VRPS is a very active club. Their annual event can easily have more than 1000 radios up for bid in their auctions. I always participate in the Old Equipment Contest when I attend. My last entry in Dallas was an 8 tube superheterodyne built from a construction article that was featured in the 1924 issue of QST, and originally built by an amateur operator. The cabinet is constructed entirely out of brass, so I didn’t have to bother with a wood finish like we have been discussing in this thread.

Here is a scan of the photo on the front cover of the magazine:
http://www.imswebs.com/br/QSTcover.jpg

This is a photo of the radio when displayed in the Houston contest:
http://www.imswebs.com/br/Contest.jpg

This scan from the magazine shows the inside compartments:
http://www.imswebs.com/br/QSTinside.jpg

Here is an inside photo of my set:
http://www.imswebs.com/br/inside.jpg

The original design of this radio gave terrible performance, so I modified the circuit and layout. I elected to use brass tube sockets, even though I have some in stock that are exactly like the originals.

The original set did not label any of the controls and looked kinda blah, so I took the liberty of doing some engraving. These next two shots are examples:
http://www.imswebs.com/br/Engrave2.jpg
http://www.imswebs.com/br/Engrave.jpg

If you are interested in knowing more about VRPS, check out their site at:
http://www.vrps.org/

Get to know a few of the fellows in Dallas and you will probably find at least one of them who can lead you to someone who can help you with just about any kind of radio problem.

Just for the heck of it, here is the club in Houston:
http://www.hvra.org/

You don’t have to participate to become a member of either of these clubs. Just pay the dues. They both publish a monthly newsletter, which can sometimes be helpful with radio repair, etc.

I see you are in the Dallas area, so I gotta ask. Are you a member of Vintage Radio & Phonograph Society? I am from the Houston area, but have been a member of the Dallas club for about 20 years. I don’t get out and around much anymore, but occasionally make their annual convention.