In the process of a cabinet restoration of a 1939-40 model Motorola 82A. I'm looking for a replacement or reproduction part but I'm not sure if this is whats called the Bezel / Escutcheon as seen in the images. If anyone has any idea on where or how to get this replaced / reproduced Id greatly appreciate it.

The cabinet is currently at an professional Mennonite Carpenter who is sanding it down and doing the actual cabinet restoration in the original Walnut color. While I have all the original internal components this is more of a cosmetic restoration as at this time I'm not sure whats all involved in a true mechanical restoration. I do need the four buttons that go on the front as well.

Any assistance or information would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advanced

Just a note--sanding is risky, since it is very easy to go right through a veneer. Most of us strip the old finish, if the original is too far gone to be salvaged.

Pete

Yes Pete today I was speaking to the carpenter today as we were looking over the radio and he mentioned that this is a very delicate restoration and like you said if you're not careful you can sand right through the veneer. He is well aware of this and has done old future restorations and thats part of the reason I took it to him. Ill post some before and after images once it all finished to see how it looks.

Mario

Try renovated radios for a repro part. He has an ad on the right side of the page...

Pete

After exhausting all the leads I was given for replacing the bezel and researching antique radio parts sources I was at a dead end. I found nothing and no solution to my restoration problem.

The only good news was visiting the carpenter who is working on the cabinet. Many of the structural trim parts on this particular model are solid wood so moderate sanding has been very successful. In therms of the veneer the news was also good. Due to the quality and thickness of the original veneer he reports there is enough meat on the bone to do a light sanding and not go through the actual veneer. He reports that China can make a veneer these days so thing that you can look at it wrong and go through it before ever touching it with sand paper, but in this case the veneer is rather thick and well made.

He is confident he can source a cloth speaker cover thats close to the original color and pattern design.

Being a cosmetic restoration I was not concerned with the interior mechanical parts however I did want to replace the bezel on the front because it is so damaged. After no success in locating old replacement parts or reproduced copies I was left at a dead end.

The carpenter then said he knew a guy that worked in plastic moldings for tractor parts (Bezels for the gauges) and other stuff and maybe he could be of some help. With nothing to lose and needing only a simple flat face plate bezel for a simple cosmetic restoration I figured why not.

I sent the carpenter the entire complicated part as pictured below and asked for a simple flat plastic bezel just to look similar and cover the opening on the cabinet. He said he would pass it off to his friend to look at.

I recently got an update and was told his friend looked over the part and said he thinks he can reproduce the entire thing. I just told him to match the color and do his best but that I am not expecting miracles.

As many of you already know these old plastic parts really warp over time and deform in both shape and color and become super brittle and mine were no exception.

These are a few before pictures of what the bezel looked like. As soon as I get the new replacement part I will post images.

Even if its not 100% the same I hope it will pass for looking good enough but wish me luck either way. By the way I have no idea what it will cost as I just told him not to break the bank but do what he felt was reasonable.

Updates to follow

I restored a similar model (not the cabinet, though) for a friend and the bezel looks almost identical as yours. I was fortunate in that his was still intact, albeit cracked in a few spots. A few dots of super glue fixed that. It almost appears you're missing a bezel around the clock too? Maybe it's just a different design. At any rate, if I read what you wrote correctly, it sounds like you just want this to display and not as a functional radio? If so that's a pity because they are excellent sounding radios when properly restored with deep booming bass.

NostalgiaRadioTime

Yes those bezels look identical. I also agree that there might be a bezel missing around my clock but its been that way for more than 25 years and can go a little longer until I figure out a pattern to recreate one.

As for the ecumenical restoration I will wait until after the cosmetic restoration is complete before I decide to jump into that area. I think it would be cool to have it working like it was when new but I don't know who to contract for such a restoration.

When you get that far to want to do the chassis restoration, I'm sure if you post your location here you'll find someone nearby who will be willing to take on the job. Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress.

Images taken today May 23, 2017

Taking time to do it right the cabinet is coming along very nicely. There was enough meat on the bones with the curved veneer so a sanding was possible. The actual trim pieces were solid wood so those are turning out very well. There was some water rot along one side of the bottom.

Our solution is to simply sand it down, fill it with wood putty when possible or replace the wood rot where needed and then add a small half inch high base layer along the very bottom so the radio will actually be sitting on new hardwood base that will run around the entire bottom. When the stain is all finished you wont even be able to see or notice the new small additional bottom plate. This new base plate being added is intended to help protect the original wood from future wood rot and should help the radio last another 50+ years.

The plastic bezel I am told is going to look super nice (Again I will post images when I get it back in mid July). The actual parts are being fabricated up in Canada and are taking time to get them right. I was told they will cost a couple hundred dollars but will all be like new and function like the originals.

I had asked the carpenter to take his time and do it right so he is working at a nice slow pace. At this time the cabinet alone will cost several hundred dollars alone when finished. I might have over $800.00 dollars into the restoration but I figure its better to do it 100% right and above and beyond than to cut corners and have issues later.

I think this is going to be sharp cabinet when its finally done and I am looking forward to posting more images but the work will be slow over the next two months. This particular carpenter really does outstanding work and the old saying is true you get what you pay for.

Update

I had sent the bezel to a guy up in Canada and was told he could reproduce it to look original and to even be functional however he wanted over $600.00 dollars and I felt that was just way too much money for a cosmetic restoration. He then told me he could make a cheap flat bezel with wood grain and I agreed. When finished he charged me $100.00 dollars and I felt his price was way out of line for what he provided but I didn't argue, I paid him, and learned the lesson.

So here is the flat "cheap" bezel which I will leave up to you guys here to share your thoughts.

On the back its white which will be hidden,



Here is the front of the bezel with its simulated wood grain and the outline of the original buttons. There is a clear plastic protective sticker over the bezel and thus you can see the angled water marks. I will peal this sticker off once we install the actual bezel.



Here is what it looks like up against the radio. The white edges will get a stain treatment to match the stain on the radio so no white will be seen. The glass will slide up behind it and I think it will pass as a decent alternative to the original. Again I'm curious to everyone's thoughts on this. For the die hard restoration guys don't be too hard on me.. after all what I am doing to cosmetically restore this radio is better than it sitting buried in a landfill somewhere.



The actual cabinet has not had much work done since I was waiting in this bezel to see what it would look like and to get an idea of it. I am actually disappointed both on the price but on the quality of this cheap bezel but I figure it will look better than the old broken one that in pieces.

Ah, man, that's a bummer. I need a bezel done myself and was hopeful you'd done all the work and found a place; I agree, for the price, that's disappointing. I have a laser engraver here in town that would be able to pull something off like that for much less. Not to mention, it won't be very useful when it's time to actually do a mechanical restoration. Can't wait to see the cabinet finished, though!

Yes I am disappointed and it was a real bummer for what I got. The carpenter recently obtained some new equipment that does laser etching and computerizes routing. I'm going to see if his new equipment can maybe create a wood bezel that had a shape and form of the original plastic one and then maybe paint it a solid color.

I doubt I will use the new cheap plastic piece of crap that I ended up getting screwed on. I hate people who tell you they can do something only to just tell you what you want to hear and then not deliver on it. I was always taught to promise very little and deliver a lot .. not the other way around.

As for the cabinet I will try to get it going too as I had told the carpenter there was no hurry but on my last visit I said I'd like it by the end of the year which gives him just under 3 months to get it done. His work is looking good.

Update

We had taken things slow and with the holidays we didn't get much done but we are back on track.

The cabinet was completely stripped and certain areas repaired and filled as best as possible. There was a lot of wood rot along the bottom and we had to cut some new wood pieces and attached them were the rot was cut out.

While doing the work we discovered an area where the original stain color had not really been destroyed or weathered. We were able then to match the original stain color pretty close.

I apologize for the poor cell phone picture quality of the enclosed images, later I will use my camera and try to snap a few good pictures that really show it off better.

Here are images of the radio after all the sanding and work was done and the stain was put on.



Here are images of the radio with the protective semi-gloss lacquer and notice how it really darkened up the color. It really looks nice.

After searching many fabric stores I found a fabric to cover the speaker area that I felt best fit the old style and pattern that might be originally used on an old radio. The original fabric was a thick solid gold colored fabric that was basically impossible to find.

When I found the new fabric it came in the same pattern but in two different colors. I bought it both colors they had available, one being a lighter golden color and the other a darker one. After the cabinet was finished we felt the lighter fabric color that had more of a gold color looked better. We covered the speak and the pattern and color really looks good.

We never found the bezel and the old one I had basically broke into a million pieces. The guy who claimed he could make one failed big time and since these bezels are impossible to find I asked the carpenter to use computer machine and make one out of wood. I really have no other option at this time so we will see how it goes. They are going to try to get the wooden bezel made in the next week or so.

When its done they are going to try to stain it n a dark brown chocolate color in an attempt to match the original plastic bezel as best as possible. As soon as its done I will inspect it and see if it will work. I really have no other option at this time and so I feel until I ever come across a replacement bezel then a wooden one made on a 3d wood printer will have to suffice.

I will post an update as they come. Thank You

Here is a picture of the fabric I found for the speaker box. The fabric color on the right is what I chose to go with.

Here is another image of what the fabric looks like on the radio.

Wow the update has generated almost 100 views but not a single comment. I was hoping to hear from a few of the regulars here including Fred Taylor with comments, constructive criticism, or what we did wrong.

I had never refurbished or restored any wood furniture or antiques and I would actually like to get some honest feed back on what we have done. Good, bad, or indifferent Id like to hear from you guys.

It's looking pretty good to me! I wonder if you could get a bezel 3-D printed. I'm sure you'd have to do some design work (or find someone who can), but I'm curious how that would look as a final product. Good luck, and I'm anxious to see the final results!

Thank you Johnny for the kind compliments. In all honesty this radio restoration has been a small disaster. While I don't let small things bother me what does bother me are people who tell you what you want to hear and promise what they cannot deliver. This was another one of those situations.

This carpenter had restored some old chairs for me and I loved the work he did. The wooden chairs which were almost 65 years old were in awful condition with a few of the leg spindles missing and the overall condition of the chairs considered dangerous.

The bases were split in half and they were basically just junk. Had it not been for the fact they were family heirlooms purchased new they would have been long gone. So I took them to this carpenter guy and to my surprise he did a knock out job on them. I was very impressed and amazed at how they were restored and the missing spindles had been reproduced to match the chairs original ones. The bases had been rejoined and were once again solid and then the chairs had been squared up and were as solid as the day they were new.

What I was unaware of even after picking up the chairs was that he did not actually do the work himself. He had sent the chairs to another guy that does restoration work and then simply added a service charge on top of what the other guy charged. When I went to pick up the chairs I assumed he had done the work and still for some time afterwards.

I was so impressed with the chairs that I then trusted the radio to him. Over all the radio looks ok but it is far from a professional restoration job. In fact the overall quality is terrible and very elementary. If that wasn't enough this carpenter entrusted my bezel to a third party once again who promised me the world. When I balked at the astronomical price to re-fabricate create the bezel (almost a thousand dollars) the guy was upset. In stead of returning me the original bezel he claimed it was broken in many pieces in transport (admittedly it was in bad shape but not many pieces) and so he threw it and the glass away. The only thing he returned to me were the old wires. There really isn't any legal recourse because the third party lives in another country and the cost to litigate would be cost prohibitive and I would still never get the original bezel back. So now I will need to find a replacement bezel and I basically am not sure I even have the energy to deal with searching for one after all Ive been through. Maybe latter when I am a little more over this particular situation.

As for the deceptive carpenter well I was nice with him because he still had my radio in his possession and I didn't want him or the radio to disappear. He offered nothing but excuse after excuse why he hadn't finished the project and I was very kind to him but stayed behind him like a shadow gently and kindly pushing him until it got to the point I could finally pick it up.

The overall quality is just very average. The fabric that I bought for him to use on the speak grill was also poorly installed and is crooked and bunched up at the bottom. Meaning he did a real sh*tty job there too. Of course the bezel is now missing as are the 4 knobs I lost long ago but what can I do.

This was to be a simple static restoration that ended up costing me over $500 dollars. I should have just shipped it to a professional radio restoration expert a thousand miles away but I didn't and I learned the lesson the hard way.

I live in a very rural area and there really are no options locally for this kind of work and so this guy 30 minutes away seemed the real only option. Remember I was also basing his ability on the chairs he restored which later after getting them back only did I discover he did not actually do the work. When I confronted him on this third party chair guy he claimed it was because the other guy had the tools to both recreate the spindles and square up the chair. It was obvious the only reason he didn't send me directly to the guy was that he could make a little money brokering and being the middle man.

So while the radio is not what I had hoped it would turn out to be, it will work for several years as a static decorative piece. I have no desire to even try to have it professional restored and go through any other problems with it so it will just sit there until the day I die. Who ever inherits it can then deal with it and have it professionally restored if they want to.

I have it sitting in a corner with other antique heirlooms including the old wooden chairs, the wooden bookends, etc. The little wooded desk is also an old restored heirloom and the typewriter was my wife's grandfathers. Here are a few images of it now as it sits. This restoration project with this particular carpenter is officially over.

Wow, what an ordeal! I suppose, if it's just going to continue as a decorative piece, you could probably get some knobs and use the bezel you got and it will look relatively complete. Crazy that shoddy work cost $500. Glad I'm messing with mine myself! It may not be the best looking when I'm done, but by golly, the price is right!

Johnny yes it has been a very interesting (and frustrating) ordeal. I have no problem paying good money for good service that goes above and beyond normal. Again you get what you pay for in most cases but this was a case where I got taken advantage of. It just seems there are so many people who talk a good game and promise more than they can deliver and thats such a sad reflection on society as a whole.

I will not use the cheap looking Bezel that was created from cheap plastic that does not look even remotely original or of quality. However I do need to find some knobs. Maybe someone here can help me with some. I also will keep my eyes open for an original replacement bezel. If anyone reading this can find one or knows where one is I am willing to pay a decent price to get it.

Thank you all for at least following along on this journey.

Unexpected Bezel update

I had figured with the radio back home and how things went I thought we were finished. I had mentioned to the carpenter that since the guy destroyed and failed to return the original bezel that maybe he could reproduce a decorative one made of wood. When I picked up the radio he said the machine that does that type of work was down and wasn't working but as soon as it was back up that he would try to get it made. I figured that was an excuse not to do the work so I just left it at that.

Today I stopped by to show him something unrelated to the radio and he said he had the prototypes of the bezel. I was actually very surprised. There are three different colors and types of wood he had ready for me to look over. There was also two different types of type one made with a laser and the the other with a different type of tooling. The three types of wood and the different stains are just to get an idea and are not finished with any lacquer. I also have the option to create raised fake looking buttons as seen on one of the prototypes as well as make any small tweaks that I might want including maybe coloring the lettering so it shows up. Again I was totally surprised that he had these and he suggested I take them home to hold up to the radio to get an idea of what they look like and which one I like the best.

On the back side there is routed edge where the glass will slide in and lay flush. I have to admit that this goes along way in making the radio look better and more complete and while not original or functional it looks better than without it and it having a huge gaping hole on each side. And yes in one of the images I am holding the wooden bezel upside down so the lettering clearly shows this as its upside down but at least you get an idea of what it looks like on the radio.

Here are the images and they are in no particular order. Feel free to ask any questions or make any comments