[R-390] RE: Yike! & Restoration Thoughs

[Chuck Rippel]

> > Of course, famous names don't hurt.  (Soon Rick 'n Chuck will be demanding
> > royalties, heh heh.)

I thought I'd offer some comment on the restoration process as seen by one 
who does it.  It may shed some light on the process and differences in 
approaching it.

> It won't be Rick at Miltronix..... he just completed a refurb on my Motorola and
> in fact it's on the way back as I write this.
> 
> Rick has ceased doing his complete restoration.... no more cosmetic work
> like  cleaning and painting at all.  The main motivation for him to cease this is that
> he finally realized that he was loosing his ass with all the time consuming
> cosmetic restoration.

I don't know why, its not that hard although is _time consuming_.   That said, 
I had a good friend of mine who was a Cordon-Blu educated Chef tell me once 
that you "first feast with your eyes then with the pallet."  I took his comment 
to heart; how can one feel good (in this case) about a refurbed radio if it's a 
dissapointment to look at?

I guess the difference is that Rick is running a business and does his receiver 
work to put bread on the table. 

On the other hand, I have a very different philosophy.  I want each radio to 
pass a personal spec rather than approach this as solely a business venture.  
I have what was, a new from the box R390A receiver on hand.  A few of you 
who may have visited may have seen it.  I like each receiver I complete to 
certainly perform like that one and also come as close to looking like it as 
possible.  If it takes 2 weeks or a month, so be it.  The unfortunate side of 
that is that I must keep this crazy waiting list.

The neat side is that I have people fly into our rural airport to pick their radios 
up or drive down.  The last person who picked a radio up here was about 4 
weeks ago.  He left with tears in his eyes (no kidding).

> You couldn't really charge for the necessary time as not
> too many people could then afford your work.  He said he'll still do complete
> repair and electronic restoration as the turn over is faster.... but that's it.
> Too bad... I couldn't even talk him into repainting my front pannel or knobs and
> I had the cash.

Ricks absolutely right.  Howard Mills, W3HM who does a good deal of Collins 
"St. James Gray" gear restorations and I once sat down and calculated what 
we made before taxes.  It's right about $5-$7/hour.

And thats ok too.  Howard and I both feel that its better to return given piece 
of equipment back as we would personally expect rather than something less. 
Neither of us run "radio factories" prefering to approach the effort as an 
oblique kind of art, if you will.   I document the repair process, the test results 
and supply a rather substantial booklet with each radio.  I would like each 
owner to treat the completed radio as sort of an heirloom.  Lord knows, 
properly done, an R390A will remain useable for several more generations. 

There are phases in restoring a receiver that are a real pain in my butt.  In 
order, they are:

Refinishing/relettering a front panel
Refinishing/re-lining the knobs
Rebuilding the filter caps (mostly 'cause the technique I use is sort of 
dangerous)
Building the solid state ballast tube replacement modules.

Rather than make a partial effort, I am going to maintain my level of detail and 
even increase it where possible. That includes things like painting knobs, 
replacing all the front panel hardware with new Mil-Spec Stainless, offering 
front panel re-paints/re-letters on engraved panels and putting new elements 
in those confounded filter caps.  Plus all the other things that seem to eat up 
my evening radio time.

> This auction is what really set him off I think.  Something about $750 for a
> full refurb that then gets turned around on eBay and sells for $1900 +/-....
 
I can't blame him; it bugs at me at times also.  However, when its all said and 
done, it's not my place to try and dictate what a private owner does with his 
equipment.  However, I won't knowingly re-do a radio or radio(s) for known 
"dealers"/chronic resellers, unless they represent its for their own private use. 
Its just "one of my things," I suppose.  I remember getting a note from the 
"Radio Finder" about 4 years ago esentially asking me if he could be a 
"dealer" for my work.  I declined for the reasons above.

A contrast between the level of work I choose to deliver and v/s Rick does is 
neither bad or good.  Its just a difference in philosophy.  Ricks a decent 
person and you don't have to wait as long to get a radio done through him.  In 
contrast, I would never take my efforts on as full time work as I am sure my 
personality would quickly religate what I do to rote work and the quality would 
surely suffer.  However, there is a patience trying wait (which I deeply 
appreciate from those who endure it).

Best
-----------------------------
Chuck Rippel, WA4HHG
R390A List Co-Administrator
Reply to: R390A@R390A.com

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1968 Contract Dittmore-Friemuth R390A #38
1967 Contract EAC R390A #2808 with outboard Sherwood SE-3 Sync. Detector
1967 Contract EAC R390A #5295
1967 Contract EAC R390A #5591
1967 Contract EAC R390A #1023

All in regular use as premier Shortwave Broadcast DX Receivers
       -and-
Vintage AM Amateur use
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