Scott Super 12 - to MI swap meet Saturday Oct 2

[David C. Poland]

Taking to Michigan MARC swap meet Saturday Oct 2.

This is a 1940 version Scott Super 12 with 6 control shafts. Unrestored but nice cosmetics.

Has the outboard 1 tube power supply. Walnut knob set. Round control escutcheons.

Tubes are what came with it and untested. All tube covers and coil cans are nice.

And proper 12 inch Magnavox speaker with 5 pin plug and one field coil. Tests good.

The radio has been a shelf queen for several years and I recently acquired a Braemer Cabinet.

The BRAEMER cabinet is the one of the smaller Scott cabinets with glued down top offered for the Super 12 or Phantom series receivers. This one has really nice earlier version Australian Laurel veneers with the starburst grain pattern. I converted to a lift top cabinet.

I refinished the top and front with Shellac then clear Lacquer, rubbed out and polished smooth.

Also improved the finish on the sides and base. Front corner reeded panels are original finish.

[David C. Poland]

Two more photos - showing top view and back view

If any one is interested, email me at [e-mail]

I will be on the parking lot at MARC's swap meet, Chelsea Community Fairgrounds (east of Ann Arbor)

I will also have an unrestored McMurdo Silver Masterpiece III circa 1934 with the Clairidge cabinet along with a second MP3 receiver, with copies of technical info and instruction manual and other paper.

[Dave]

Hi Dave

interesting you were able to free the top....I attempted such but threw in the towel. Did you get her sold ?

[David C. Poland]

Dave - No - not sold. lookers only. Attendance was well below past MARC swap meets. May take to MARC winter events, and by then I may have restored it electrically.

TOP REMOVAL RROCESS:

Have successfully so modified 4 cabinet to lift top. The above Braemer and also, McMurdo Silver Clairidge, Scott Accousticraft and the hand painted red door version Stromberg-Carlson mid 1950's Chinese motif TV cabinet repurposed to hold my 1941 Scott Laureate. The latter 3 cabinets had issues and so I risked the process. The above Braemer was a sound cabinet needing only a partial refinish (shellac and also lacquer on the top and front).

I am 4 for 4 top removal success rate.

WARNING there is failure risk to this process, so proceed carefully, or practice on a beater cabinet first:

-evaluate the top joint to identify the optimal joint to be broken. The joint structure is usually visible from the rear edge of the cabinet. Also, evaluate the finish lest some past refinish product interfere with the process. 

-run a sharp utility knife carefully along the exterior joint (twice) to control where the old finish should separate.

- use 100% alcohol (shellac thinner, not rubbing alcohol which contains water) to weaken the old glue bond. Use an old syringe or get from Woodcraft store the syringe kit intended for glue. The 1930's glue was some version of animal hide glue which alcohol will quickly penetrate to crystalize to weaken. If past repairs were made with modern yellow glue, alcohol will not be effective, although some types may soften with hot water in a long drawn out process. But the entire alcohol process below on the original old hide glue takes maybe 10 minutes, depending on how many glue blocks there are.

-put the cabinet upside down on a work bench. If saving the top finish, place on cloth or towel.

-first- flood each glue block one at a time, wait a few seconds, repeat, and knock it off with hammer and chisel. proceed to next glue block.  Some alcohol will have steeped into the side glue joint, too.

- All 4 cabinets I did - the top to side joints were tongue and groove. The front to top joint was a sort of butt joint with little or no glue, but the original finish seeped into that joint serving as a weak glue. One cabinet had a couple nails, but others no nails at all.

-from inside the cabinet, soak one side joint with alcohol. and some across the front joint. (Do NOT apply any alcohol to the outside of the joint because you risk major damage to the old cabinet finish.) After a minute, soak the inside joint again, and immediately tip the cabinet a bit and use a hammer and wood block to knock the joint apart. 

- repeat the same process on the other side joint. Top came off cleanly

- I used a router and trim bit to mill off the tongue. I filled the groove under to top with a wood strip and sanded it smooth. May need to clean old glue out of the groove - try a saw blade.

- I used pocket hole joinery to attach 1x2 or 1x3 stock across the back to support hinges for the top and stabilize the cabinet, to compensate for the structural loss for the top. Be sure there is overhead clearance to slide the radio chassis into the cabinet.

-for better appearance, sister 1x2 stock on the inside of the sides (and maybe the front). Sand smooth and iron on some veneer.

-after sanding, and maybe use grain filler and sand again - spray lacquer or toning lacquer on the new wood and under side of the top. Mask cabinet exterior as needed to limit the spray lacquer to new wood.

- I used a router to recess the hinge into the new back support.

  

[Dave]

Thank you for this consummate write-up, David, much appreciated. Clearly, for hide glue, alcohol acts different than other organics. As for the Braemer, I will always consider it a well balanced rather hansom cabinet.

[David C. Poland]

Most 1930's Scott cabinets had lift tops until those after 1937 that were sized for smaller Sixteen, Super 12 and Phantom series models. (Except the Philly size Windsor is glued top.). Better for display and for tube access. So why not the smaller cabinets 1937 onward - to reduce cost maybe. The Philly size cabinets were available for the smaller models, and do appear.

I much prefer lift tops, hence converting several. Still mulling over my nice Louis XV low boy cut for a Phantom Deluxe. It is a big, tall and heavy cabinet (briefly appearing  for 1938 Zenith 15 tube model before Scott offered it 1939-40).