Restoring Old Murphy Valve Wireless

[DAG]

I am now trying to make an assessment of whether this is a possible project for me to do in the long winter evenings and indeed calculating my sanity while attempting it! ;D

I don't expect to get it working but would love to give it try, however most of the insulation has perished or gone brittle and I don't hold out much hope.

I am sure that if I just cleaned it all up (somehow?) and plugged in and switched on, it would just go puff......up in smoke!

But the problem is that having been given this in 1975 (now 60 years old), yes 35 years ago (and it was in a sorry state then) I just can't bring myself to bin-it!

At least if I can't get it working, it would be something to look at for those that are not old enough to remember them.

So what do you think?..........Bin it, I hear you say! ;D



Sorry about the fluorescent strip light reflection.



As you can see by the broken loose chord at the front that the mechanical side will need some attention as well. That drove the pointer on the tuning scale.

[DAG]

Here is a trip down memory lane for us oldies, the old tuning scale giving the stations of the time, on the short, long and medium wave bands, respectively.

[DAG]

The following images show just what a sorry state it is in, and this is after I have gone over it carefully with the crevice tool of the vac., most of it will have to be scraped/washed off somehow?

[DAG]

[DAG]

Surprisingly, I managed to find this model on the Internet: ;D

www.classicwireless.btinternet.co.uk/mu50.htm

[kedigato]

The radio might be in bad shape, but your beard and mustach look nice and neat.

After taking all those detailed photos, I somehow think you are leaning towards trying to fix it up. You'll need a lot of patience and time, but knowing what a stickler for detail you are (I'm thinking not only of your paintings but also of the girls tiny doll furniture, etc.), you'll manage it.

Have you thought about trying to sell it to a collector? Either now or after it is fixed and running?

Whatever, Good Luck on the project, DAG.

[DAG]

OK, this is as far as I have got so far, just a few small bits to put back but it will never be in working order as it is all too far gone and shortly the old broadcast bands will cease to be transmitted anyway.

However everything here is genuine except for the wiring insulation.

[kedigato]

That is beautiful, DAG! You did a marvellous job on it, it looks in pristine condition, extremely well done.

I love the colour of the wood, is it cherry? Did you use teak oil, or similar on it, or did you stain and lacquer it?

It's wonderful, even if it doesn't work any more.

Thanks for sharing.

[DAG]

Yes that is teak oil, about 4 coats all applied with a rag, no stain used at all, just sanded it down and used a bit of filler where the veneer had flaked a bit. It does look less red in reality and looks more like walnut veneer but has a lovely luster to it which doesn't show in the photos.

I am fairly sure that even if it did work the sound from the loudspeaker wouldn't be all that great as the felt/cardboard cone is starting to disintegrate which apparently is normal just as the mains transformer insulation has probably broken down and would have to be replaced because it would be so dangerous.

Almost everything would have to have modern or second hand doubtful substitutes so would not look anything like the original therefore I am satisfied with it so far and still have a bit more to do, including making a new back for it which was another thing that always disintegrated due to such poor materials during the WWII rationing period.

I am therefore glad that I simply didn't just throw it away.

[capney]

What am I thinking?
I`m thinking bin it. I reckon if you put power on that the first thing that will fry is that power transformer.
So

a) Bin It
b) Restore the case and dial and somehow install a new digital radio inside?
c) Long medium and short wave really went out years ago.
d) How about you build a VHF chassis and install that?

Just a few thoughts.
Good luck with whatever way it goes David

[DAG]

Thank you for your thoughts Robert and I did feel very much that way when I started on it.

AM transmissions (Long, medium and short wave) are going to end officially in 2015 if the government can reach its targets of getting over 90 percent of radio on digital or DAB.

Now that we have had time to think about it, to us the cabinet is far too large to be a modern item of furniture and any attempt to put a false modern system in it would just not be the same without the whistles, hum, squeals and fading in and out of the signal as it used to be. I think that while it would be nostalgic for us it would probably be comical or irritating to the young.

So once I have made a back for it and finished assembly then I shall moth ball it for the next generations so that they can see what a genuine one really looked like.