Fun, Interesting, Bizarre, and GROSS Things Found in Old Radios
I find strange and interesting things all the time inside old radios
These old radios have been stored in garages, basements, attics, and sheds for decades.
I don't know why I feel the need to share these. It's just too random, unexpected, and weird to keep to myself.
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On April 8, 2024:
I found this little guy in an old radio recently. I'll call him Scottie.
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On Mar 21, 2024:
This radio looks like it was in a house fire. It has evidence of being hosed down by the fire department. The insides were covered in inky soot. It smelled smokey. Surprisingly, the radio worked as soon as I turned it on. The clock needed cleaning but it too worked!
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On Jan 23, 2024:
Here's a head scratcher. What would cause this?
Black residue deposit. Came off with Acetone. Not gummy or sticky like radio was kept in a greasy kitchen.
Doesn't seem like exposure to heat, because underneath paper wax capacitors were not melted. Speaker was intact so doesn't look like exposure to water. Doesn't look like tobacco because that usually looks brown.
Even more surprising, this radio worked as soon as I turned it on.
By the way, these Arvin 951's really sound great.
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On Sept 19, 2023
Look at this lovely mouse nest inside an old Zenith. Amazing thing is the radio worked great after a little cleaning up. One of the IFTs was shot because all the moisture froze one of the tuning slugs.
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On Feb 5, 2023
If you ever need a good reason not to plug in old electronics before it's been properly serviced, here it is.
This paper and wax capacitor exploded under the chassis. See how the end is blown apart in ribbons? A short circuit within the component caused beeswax to heat up, causing high pressure that blew the foil out one end.
I did not unravel this capacitor. This was how I found it under the chassis, which is pretty unbelievable considering how fully unraveled it is.
Here's close up view of the end that blew out.
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On June 26, 2022
What is this?
Mouse nest?
Bird's nest?
Yuck
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On Feb 10, 2022,
Nest of old termites or ants or something. This ball of dirt was encrusted around a dogbone resistor. Once chiseled off, turn on. I amazed the radio started working!
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On Oct 5, 2021,
The world's cruddiest old dried out cord. Pretty amazing this thing was not cut off and thrown out years ago. No, I did not try plugging it in.
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On June 30, 2021,
Looks like remains of termite, hornet, or some other insect nest. There was a caking of gritty dust all over the chassis.
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On May 28, 2021
I found these mice in an old Farnsworth. See the nest made out of an old green scour pad?
More to come...