A couple of weeks ago I bought a B77 for $25. It looked bad, but since it's my favourite tape recorder model of all time, I couldn't leave it. I thought it would at least be good for spares, but some inspiration brought it back to 'showpiece condition'.
As I got it, (a) all the toggle switches had been broken off, (b) someone had put something hot on the top of the cabinet in from of the handle, which melted a droop in & blistered the cabinet, (c) the Nextel was generally very scratched and worn.
For the toggle switches I made 'fakes' by filing & machining down two glued-together strips of acrylic, cut from an old cracked turntable cover; I needed double thickness, so two strips. Then I drilled & painted these metallic silver. A short section of 2mm welding rod connects these new fake dollies to the original switch toggle mechanism, into the centre of which I drilled a 2mm hole.
The burned cabinet top I 'hid' by carving out a rectangular recess, using a chisel & craft knife. Into this recess I slotted a section of aluminium extrusion from the hardware store. It matches the pinch roller cover flap perfectly.
I removed all the Nextel with methylated spirits, and re-sprayed it in Satin Black aerosol paint (2 x $5 cans).
Various scrapes and scratches on the amplifier face and reel taples I touched up with Humbrol model paint & a tiny brush.
It looks pretty now!
As I got it, (a) all the toggle switches had been broken off, (b) someone had put something hot on the top of the cabinet in from of the handle, which melted a droop in & blistered the cabinet, (c) the Nextel was generally very scratched and worn.
For the toggle switches I made 'fakes' by filing & machining down two glued-together strips of acrylic, cut from an old cracked turntable cover; I needed double thickness, so two strips. Then I drilled & painted these metallic silver. A short section of 2mm welding rod connects these new fake dollies to the original switch toggle mechanism, into the centre of which I drilled a 2mm hole.
The burned cabinet top I 'hid' by carving out a rectangular recess, using a chisel & craft knife. Into this recess I slotted a section of aluminium extrusion from the hardware store. It matches the pinch roller cover flap perfectly.
I removed all the Nextel with methylated spirits, and re-sprayed it in Satin Black aerosol paint (2 x $5 cans).
Various scrapes and scratches on the amplifier face and reel taples I touched up with Humbrol model paint & a tiny brush.
It looks pretty now!
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