electra225]

I forgot to add this. Be sure to cover your work area with cardboard or masking paper. Cardboard is better, since you can cut on it and not gouge the bench. This process is messy.

Thanks, Elton, for the encouragement. I have at least two more to do, plus maybe a tube tester I have. The next one won't be as much anxiety.

[electra225]

I contacted the automotive paint company I used to get my supplies from when I had the shop. They would mix up a couple cans of paint for me for $12 in custom colors back in the day. Now they want $65. That is too rich for my blood for this project. Maybe if I was doing a rotisserie restoration on a Buick, but not for a record player. The decision was made to get as close as I can to the colors at Walmart. If there is a shade difference, that will just be part of its new personality. I have to stop somewhere.

[electra225]

A slight hitch has developed. I use 91% rubbing alcohol to clean with. I sanded the tone arm and overarm, then wiped them with alcohol to clean off the dust. The alcohol removed the remaining paint. So I had to remove all the paint then start with bare material. Then, I tested the paint for condition, spray pattern and color like I always do. It looked okay on cardboard, but I got a couple shots of grit from somewhere out of the paint can. So, now I get to let it dry for 24 hours, then sand it mostly off, then try again. The color is pretty close. I was planning on this procedure anyhow, but the grit is something I didn't expect. Must have been some dry paint in the nozzle that didn't all come out in the test. Oh well.....that's how it goes sometimes. I'll get it....

[William]

That's too bad, but it sounds like my kind of luck. I wish you a better experience tomorrow. Good Luck!

Bill

[electra225]

I scraped the paint all back off and started over. The instructions on the can said to shake for one minute after the ball started rattling. I shook for five minutes, but that wasn't enough. I don't know what the problem was, whether the paint was old, or if it had been test sprayed (there is paint sprayed all over the display case in the store) or if I simply didn't shake long enough. I did a better test and got a good pattern. I resprayed the parts and they turned out nice this time, well satisfied. The light color I used is Rustoleum Smokey Beige in Satin finish, the dark color is Rustoleum Leather Brown in Gloss. The colors are almost dead on, really close considering I guessed. It seems like every time I use spray bombs I get different results, a different issue every time. I'm not a fan of Rustoleum, but I took what they had.

With all my blabbing about paint, I almost forgot the best part. Thanks to the guidance of Mr. VM, I actually took the tone arm off and didn't tear up anything. I putzed with the setdown adjustment thinking it was a screw that needed to come out. That will have to be reset. You guys familiar with changers may not be impressed, but, for me, this is progress.....

[electra225]

The colors are really close. I finally got the tone arm and overarm painted. I thought I had messed up the dark color, but it turned out okay. The factory didn't do that great of a job dividing the two-tone. The ridges in the tone arm and the overarm they used to separate the two colors is not that easy to follow, cutting masking tape when your eyes may not be 100%. I used my lighted magnifying glass to do the job. I'll put everything back together tomorrow, then reset the setdown on the changer, after I twiddled with the adjustment. I also have to use Super Glue yet to fix places that I didn't get enough glue.

[William]

You're getting closer and closer with every step, and I can't wait to see some photos. Keep up the good work.

Bill