Hi all...I have electronically restored a Motorola 10Y radio and would like to clean the chassie. Let me explain..The chassie has that nice "smokey" smell (so does the cabinet)..Along with that lovely "damp basement" smell but is not very dirty. I can clean the top of the chassis but would like to get at the underside. I know some people wash in a dishwasher..but this will not work because I do not want to wreck the original cloth coated wire or original labels. Any suggestions that work well ...Thanks!! OHH ALSO....ANY PLACE I CAN GET A DIAL RELACEMENT FOR THIS?? I checked a few places out but none seem to make this dial..OR anyone have it as a junk part? THANKS!!!

You can just use the sink with hot water and dish soap and the spray hose too.
Cloth wire will not be effected by water... and labels can be lacquered over first or removed.

Peter..I am a perfectionist and don't believe in lacquering paper labels..I have tried that before and paper labels bubble up and become brittle and eventually fall apart....Plus these are glued to chassis and can not be removed.

:You can just use the sink with hot water and dish soap and the spray hose too.
:Cloth wire will not be effected by water... and labels can be lacquered over first or removed.

Check this link. Says he can make it for $18 even if it's not listed in current inventory.

http://jmpalm.home.mindspring.com/

Murphys oil soap in a spray bottle 25/75 mix in warm water will remove cigarette smoke smell. rinse, and pat dry.

Warren...I don't need a dial cover..I need the large plastic dial

:Check this link. Says he can make it for $18 even if it's not listed in current inventory.
:
:http://jmpalm.home.mindspring.com/
:
:Murphys oil soap in a spray bottle 25/75 mix in warm water will remove cigarette smoke smell. rinse, and pat dry.

Radio Daze sells plastic dials. Check to see if they have your pattern.

Regarding chassis cleaning, I wash gently in a sink of warm soapy water, and then rinse in warm clean water. If you are really gentle, the labels shouldn't come off. Don't scrub around the labels. You could wax soak them, which would preserve them well without making them brittle. However, wax might darken the label.

Things you should not soak: IF transformers, transformers in general, condensers in a non-wax permeated cardboard tube (unless the condenser has been re-stuffed with a metalized film unit), and anything else that looks like it will retain water for a long time. Small open coils and such can be soaked. To dry, first make sure that the rinse water is nice and warm, or possibly hot. Then place on top of a radiator or in the oven. First thoroughly pre-heat the oven to about 150 to 200 degrees. Then turn it off and put your chassis inside. With some ovens you can leave them running at the lowest possible temperature with fine results. With others, damage will be done to the radio. Be sure that all meltable plastic items are removed before placing in an oven. Starting at 150 to 200 degrees with the oven shut off afterward shouldn't be harmful to rubber wiring. Repeat the cycle after an hour if everything isn't dry yet.

If a transformer is big, with lots of wires, or is mounted in such a way that you don't feel like removing it, you can turn the chassis in such a way that water doesn't contact the transformer. Pull the chassis out to scrub. Then re-soak in such a way that water doesn't enter the transformer. If small amounts of water splash onto the transformer, it will most likely dry without troubles. Just don't soak it. In instances where the transformer handles high voltages, and might arc, give the chassis at least a day of drying time in one of the warm areas suggested above before powering it up.

T.

For the smell, you can try Zorbex. It dries clean, with no residue and has no smell of its own.

: For the smell, you can try Zorbex. It dries clean, with no residue and has no smell of its own.

You can also try, wetting some paper towels with pure vanilla extract and pack them under the chassis for a day or two. Vanilla extract is a great odor eliminator. Don’t use the imitation.

Hi, on that dial I needed one on an old Silvertone 6230 it was a real fancy and large dial scale. I messed it up trying to clean it, I know better now. Radio Daze hooked me up with a gentleman that did the art work for a repro dial. It took about 4 months and $170.00 dollars to have the artwork done. The guy that did the art work sent it to Radio Daze and they made the dial at no charge as long as they could keep the design. Well the dial was perfect in every way. The bad thing is you can buy that dial scale now from Radio Daze for $18.00. I had around $250.00 into the radio and sold it for $700.00 so I still came out way ahead of the game. You could contact Phil at Radio Daze and see if they still offer that service and get and estimate. Good Luck, George.

:Hi, on that dial I needed one on an old Silvertone 7172 it was a real fancy and large dial scale. I messed it up trying to clean it, I know better now. Radio Daze hooked me up with a gentleman that did the art work for a repro dial. It took about 4 months and $170.00 dollars to have the artwork done. The guy that did the art work sent it to Radio Daze and they made the dial at no charge as long as they could keep the design. Well the dial was perfect in every way. The bad thing is you can buy that dial scale now from Radio Daze for $18.00. I had around $250.00 into the radio and sold it for $700.00 so I still came out way ahead of the game. You could contact Phil at Radio Daze and see if they still offer that service and get and estimate. Good Luck, George.
Excuse me it was a Silvertone 7172