Magnavox TP-241D record player cabinet restoration

[electra225]

There are a lot of places on this cabinet where the defects will show thru Tolex. It showed under the original Tolex. I made notations of the major defects and am taking care of those first. I'm also learning a lot. I don't have Ron to handle the job this time. This is my first attempt at restoring a cabinet covered with Tolex. I'm doing more than I probably really need to, but a learning experience is part of it.

[electra225]

The bottom of the cabinet is almost ready for Tolex. A couple small little places yet to sort. The top is almost done as well, just waiting for me and the decal guy to get our schedules together long enough so he can get some measurements. Some tidbits of information I have learned.......

You need to cut the Tolex with a square to make absolutely sure the material is perfectly square. Then you make all cuts against a straight edge. I use a single-edge razor blade and an Exacto knife to make my cuts. It was highly recommended that one practice with masking paper before actually attempting to install Tolex for the first time. I have found that to be excellent advice. The top rear corners on the cabinet are particularly challenging to figure out the various angles on. It took me three times to get it right with paper. I have made four patterns of some of the more complex angles on the cabinet. When I start cutting Tolex and fitting it, I can refer to the patterns to help get the cuts right. I am using an 18" straight edge. I am in the market for a 24" one. You will notice in one picture there is a strip of green tape running down the corner on the inside of the lower cabinet. In practice, this will be the black Tolex. I will run the black Tolex down the corners so I can make my outside black and the inside white meet in a manageable location. There will be a 3/4" overlap on the outside material on the inside of the lower cabinet, a 1/2" overlap of the red material on the top to the inside of the top. I plan to cut the white interior Tolex to fit dry, then I can apply the adhesive and stick it on. I will draw lines on the cabinet where I want the overlap to stop and also will make the center of each run. I will install the red Tolex on the bottom of the lower cabinet in three pieces. The sides first, then the middle. There will be an approximately 1 1/2" overlap from the sides on the bottom. The black Tolex on the middle will also be in three pieces, this to better accomodate cutting to fit the hinges. I will also use red and black paint and paint areas where these colors will break with the white. This is necessary in the event that I make a cutting error. Bare wood won't show as badly where the miscut occurred. This will allow me to hide mistakes in plain sight, a technique we used in the auto restoration business. Seems like that might work well here. I'm looking forward to the Tolex project. I'll kipe the wife's hair dryer to set the Tolex corners rather than using a heat gun. The hair dryer will be slower, but its lower temp will give me more time to make a mistake and should prevent my overheating the Tolex. It is recommended to use a heat source so the Tolex will shrink and fit tighter to the corners and edges. I am going to use black and white Tolex to finish the area in the corner of the changer compartment that houses the power cord. When I got it, there was no material in that area and the bare wood showed. I think there should be a patch of white Tolex under the changer so bare wood doesn't show when the power cord is stowed. I am also going to install a white power cord. The factory brown cord is totally out of place on a black, red, and white cabinet. I plan to paint the turntable platter red, then use a tan platter mat. I will remove the overarm and the tone arm, sand and prepare appropriately, then repaint in tan, close as I can get to the motor board, two-toned with red instead of the factory brown, again, to better compliment the cabinet colors.

[electra225]

I got ahead of myself on deciding to change the colors on the changer. The first reason is I forgot about the control knobs for speed and function. Those are dark brown and are in nice shape. More research shows that Magnavox didn't use a VM changer for very long, nor in many models. They are typically found in the beige/dark brown two-tone color scheme. So I reckon I'll just repaint the tone arm and overarm in as close to the colors they are now as I can get and leave the dark brown power cord. All I have seen have been like that, so it must be a Magnavox thing. I have thought also about replacing the changer with a stereo Collaro, but I want to play 45's with this record player and nothing handles 45's better than a Voice of Music changer.

[electra225]

I finally found somebody willing to take on the challenge of repopping the decal in the lid. I am awaiting the "approval" draft. He will send me an email with the design of the decal. He is making it all in one piece, instead of three pieces. He seems like a nice guy. He will be a nicer guy when and if he comes thru with a decal and I'm holding it in my hand. The guy does everything in the way of graphic design work. He has a cute little shop a couple of miles east of the house. He seemed to be excited about my project and asked lots of questions to make me think that. I mentioned that I had two more to do after this one. He didn't know that anybody in the world still fooled with record players.

[William]

I'm glad you found someone to make the decal. Really, he did not know record players were still around and that people still enjoyed them.

Bill

[electra225]

The guy appeared to be in his middle 50's. Very personable individual. He was unaware that anybody still messed with old record players. I mentioned that this one was from 1958, which was before he was born. He called it a stereo. I told him that it wasn't stereo. I told him that I was totally restoring the record player, electronics, changer the whole shot. I referred him to the forum to read the topic I had started on the restoration project. He seemed to be genuinely interested in my project, I was shocked. We'll see what happens.

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Good luck on the decal, Greg.

Sounds like the gentleman could be a convert to vintage hi-fi's.

Last week, I went by one of our local record shops,
whose owner has been generous in referring repair
and restoration customers to me.

He also seems to like to have one of my record players
on consignment, for people to see and usually purchase.

The shop was jam filled with records, and he said
he cannot keep inventory, it goes so rapidly.

He's had the shop for over 40 years in several locations, and I'm glad
to see him be so successful with the upswing in record album interest.

[electra225]

I'm glad to hear stories like that, Mr. Mogul. That sure doesn't seem to be the way it is around here. People listen to music on a cellphone, little better than fingernails dragging on a chalkboard. There is no support around here for such projects. AES is fairly close, but they deal more in guitar amp stuff than record players. There are a couple of shops that redo receivers and that, but they only deal in high-end equipment and charge THE BIG MONEY...... One shop quoted me $1250 to go thru my Pioneer SX-1050. They take a deposit, give an open-ended contract with no start date and no completion date. Not for this old boy, they won't....

I wish I could get something started like you talk about. Surely somebody around here has some old albums laying around that they would like to hear again.....

[William]

I wonder if region has a lot to do with it. When you live in the north country you have all winter to do projects and listen to vinyl. Summer is when that kind of gets put on hold. Out where you live, Greg, it's summer all the time. Yes, I know it get very hot in the summer but people that are still working have the somewhat cooler evenings to spend outside. Just my 2 cents.

Bill

[electra225]

I've been adding up my COSTS, with no consideration for time, for this project. I'm going to have more money into this project than I did into the Concert Grand.

I can understand why they are asking $400 to $500 for these things on ebay. Even if they actually get that kind of money, by the time they pay ebay fees, they have not made a lot of money. The Tolex and glue will run nearly $100 at AES, and they seem to have the best prices on that stuff. The glue is $32 a quart. I'm easily going to have $400 into this project. I have no idea how much time. In fairness, this project is getting "one of everything". The Concert Grand was electronic parts, the cabinet and the "big stuff" were okay. I'm not going to mention how much I put into the Stereo Theater. This little record player has been taken apart as much as it can be. We'll put it back together, piece by piece, every piece getting the touch. It will either work better than new, or it won't work at all. I'm not cmplaining. I have long wanted to do this kind of a project. I had never worked with Tolex. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity. Stay tuned.

[TC Chris]

I've been adding up my COSTS, with no consideration for time, for this project.

I'm going to have more money into this project than I did into the Concert Grand. I have long wanted to do this kind of a project. I had never worked with Tolex. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity. Stay tuned.

That's the whole idea of hobbies, right? They cost us money but they reward us by giving us opportunities to use or acquire skills, and the chance to step back and admire the finished product. I'm still a cheapskate when possible but also figured out that the money I saved for retirement really did obey the rules of compounding, so it's time to spend it unless I want to enrich the next generation. The 1961 sailboat is getting a professional paint job right now.... And I take on the projects that fit the talents & time of a working guy.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I can only imagine what a professional (if a professional Tolex installer exists) would have charged to do the job. I wouldn't have learned anything except finding a quicker way to be upside down.....

[electra225]

I got the proof of the decal this afternoon. If he makes the decal like the proof, it will be better than the original. Besides repairing the damage to the original decal, he cleaned up the Magnavox "coat of arms" part of the decal. The detail is far better than the original. I am excited to finally be getting this far with the decal. I won't remove the original decal until I have a satisfactory replacement in hand.

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Nice going there, Greg.

As you stated, the time, money, and effort you put in
will gain you experience. A priceless commodity.

[electra225]

I need to figure out, definitively, what caused the spindle to damage the decal on the lid. The spindle contacted the lid hard enough to not only damage the decal, but it also gouged out the wood. Is the spindle the wrong one, or did someone carelessly forget to lock down the changer before they carried or stored the cabinet on its side. I also need to know for sure where the 45 rpm adapter bracket goes. I filled in the original holes. Is something broken/amiss with the changer suspension springs? Is there unseen damage to the spindle as a result of the contact with the lid. If any of you guys have suggestions on this, I'll be eternally grateful for your input.

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

I need to figure out, definitively, what caused the spindle to damage the decal on the lid. The spindle contacted the lid hard enough to not only damage the decal, but it also gouged out the wood. Is the spindle the wrong one, or did someone carelessly forget to lock down the changer before they carried or stored the cabinet on its side. I also need to know for sure where the 45 rpm adapter bracket goes. I filled in the original holes. Is something broken/amiss with the changer suspension springs? Is there unseen damage to the spindle as a result of the contact with the lid. If any of you guys have suggestions on this, I'll be eternally grateful for your input.

I doubt it is the wrong spindle.
Where I have always seen this damage is from someone dropping a record player
upside down somehow. The shipping bolts' retainer clips can either flip up or just take out
the wood plinth on collision of a hard surface.

The V-M spindles are steel, and are difficult to damage.

The 45 RPM adapter on many of these players is either mounted on the left lower
side of the cabinet lid, or the left inside of the cabinet below the lid.

[electra225]

I spoke with the company today that is making the decal. It's in production as we speak. It should be ready for pickup tomorrow afternoon. Let's keep a good thought....

[William]

Fingers crossed!

Bill

[electra225]

I have, here in my grubby paws, not one but TWO better-than-original decals for the lid of my little record player.

I haven't mentioned this before, but this is the FOURTH shop that has had the decal project. The first three shops failed to come thru with their promises for one reason or another. "My printer is broken", "my girlfriend's kid got sick and I have to take her to the hospital", "I'm not going to be in the shop for all of next week", then the old favorite "I can't do it that cheap. There is no money in doing a little job like that".

The man who did this one is named Tres Service. Pronounced "Trace Service". He will also reproduce the tags and decals for Magnavox cabinets, such as the changer operating instructions that are on the platter, and the hang tags and model number tags for Magnavox. The guy works so reasonably that I can't get the equipment and put up with my computer ineptness for what he charges to just do it and have it done.

Why did he make two? "In case you mess the first one up, (wink)". I just might at that.....

He tried to undercharge me. I agreed to a price for one, he charged me half that for two. "It wasn't as much work as I had thought" was his answer. I paid him the price I agreed to since I thought it was the bargain of the century. He also does 3-D printing. Knobs and the plastic sliders for the front doors on Magnavox CG and Imperial models come to mind.

No pictures yet. I'll wait until I get the decal installed on the new Tolex in the lid. Patience, Chris, patience....

[TC Chris]

Make sure that you refer lots of people to that guy, and that they mention your reference so he knows you appreciated his effort.

Chris Campbell