Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

I have not really detailed out the parts sequence for restoration work on this project just yet. The Carrier No. 4 still needs to be looked at up close once it arrives, but other than that, all I know so far is the first priority will be to finish work on the two receivers. That work is already three quarters completed, so best follow through with it.

My suspicion is the Supply Unit may end up being the last item tackled. I still have two single conductor connector cables to find for the main set and until they are found, I do not want to risk damage to the Sender, Supply Unit or both by ad hocing anything foolish. So buying more time by restoring the supply last makes sense from that perspective.

I was initially hoping the panel of the Supply Unit could be polished back down to the right shade of paint patina to blend in with the two receivers, but now that I have cleaned the grime off and had a closer look, that will no longer be possible.

First, too much paint is completely gone from the bottom of the panel. Nearly an inch, and in that same area, the bottom inch of the Receiver Vibrator Supply Module has been bent inwards just enough that it will have to be tooled carefully back to straight. I don’t think there is enough ‘careful’ available in the paint to prevent it from spalling off when that work is done.

The final factor in deciding on a complete restore of the supply panel was the discovery of just how incredibly sloppy the decal application work was during its 1966 shop refurbishment. Take a look at the attached factory photo of the supply decals from the manual, and compare it to the work done on this supply. Yikes!

I think some good water transfer decal software is on the horizon for me at some point.

David