Sigh. I used to have this beautiful old combination portable AM radio / record player in a finished pine cabinet, dovetail corners, gorgeous to look at...I wish I still had it someplace.
posted by alumshubby at 6:02 AM on February 1, 2003

I sigh too. I'd love to stumble across an old radio in a thrift shop around here. Wouldn't it be fun to tinker around with and try to find working parts for it? As a companion link, I'd suggest a look at Nipperhead for some gorgeous speakers, phonographs, victrolas, Nipperabilia, and epherema that's out of this world.
posted by iconomy at 6:31 AM on February 1, 2003

That would be ephemera. I have no idea what epherema is.
posted by iconomy at 6:32 AM on February 1, 2003

Once I was tinkering with the antenna trimmer on an energized war-surplus shortwave receiver (a tube set).

Big flash...

When I regained consciousness, I was across the room, under a desk, bleeding from a deep gash in my scalp, with a bad burn on my thumb where it had spark-gapped the screwdriver I'd been holding. There were flames shooting out of the back of the box. I stumbled down the hall, grabbed an extinguisher, staggered back to my room, unplugged the chassis and put out the fire, and at that point I was kind of dizzy and sat down. Various public-safety folks began coming into the picture after that, and I wound up in the hospital overnight for observation with six stitches in my scalp.
posted by alumshubby at 9:30 AM on February 1, 2003

I've been intrested in old radio receivers for some time. My pride and joy: A 1930 Philco in working order. The tubes glow, and it receives AM stations with perfect clarity. I often think of generations past listening to FDR fireside chats.
posted by aladfar at 1:59 PM on February 1, 2003

The interesting story of Nipper the dog a stray in London who went on to become a world famous trademark symbol.
posted by stbalbach at 7:02 PM on February 1, 2003

Y'know, this one probably looks more au courant now than in 1936 (or whenever).

Iconomy: My cousin used to collect these. Hard to find 'em cheap, though, most of the decent working ones are probably in antique shops or on eBay nowadays. Finding parts might be hard, too, unless they happen to use the same kind of tubes as guitar amps (which isn't completely farfetched--supposedly, Leo Fender's classic designs were based on hi-fi amps of the time.) (1940's to 1960's.)
posted by arto at 1:16 AM on February 2, 2003

Ooh thanks for those links!
posted by iconomy at 1:19 PM on February 2, 2003

When I regained consciousness, I was across the room, under a desk, bleeding from a deep gash in my scalp, with a bad burn on my thumb where it had spark-gapped the screwdriver I'd been holding.

I can see it perfectly, and it's not a very pretty picture, but eloquently and succinctly described.

The closest thing I can compare is nearly conking myself out by knocking my head against the T.V. as a kid. (It just doesn't sound quite as riveting or dangerous though.)
posted by hama7 at 11:06 PM on February 2, 2003

Some other links: antiqueradio.org, which has some nice pieces;
wooden tabletop radios from the 1930s and 40s,
John Rose's Wood Cabinet Radios,
American Radios and,
Richard's Radios, which is not so easy on the eyes.
posted by hama7 at 8:41 PM on February 3, 2003