Fancy a new hobby?

[Colin]

Hi,

It's bitterly cold and white over with frost this morning so I'm being lazy for a change and to pass away a bit of time thought I'd add something a bit different to the forum in the hope it will be of interest?

When I retired in 2000 I could easily occupy myself with outside jobs around the bungalow and gardens but I really wanted something interesting to occupy me during our very long dreary winters. It's a long story but thought I'd have a go at electronics just for fun; I'm a mechanical engineer but knew electrical basics certainly enough not to electrocute myself or anyone else.

I decided to add new large numbers to our bungalow front but I wanted to illuminate these at night; being totally new to electronics I took Bron with me to Maplin's in Leeds not having a clue what to expect as we entered the store; would I be treated as the dummy I was; this was an whole new world to me. We browsed the store and I found an electronic kit I could assemble that once installed would automatically turn on the numbers light at dusk and turn the lights off at dawn so I bought the kit and we returned home; just taking this first step into the unknown opened up an whole new world to me.

I successfully completed the bungalow numbers which further encouraged me to look for another project to have a go at. Our friends had a broken vintage radio in a wooden cabinet so I tackled this next which involved quite a bit of research especially as to electrical safety; I bought a cheap multimeter (DMM) and had to learn how to use it. WOW 350 volts on the Rectifier valve (Tube) with the bare chassis sitting inches away from me on the bench. It was the rectifier valve at fault so I visited a company in Huddersfield and was surprised when I was allowed to bring home a valve to test if this would power the set up? It did and then followed a seven year friendship with this valve supplier as he would allow me to bring home sets out of his large collection for me to learn on; I now started to gather electronic test kit like signal generators; laboratory power supplies; component testers and Oscilloscopes; for my safety I installed a test panel allowing transformer protection plus an 100W test lamp both these used on any radio chassis I worked on; later I bought a Variac allowing voltage to be increased slowly; I spent around ten years on this fascinating hobby improving my skills and knowledge with every set I restored.

No longer satisfied with just repairing to get a set working I joined The British Vintage Wireless Society and was amazed by the high quality restorations shown in the society's "Bulletin". Such restorations at this time I could only ever aspire to and one top class restorer called Gary Tempest I adopted as a role model and looking at his exemplary restorations I had something positive to work towards. I've never met Gary personally but we are good friends via email sand he's a top ambassador of Vintage radio restoring.

I've made many friends around the world through restoring radios and I also joined a number of forums. Following Gary's lead I started to restore vintage radio cabinets starting with easy cabinet repairs going on to learn the hard way veneering and French polishing; YouTube tutorials were absent in those days so I made every mistake I possibly could make and often made the same mistake a number of times. I never gave in though and would only move to the next stage after succeeding in previous stages; this could be very slow frustrating work at times especially when I first attempted veneering; I always use traditional hot hide glue (Scotch) which is very difficult for a novice to get the hang of; at the first attempt as I applied the hot glue to the back of the veneer the veneer immediately curled up in disgust and I thought it was going to walk off the bench; it took a lot of practice before I realized the face of the veneer also needed wetting in order to balance the wetting by the glue; once I sussed this out then I got to grips with veneering. French polishing too at first was difficult but I never quit when I start something; I now mix my own French polish then I know it to be fresh; I use Shellac flakes and Methylated Spirit.

Anyway not wishing to bore anyone; over the years I became very proficient at all aspects of vintage radio restoration to the point I could obtain the roughest of radios and bring them back to showroom condition; the last restoration I completed was a 1957 Ekco T311 TV/Radio; once I successfully restored this I then realized the interest had gone because I knew I could restore any set to come my way so there were no challenges left to me; I was even honoured by the BVWS receiving top award for best restoration 2009.

As I say I'm a mechanical engineer but I love to try new hobbies/projects in fact anything which takes my fancy; just because I don't know how to do something doesn't stop me; there's nothing to stop me learning anything and I'm only limited by my imagination; failing is never an option to me; however difficult I'm downright stubborn and will stick until I achieve success. Bron and I know lots of retired couple of our age who are bored and do nothing each day; they could take up an interesting hobby but they can't be bothered so they remain bored. Gardening is a wonderful hobby but unfortunately greatly controlled by working environment; had it been warm and dry this morning I wouldn't be on my keyboard; I'd be very busy indeed.

I like to encourage anyone to have a go at something entirely new and to leave their comfort zone; I learned a great deal during my radio restoration years and made wonderful friends; I knew nothing of vintage radio when I started so if I can learn something from scratch I'm sure others can?

Enough of this ramble so below is just one example of a radio cabinet I restored to better than new; this is a Barker 88 and was kindly given to me by my chum David; David had already restored the chassis so it was a working set but David was interested in what I could do with the wooden cabinet which had poor veneer and was in need of a lot of TLC. I used Burr Walnut and this was one big challenge to me; the pictures show the problems I had whilst on the steep learning curve; it would have been easy to quit saying I can't do this because Burr Walnut is too difficult for me to master; not likely though I solved each problem as the problem arose; with the new veneer laid I then French polished but gave it a hand rubbed finish to dull the gloss a bit otherwise it would have a finish like a toffee apple; As an experiment I painted the mouldings black after fully masking the cabinet then spraying with a rattle can of Auto black lacquer; this gives a nice finishing touch. David was delighted when he saw the transformation although I had been doing the restoration in real time on a radio forum.

As I say though; anyone fancy a new hobby?

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Bron always encourages me in my hobbies/projects and approaching Christmas a few years ago kindly asked of me what she could buy for me? I browsed eBay looking for the roughest wooden radio set and came across one in Oklahoma it being a Philco 84B Cathedral style well know to our American members. This radio looked like it had been shot because I could see right through from front to back; the grille cloth was torn and these sets didn't have back panels fitted; boy it sure looked rough and it also had very bad delamination; just the present I would love and we were winning bidder.

It was shipped here and when I opened the box I thought this is going to be one heap of fun. I enjoyed restoring it; I completely pulled the cabinet apart and also fully restored the chassis but modifying the chassis to run from our 240VAC supply. French polishing finished the restoration and this set still looks good in our front room; it's very pretty. I reached the stage that I could do anything with even the roughest of sets as shown in the pictures below. This Philco like so many others was a delight to bring back to as new. All self taught through trial and error plus research; there are so many wonderful hobbies to choose from so why would anyone be bored?

These are just samples out of thousands of pictures I've taken over the years.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

I thought these spare parts were not available, I leave it at the repair shop when they say parts are not available.
If one open a new radio one can't tell what is what, they assemble everything on a single chip/board. I miss those old days when one can repair electronic devices.

 

[Fagiolino]

Thank you for sharing, @Colin

 

[Silentrunning]

Colin, I am surprised that you haven't gotten your ham radio license and become a G call.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

I thought these spare parts were not available, I leave it at the repair shop when they say parts are not available.
If one open a new radio one can't tell what is what, they assemble everything on a single chip/board. I miss those old days when one can repair electronic devices.

Thanks Rajesh; lots of spare parts are still available for vintage radio/TV but it means spending time searching for them; here in the UK there are a number of vintage radio meetings each year where stalls are laid out with a vast array of spares also vintage radio forum members help each other; here's one of the forums I'm a member of this being the first forum I joined;

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/index.php

You're most welcome Fagiolino.

Colin, I am surprised that you haven't gotten your ham radio license and become a G call.

Thanks Silentrunning; I have friends who hold their ham radio licence but it's never appealed to me; I prefer a more active hobby and would like to spend less time on my computer but the dire weather prevents me doing so much that I would like to do.

One thing about hobbies is that there are no rules or time limits imposed. I just enjoy myself tackling lots of new projects which will throw up many problems to resolve and have a steep learning curve; this keeps my head and hands active; I'm nobody special but I can repair or even make just about anything and my hobbies are many and varied. I've never replaced a roof but Bron and I were faced with this daunting prospect when two ceilings were water damaged six weeks after moving into this bungalow in 1987 and the insurance company failed to pay out; I did lots of research spanning 18 months whilst we saved enough money for materials and with only Bron's help we replaced the entire roof on the bungalow and the roof on the two roomed extension; the picture below shows how involved I became because I counter battened allowing ventilation between the new tiles and felt.

A few years ago I bought a pressure washer so thought I'd give the roof a good blast and the tiles came up like brand new; I hasten to add we live in a bungalow and I felt safe enough.

I detested woodworking at school but over the years came to love woodworking; I can now make anything out of wood and have made lots of our fitted and free standing furniture; below is just one example it being the 16 drawer solid oak unit I made for my lovely Bron; I also did all the woodwork around it like the door and panelling.

I fancied a new desk for my computer and I dislike flat pack furniture with a passion so I built my own desk but incorporated seven 13A single sockets into the back running just under the top; these take care of the plugs enabling the cables to be tied neatly out of the way. The desk like the rest of the things I make are all unique because they are one off's hand made by me.

I enjoy woodturning and always dreamt of owning a Union Graduate lathe so a few years ago bought a very rough Graduate and fully restored it upgrading to VFD control. I also make lots of tooling such as a "Chatter tool" designed by Robert Sorby but I made my own; this tool chatters when applied to work in motion in the lathe imparted assorted patterns/textures which look stunning; I've only tried the tool out on a sample test run but the picture speaks for itself; this is straight from the lathe so is without finish.

Turning knobs is fun only limited by my imagination; I turned knobs to match the oak desk; these knobs cannot be bought anywhere.

As I say I do lots of assorted hobbies and each hobby has its own learning curve; the hardest part I find is always in getting off my backside to make the initial effort but once I start I become engrossed in what I'm doing and to date I've never failed in anything I've attempted to do or to make; I like to encourage others to take up hobbies; gardening is a wonderful hobby but our winters are long and dreary so another hobby is better than sitting around moaning.

Here's a few more pictures; lots of my friends also have hobbies. What hobbies do you have please?

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Silentrunning]

It's a good thing we don't live near each other. As much as I love tinkering and projects, I would probably starve to death trying to keep up with you. I must say that one thing I notice in your pictures is a flair for colors. Is that yours or Brons?
For me ham radio serves two purposes. First and foremost is the emergency communication aspect. Secondly, I hate TV and radio gives me something to do in the late evening without disturbing my wife. Ihave been a licensed ham operator for over 40 years and made several friends along the way. I served on several networks in Florida during the hurricane seasons. At one point several years ago I was forced to head up an evacuation to my son's school. Thanks to my son who was 12 at the time, I actually looked like I knew what I was doing.
I am now pretty much in a holding pattern while our new manufactured home is being built. I can't put up any good antennas until it is finished. That gives me plenty of time to tinker and peruse seed catalogs.

 

[alp]

Colin: I like the way you turned the top.. Very lovely.. Amazing talents you have, Colin!

 

[Esther Knapicius]

A neat hobby @Collin . recall seeing some of those innards in the televisions I had as a child, or teen, when dad and I had to change them out for new. I am sure behind those radios can be interesting stories.
Have current hobbies myself going on myself. Of course the main one is gardening. Look down the pike to retirement myself end of next year. Thinking of what extra stuff I can do in the winter to keep myself amused. Several things are appearing on my list. We shall see. I think having one whole year off at home to clean out, throw out etc will be on my agenda first.

 

[Colin]

Hi,

Thanks Silentrunning; I think you underestimate yourself because if you did live near me you would soon be up to speed; it's surprising how many visitors have seen our work then returned home to get stuck in; one couple went home and got a decorator in to decorate three of their rooms this was followed by setting a gardener on; unfortunately they didn't learn anything or derive any pleasure by doing the work themselves they just handed over money; I like to encourage people to have a go and make the mistakes; learning is fun and good results quickly come with a bit of practice.

Ham radio used to be a much practiced hobby here in the UK but these days of modern electronic communication my friends who hold a ham licence are selling their equipment and removing their mast; due to the small size of our mainland we are seldom far into the wilds and to be cut off by severe weather is only for very short periods; places like America and Australia though are vast by comparison and perhaps this is why ham radio is still practised?

Just for interest though Silentrunning; before I started courting Bron I wanted to leave my dire family behind me because living with my parents and family wasn't fun; I decided to join the RAF so applied and attended an interview and medical in Leeds; I also sat an exam. A short while later I spent a night at RAF Wittering where I attended to take a Morse Code test.

I passed my exam easily enough and also passed the Morse test; I had high hopes of finally getting away but these hopes were dashed; I was offered a choice of 11 jobs with the RAF mostly clerical and wireless operating but trust my bad luck every post was home based here in the UK so I let it go but in desperation I then attended a rehabilitation unit in Leeds for assessment and there it changed my life a whole lot better; I met my lovely Bron and ever since first meeting it was love at first sight and apart from hospital stays we've never been apart. I'm hopelessly colour blind so I couldn't even be offered any job with the RAF involving colour even driving?

Your new manufactured home sounds interesting Silentrunning and has piqued my interest?

Thanks alp; I just enjoy whatever I do and I love trying new ideas; woodturning is a big hobby in its own right practised by many and my best chum David is secretary of his local woodturning club; I enjoy woodturning but mostly the items I turn are utilitarian being things with a purpose other than being merely decorative; ornamental turners go into great detail and I have the full five volumes of Holtzapffel woodturning which are fascinating; many years ago an Holtzapffel Rose Engine (ornamental lathe) sold for in excess of £500,000. This type of lathe was used many years ago to produce plates for printing bank notes.

I've never touched an Holtzapffel lathe and these highly complicated Rose Engines seen in the picture above are hugely sought after; not the sort of machine one would buy at B&Q.

I made my own chatter tool and I also made my own Spiraling Tool; the video above shows a few of the patterns which can be achieved; the designs are without limit other than one's imagination. Woodturning is a fascinating hobby and needn't cost a fortune to get a basic lathe and an handful of turning tools; very small lathes are available ideal for turning decorative lidded boxes or pens.

I'm aware this is primarily a gardening forum and a very good one with so many members being dedicated gardeners but I'm not a gardener just being very much a gardening novice but I would like to give a bit back from things I do know about; I live in a totally different world to all you expert gardeners; getting my hands dirty usually involves oil and grease but I think as long as someone is doing something they like this is all that really matters and I can guarantee if something is liked as an hobby then it's done well.

Thanks Esther; yes it was common many years ago to have a radio repair man pop round to exchange a radio valve (tube) it's surprising just how many of these old valves and components are still widely available; during my radio restoring period I had hundreds of spare valves and thousands of resistors and capacitors; I also owned an AVO valve tester so I was able to test my own valves.

Above is a picture of the model of valve tester I owned and this reminds me of a story; well it would wouldn't it?

As in this excellent forum vintage radio forum members help each other out. A member posted requesting help wanting two expensive valves testing these valves then cost around £150 each and his address was Wakefield so no problem I volunteered like a fool. The fun started when this guy emailed asking what bus services were available to our home? OH dear I simply knew I had dropped myself in for it. Six busses would be involved so I emailed offering to collect him and return him home. I drove over to his address in the middle of a council estate; I was invited in and I couldn't believe how a guy could live in such a dump; as we made our way through piles of junk in his front room with just a single passageway to gain access to his kitchen; in his kitchen he showed me the two valves and sure enough they looked brand new so I suggested whilst I was testing these perhaps he had other valves he would like testing.

Back home and in my workshop I switched on the AVO valve tester and set the adjustments to suit the valve; strange though the needle didn't move at all? I inserted the second valve and this too wasn't showing any signs of life; he had brought along about a dozen valves in a big box so I started to test others with the same result; this was puzzling indeed and had my tester expired on me? One way to find out; I pulled one of my own brand new valves out of its box and now the tester worked perfectly; every valve this guy had brought along didn't work; he now demanded I try testing his two expensive valves again but still they didn't work.

In our front room Bron made a fuss of him feeding him and supplying tea. He was on benefits but he wanted to start his own business; what business we enquired; well he didn't actually know but he did want a big house in the countryside and asked for our advice as he looked around our home. I politely suggested he first get a full time job then put in as many hours as possible allowing him to start saving money in order to begin in a small way whatever business he wanted to have? We explained this was what we had done and why we were now so comfortable in our own home.

I ran him back home and dropped him off. The following day he emailed saying Bron and I were the wrong people to give him advice because we were grafters? He just became sillier so I politely instructed him to stop contacting me.

This guy however wasn't happy with the results of my valve testing so he posted once again on the forum wanting a second opinion as to the testing of his two valves; a friend of mine replied to the post but I sent my friend an email saying unless he could give the two valves the kiss of life not to bother with this time waster. I don't know what planet this guy was on but it sure wasn't this one.

You are in for a surprise Esther when you retire and may I please offer some friendly advice; tear up any agenda you plan to do in retirement; in my experience of retirement over the last 17 years I still can't plan what I'm going to do tomorrow; I thought I was busy at work when weeks flew by but now in retirement years rapidly disappear at an alarming rate; this morning I had visited three supermarkets and was back home before 8:30; after a brew Bron and I visited our local garden centre then back home again I've spent a bit of time adding this post; after dinner I'll be pottering around but as I say I now take each day as it arrives. When it does arrive though Esther I would like to wish you a very long and very happy retirement; marrying Bron was the best thing I ever did closely followed by retiring aged 53; neither Bron nor I are ever bored.

OK I'm a chatterbox.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Silentrunning]

@Colin - Thanks for a wonderful post. A couple of comments:

Ham radio today is much different than 30 years ago. Digital experimenting occupies a large portion of what is done by hams. Thanks to sites like eBay the parts and devices needed for a project are just a click away. Ham radio is also a large item for survivalists and makers. I know of no commercial communication devices that are protected against EMP. Almost every ham operator has a VHF rig stashed away and protected. This last summer we in the states found out how fragile our communications are due to 2 major hurricanes.

I love to garden because it is the all around perfect hobby. It provides excellent exercise and helps to keep one in shape. You also get far more nutrition than with store bought foods and can avoid pesticides. However, I think what I enjoy most is the faith it takes to garden. You put a little seed in the ground hoping the weather will be within certain parameters so that the seed can produce edible food three or four month in the future. With fruit trees and such it is even a longer wait. That my friend is faith.

As far as retirement goes, I told my grandson that it is like riding a bobsled. You don't have control over it, you just hang on to see what is around the next corner.

 

[Logan]

@Colin that's amazing what you have done.
When hubby was young he built his own radio.

 

[alp]

@Colin - Thanks for a wonderful post. A couple of comments:

I love to garden because it is the all around perfect hobby. It provides excellent exercise and helps to keep one in shape. You also get far more nutrition than with store bought foods and can avoid pesticides. However, I think what I enjoy most is the faith it takes to garden. You put a little seed in the ground hoping the weather will be within certain parameters so that the seed can produce edible food three or four month in the future. With fruit trees and such it is even a longer wait. That my friend is faith.

Quite right: When I grew my own cherries, they were all kissed by bugs at the bottoms and I couldn't really eat them. Now they said that there could be up to 32 types of pesticides on the fruits delivered in supermarket. Imagine what horrible residues we are eating. I have a salad spinner and will wash the bagged salad twice at least and spin out the water. Also gardening makes you get up and see what is going on - expectation and that makes life more meaningful and probably leads to longevity!

 

[Logan]

In the winter i do a bit of dress making and help Keith do his greetings card making. But my mind is always on what i can do in the garden.

 

[Ian]

Wonderful work @Colin!

Everything you tackle is very neat and well finished .

I noticed behind some of the radio images that you've got a panel with lots of switches and banana plug sockets on it - what is that?