I look forward to seeing all who attend the Frahm Family Reunion 2024. Anyone who would like to see my restorations I would be thrilled to share them with you. Currently in the Museum section of Hinkley Manor there are:

Vacuum Tube Radios  47
Transistor Radios         23 (8 Weather radios.)
Sewing Machines         8   (4 Western Electric)
Test Equipment            13 ( 3 Tube testers)

r&r radios - randy

Admiral 6S12N

One last radio restoration that has family ties. Rich and I have been attending the annual radio auctions put on by the Iowa Antique Radio Club and Historical Society (IARCHS). Very fun to attend these events. At one auction Rich spotted a radio that looked like one Mom and Dad had in their living room in Cedar Falls, Iowa. When he showed it to me I agreed that it looked like the one they had. I believe we paid $5.00 for it.

This radio is made by Admiral and is model number 6S12N. It is an AM band only radio with a three speed record player. The bakelite (early plastic) was in excellent condition as was the record player. It did have flaws on the speaker grill and dial face. A gold trim ring around the dial face was missing.

Here is the radio as we got it (top) and an internet picture of what the dial face should look like.

I made vacuum boxes and a heat source to heat plastic sheets. Wood forms were made to make the gold trim ring and the clear dial face. Rich designed and 3D printed a new speaker grill. Here are these pieces before vacuum forming.

After vacuum forming the trim ring was painted gold on the inside and the speaker grill painted copper. Here is the finished pieces installed in the cabinet.

We took the finished radio to Mom's house while she was at church. When she saw the radio she was very touched with seeing it. It now sits in the sun room at her house. A very satisfying restoration.

Western Electric Sewing Machine  -  Made in 1917

SEARS SEWING MACHINE  -  Made in 1904

This sewing machine was listed in the Sears and Roebuck catalog in 1904. Richard W. Sears lived in Minnesota when he began Sears and Roebuck. Hence the name of this sewing machine. There was also a model called Iowa but I have not located one. This one was headed to the landfill but it followed me home.

PHILCO 46-1201

This radio was first sold in 1946. It is AM only radio with a record player. The record player will play 10 inch and 12 inch 78 RPM records. What is unique about the record player is how the record is installed for playing. The long door at the bottom is pulled open. When a record is slid into the player it adjusts to the size of record automatically. When the door is closed the record starts playing. Kind of the first cd player with 10 and 12 inch CD's???

ATWATER KENT 67C  -  Made in 1939

This radio is completely powered by batteries. Seven batteries total. Four batteries are 45 volt batteries each, two are 22 ½ volt batteries and one 6 volt battery. I made replica batteries.

As Rich explained in his write up I got my start in vintage radios at Moms house recovering from a broken hip. Rich would bring wood radio cabinets he was working on and I would strip the finish off of these cabinets. I was not real sure it was a great idea to turn Moms den into cabinet shop. All precautions were taken care of to not destroy anything.

While doing this I spent a lot of time on the internet researching the radios Rich was working on and became very interested in the subject of vintage radios. It is quite amazing the documentation that is available on vacuum tube radios. As of this time the oldest radio I have restored is a 1929 Atwater Kent model 67C. More on this below. I am working on a 1925 Crosley radio and hope to have it working soon.

Still today thanks to Rich's generosity and knowledge of electronics I am just as thrilled to hear voices from the speaker on a radio that has not worked for many years. Rich also expanded my hobby of restorations by finding a 1917 Western Electric sewing machine. Before Western Electric became a part of the Bell system they were a major seller of all things electrical.

All the restorations I have done have a special remembrance. The very first radio I heard was quite a thrill. These are some I have enjoyed restoring.  Click on each image for a larger view.