1940 Silvertone Model R81 AM / Shortwave
Radio Restoration Project
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Model No. 101.613

"The Red Collection" is a pair of furniture consignment stores in Greensboro, North Carolina, where we have bought many items over the past two decades. Nearly all have been vintage wooden furniture in need of restoration - some a little, and some a lot. Whilst perusing a few months ago, I spied this Silvertone Model R81 AM / Shortwave console radio, of 1940 vintage. Silvertone is a line of electronics produced for Sears, Roebuck & Co., for many decades in the last century. Both the wooden cabinet and the electronics chassis are in reasonable condition, and will probably take about the same amount of effort to restore as my 1941 Crosley 03CB AM/ Shortwave console radio. Amazingly, the full set of radio station call sign labels for installing on the pushbutton fronts were included. So was the user manual with schematic and parts list, the original sales floor tag, and a Radio Time Table and Log.

A unique feature of this Silvertone R81 console radio is the "RADIONET" Loop Aerial antenna contained within an oval cylinder inside the cabinet which can be rotated "to the position that gives clearest reception and greatest freedom from noise." There is also a shortwave antenna behind a cardboard panel on the left side of the cabinet.

The original price was $160, and then each month an article goes unsold, the price drops by 10%. After a number of months items go into a clearance area with price being negotiable. After about four months the radio was still there. I got it for $35! Patience was definitely a virtue in this case. It will be a while before I have time to begin the restoration, but for now I'll polish it up a bit and put it on display in the house. Photos and descriptions will be posted here as they become available.

B&K Dyna-Quik Model 650 Vacuum Tube and Transistor Tester

As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few thousand words for you:

The next series of photos will be with everything back together.

Nove

Coming very soon: Photos of the electronics chassis restoration process.

August 3, 2013 Update: Read about my experience electroplating copper back onto some of the mounting hardware.

This 1941* Crosley floor console radio model 03CB was given to me as a Christmas present in 1983 by my wife, Melanie. It

Related Pages:

- Crosley 03CB Floor Console Radio by Adam Guha 

- 1941 Crosley 03CB Floor Console Radio Restoration Project

- Radio Chassis Work Fixture

- Tesslor R-601S Vacuum Tube Radio Teardown

- Tesslor R-601S Retro Vacuum Tube AM/FM Radio w/Bluetooth 3.0 Modification

- Crosley 03CA Floor Console Radio for Sale

- 1941 Crosley Model 03CB Radio Photos (Tim O.)

- Radio & Electronics Restoration Projects

- Vintage Ads with Science / Technology Themes

- Vintage Magazine Ads from Duke University's Ad*Access Website

- Vintage Radio Control Systems

Posted May 3, 2023