[Boatanchors] "Ham-mered?"

[Donald Chester]

One of my most horrible examples was back in 1970, when I answered an ad in QST or Yellow Sheets for a 1935 HRO receiver, one of the originals with the German Silver dial, for $50.  Hammy Hambone assured me it was in near-mint condition, so I sent him he money.  Within a week it arrived, in good shape.  It was packed well and it was like new, except for a little corrosion, probably from being stored in less than a perfectly dry environment.  I plugged it in and it worked perfectly. Now for the horror story.

Along with the receiver, I found a note from Hammy Hambone telling me he had "cleaned it up for me" before shipping.  The German silver dial and knob skirts had been a little corroded with age, something you always see in those sets if they have been  sitting unused on a shelf for a while (which is the reason National changed over to the black lacquered dial). All you have to do is buff them with a soft cloth and maybe a little WD-40, and they shine like new.  But Hammy Hambone had a different idea: he went over them with fine grade emery cloth.  He not only removed the corrosion, but partially ground away the markings on both the main tuning dial and knob skirts, and left a rough, scratched texture on the surface.  On the main dial, in a  couple of spots he had completely buffed away the German silver plating down to bare brass.  Speaking of an urge to kill...

Don k4kyv