Pye MM

[Joe]

I bought this radio in an auction last Friday and have just collected it.

It will be a joint endeavour with Alan B so more posts as work proceeds.

               

The first job will be getting the chassis out and treating the livestock. I know there is disagreement amongst us about the need to do this but it can do no harm. It is interesting to see that the little blighters have hardly touched the solid wood handles so they obviously find the ply-wood more toothsome.

- Joe

[tiv48]

what fantastic looking set good luck with it
rob t

[AlanBeckett]

Joe,
That looks promising.
Feel free to press on with the wooden bits
Alan

[Joe]

That's all I will be doing, Alan. I've looked at the electronics and I want my Mummy.

[Mark Hennessy]

The first job will be getting the chassis out and treating the livestock. I know there is disagreement amongst us about the need to do this but it can do no harm. It is interesting to see that the little blighters have hardly touched the solid wood handles so they obviously find the ply-wood more toothsome.

It does look like a lovely set, Joe...

My views on woodworm are based on my experiences with old houses rather than old radios, and indeed, I've yet to encounter them in a set. But I've only got 2 or 3 "woodies"...

As I've said in the past, there is an unknown risk when treating timber that has already been treated, as we don't know the effects of mixing chemicals that were in vogue 20+ years ago with the current choices. And this is something that could well happen in an old house that might well end up being treated whenever it changes hands (thanks to the way timber treatment companies tend to work). Certainly, I have ignored my surveyor's advice to get the house doused in dubious chemicals, and in the 6 years we've been here, we've only seen a small number of beetles emerge in the cellar - that was in the first year, and as their life-cycle is only around 3 years, we would have seen more by now. Opening up the ground floor ventilation has dried out the timber to a level below which they can thrive.

But back to radios: it's unlikely the set has been treated in the past, so I reckon you'd be OK from a health and safety point of view - needless to say, I'm sure you'll do it outdoors . But another option might be to store it in a chest freezer for a few weeks. Microwaving is apparently another possibility, but few of us have machines big enough for a radio!

Looking forward to seeing how this one progresses :D

Mark

[Joe]

Currently my freezer is a bit too well stocked as that would be my preferred method either instead or as well as a chemical attack. I think that modern chemicals are so 'safe' as to be no much cop but I can't see them exactly benefiting woodworm even so.

Id be loath to try microwaving as there will be metal nails, screws &c in it and heat may cause other damage. Cold could too I suppose but I've never had a problem.

- Joe

[AlanBeckett]

Joe,

Assuming you've disemboweled it let's have some pictures of the works.
The Trader sheet says it has a Metal Rectifier,
It's 0745 by the way.

Alan

[Mark R]

Nice one Joe, bit wormy!
why are you afraid of the electronics, looks a doddle does that ;-)

cheers Mark

[Joe]

The gutting was quite fiddly as servicing-friendly it isn't.

I've injected each worm hole on the outside and have since been resting my back a bit.

It certainly looks OK apart from brittle insulation.

               

- Joe

[Mark R]

Ah the twin chassis like the Graves.

Hope that rectum frier is ok, they don't half whiff when they go. Might be better to cut it out and go down the diode route with that.

cheers Mark