Airline Model 04BR - 511A Antique Bakelite Tube Radio From 1940 Restored Wel
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:45345320 | Country/Region of Manufacture: United States |
| Featured Refinements: Bakelite Tube Radio | Brand: Airline (by Montgomery Wards) |
MODEL, YEAR, FEATURES: Standing just 5 ½ inches tall, these miniature Bakelite sets sold by Montgomery Wards in the early to late 40’s were popular with people needing a radio to fit just about anywhere to listen to the news, music, or ballgame. Controls are simple Volume and Tuning. This Model 04BR-511A radio came from the factory painted white. Age and sun exposure took their toll over the last 80 years, and rather than reapply white, I decided to add some interest ...with this gloss black / yellow color scheme. I was inspired by an array of these sets shown in a radio collector book (see photo). I recently went through the electronics, and this radio will play reliably in the years to come. CONDITION, SERVICING, PERFORMANCE: The Bakelite cabinet is free of cracks, damage or repairs. All traces of the faded paint were removed, and it was carefully prepped, precisely masked, and painted. Radio now displays with a nice gloss luster after a wet sanding and polish process. Like many examples from this era, the dial scale had badly warped. I created the artwork and made a replacement that has sharp graphics and numerals with the tuning cursor visible. Inside the chassis I replaced the old wax / foil capacitors and electrolytic filters to eliminate hum and distortion. In the process, resistors and wiring were checked along with many other items including the tuning mechanism and set was given an extended operation and alignment. Amazingly, five full sized tubes were designed into this set (see photo of powered chassis), and it puts out room filling sound. The tubes are well ventilated from the rear metal louvered backboard that doubles as an antenna on this set. Radio is able to pick up most stations in our area; reception for weaker stations can be boosted by clipping a simple length of wire onto the rear backboard terminal if needed. Reception is clear without hum or distortion from the speaker. Radio has its original knobs and fasteners, and the power cord has been replaced with a new one. This little Made in USA gem will look great and fit just about anywhere.DIMENSIONS, SHIPPING: Chassis is clean and dust free, cabinet dimensions are a compact 7.8 inches wide, 5.5 inches tall, and 5 inches deep from front of knobs to back panel. Old 6.5 Oz Coke bottle in one photo placed to give a sense of scale. I’ve shipped well over a thousand delicate tube radios for the past 21 years on eBay with fine packing materials and methods; radio will be shipped on the day or day after payment is received.
