Philco Boomerang Restoration

Contributed by Claude Chafin

WEB EDITION

Never give up on a set that has potential for restoration. Claude Chafin tells one successful repair story, and we look forward to others. (Editor)

The Philco Boomerang shown below turned up recently at a local garage sale. My seeing its "potential" is the reason this radio ever got restored.

When I first saw this set, I noticed that it seemed to be still intact. It turned out that it needed only new electrolytics and a power cord. These took five minutes to replace.

The cabinet was quite a different matter. Figure 1 shows the extent of the cabinet damage. Since a large chunk was missing from a rather obvious place, I decided to cut out a similar piece on a band saw. I used Bakelite from an old plain cabinet that was already broken Notice the grooves I cut to help form the curvature of the cabinet. Then I used tape to hold the piece in place while I tacked it down with Super Glue, as shown in Figure 2. Once the glue had dried, I could flip the set over and pour Plas-T-Pair in the cracks with the tape preventing it from running through the other side, as shown in Figure 3. While the Plas-T-Pair was drying on the seams, I also used Super Glue, which helps to create a rigid bond. JB Weld also helps as a reinforcement for any thin areas. Once everything has dried, it is just a matter of sanding smooth.

Then I put a thin coat of primer over the seams to look for faults -- i.e. cracks or pinholes not sealed. Sometimes you can't see these flaws without the primer. Now the set is ready to prime and paint. Figure 4 shows the finished product.

(Claude Chafin, 4223 E. 42nd Way, Independence, MO 64055)

Claude Chafin, an old radio collector for 15 years and a Ham operator for 25, asks three questions before taking on a repair job: Will his techniques bring it back to normal? Is it too far gone to make the time spent worthwhile? and Does it have a good collectible potential? Affirmative answers mean success, as in this article.

Figure 1. In its as-found state, the cabinet was broken and large pieces were missing from its top.

Figure 2. A replacement piece of Bakelite has been cut to size and taped in place on the top.

Figure 3. An underside view shows the patch with Plas-T-Pair poured into the seams.

Figure 4. What seemed to be an impossible repair has produced a good-as-new cabinet.