New Scott Allwave Purchase

[Mark Reynolds]

Hello;

I discovered and joined this group, prompted by the purchase of an early 1930's (?) Scott Allwave radio at an estate sale here in Detroit Friday.

It is a nice set in decent shape. It has the two separate chassis in a sort of Chinese Chippendale two door mahogany cabinet. It has 23 tubes total, a main speaker and two tweeters. Serial number is P-588, but it has no other model identification or tags. The chrome is decent, especially on the upper chassis, knobs are there and the grillecloth is intact.It may work, albeit the on off switch was damaged by the estate sale folks in removing it from the house so I need to fix this before tying it.

I will assume it is an Allwave 23 based on the tube count, right?

I will post some pictures shortly.

Any information or leads on the care and feeding of this set would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark Reynolds

Detroit, Michigan

[Norman S Braithwaite]

Mark:  Welcome to the forum!  Based on your description it sounds like you have a Full Range High Fidelity receiver (AW-23) in the Roslyn (no phonograph) or Roslyn Grand (with phonograph) cabinet.  If so, congratulations!  It is a very uncommon and desirable console.  Pictures of that console are on this site but please post your pictures.  First, assuming you are not a radio collector, do not plug the radio in and turn it on without conducting some inspections, tests, and taking specific precautions.  Do not use steel wool or abrasives to clean the chassis and avoid the temptation to use elixirs on the finish without discussing with experienced radio collectors first.  Please let us know more about this find and your experience working on old radios and ask questions if you are unfamiliar with how to proceed.  We are here to help.

 

Norman

[Norman S Braithwaite]

Mark:

Also, if it has five knobs plus a lever it is the 1935 version and if it has seven knobs plus a lever it is the 1936 version.

Norman

[Kent King]

Mark -

 

As Norman said...welcome! I urge you to follow the cautions about plugging the set in without some initial checks first. Let us know your skill level in radios and we will help you as much as possible here. Also...I happen to live fairly close (central Ohio) and I come up to Michigan frequently (in-laws are in Flint), so I may be able to assist you directly on this set. It is certainly a "keeper"...please post some pictures and let us know more!

 

Kent

[Mark Reynolds]

Hi all;

Some photos attached. Thanks for the help in identification, mine appears to be a '36 version.

My skill level is more basic, I can recap an "All American Five" and have a tube tester, but this one is a bit more complex. It was powered up already by the estate sale company, fortunately no smoke or bad smells. The cabinet top needs a little work, I need an on-off switch (damaged by the same sale co.) and a 2a3 tube (the globe came out of the socket, intact but) (yes, they are a pricey item!).

Mark

[Mark Reynolds]

Two more pictures

[Norman S Braithwaite]

Mark:

 

That is indeed a Roslyn console, one of the most desirable Scott consoles and with fantastic grain on the front doors.  Most of the scratches in the cabinet finish can be concealed using a mixture of 1/3 boiled linseed oil, 1/3 gum turpentine, and 1/3 white vinegar.  Shake the ingredients in a small mouth bottle and apply to the finish using a cotton rag.  After 5 to 15 minutes, wipe off the excess.  Repeat weekly until no further improvement can be observed.  This solution will clean the existing finish, fill the scratches, and slowly harden without melting the existing finish or leaving oil stains in the wood under the existing finish.  If this fails to make the finish presentable, other measures can be considered.  This solution can be purchased premixed under the name Kramer's Best Antique Improver.  You may have to google it to find a local retailer.  Also, use small cotton rags to apply the solution and do not put the used rags in a pile.  If you get enough linseed oil and cotton together in a confined spot, they may spontaniously ignite.

I have posted a checklist for electronic restoration of the AW-23 tuner on this site.  If you plan to restore this set, you should find and print the checklist.  It covers nearly all of the special concerns with restoration of the tuner chassis so anyone with some experience restoring radios can take on this tuner.  Also, I have many tuner chassis parts available if you find broken or bad parts.

Norman

[Y2K Bruce]

Hello Mark

 

That's a great find. The 2 small tweeters are lately selling on ebay for about 1100-1500 range. You have a very nice set and it will present nicely once you clean it up.

 

I have some original liturature on your cabinet and it was originally offered with the 12" speaker facing the front OR the side opening. The concept was you could close the doors and still hear the radio playing with the side openings. I think they soon abandoned that idea and went back to a front mounted speaker.

[Angelo]

Mark nice find like the cabinet too!Cool looking! Take your time with it and be careful..Angelo  : )

[eric a sanders]

Welcome Mark!

I have one of these cabinets and mine came with the AW15 installed. I may have to put a 23 in there! Mine needs a lot of work! The handles to this cabinet are plated in Gold. It is a very classy cabinet in my opinion.

Eric

[David C. Poland]

Nice find. I have the identical model in that cabinet. My cabinet is the same right down to the decorative brass screw below the band switch, which suggests both your any my cabinets' panels were cut for the earlier 5 knob version and recut for the additional 2 control shafts.

Above commentators made no suggestions on dealing with the chrome. I like Turtle brand chrome polish and have used it on many Scotts. Squares cut from old cotton t-shirts or old terry cloth towel are my favorites. When dealing with rust, change cloths often lest the bits of rust and any dirt act as abbrasive to dull the chrome. For small tight places, sometimes a very soft tooth brush works well. Another useful tool is a bamboo chop stick which is nice and long and can work a small piece of cotton into small places. 

 

The 23 tube Scott introduced mid 1935 is the first true high fidelity audio for the home. Designed for the then new experimental AM high fidelity stations in several major cities, this model Scott boasts 35 watts output and 30 to 16,000 hertz frequency response (with the optional tweeters) nearly flat with less than 1% harmonic distortion. Properly restored, a modern CD player fed into the phono input is most impressive sound. 

 

Dave (Ohio)

[Thomas Day]

Mark:

A friend who deals in antique furniture recommended that I use neutral Kiwi shoe polish on the wood finish. I took his advise and tried it on the inside top, top and one side of the cabinet. It works well, and takes off the dirt. It won't hide the scratches but will restore the luster to the finish. I used old cotton athletic socks to apply and rub out the wax. 

Thom