Yeah, it won't be a walk in the park, but you just have to take your time. Carefully look at the schematic and match the capacitors to the wires that come out of the can. One way to keep track of wires that have faded/dirty colors is to use some different colored nail polishes. I usually buy a few bottles when I stop by a Dollar Store. Once you have the leads all identified and marked (and double and triple checked) it won't be so intimidating. As already mentioned I also don't think the resistors are in that can, but if they were you'd be better off just replacing them anyway.

If you re-stuff that old can with new capacitors make sure you insulate the bare leads with spaghetti tubing or heat shrink so they won't short together or short to the can. Take your time, trace out the wires, draw your own diagram (if needed), take a lot of pictures and you'll be all set.

I thought I was the only nut using cheap nail polish to mark wires... LOL It's amazing how many colors that dang stuff comes in.

Donald

Okay, I'm back once again. I've removed that big block of wax out of the box, and cut all the wires from it. I figured it would be easier just to cut slits on the top of the box, bend the lid upwards and remove the block of wax in one piece, versus melting that junk all over the place.

I guess I'm going to show my newbie side once again, and ask a couple really basic questions, just to double-check myself. This schematic is from 1930-something, and some of the symbols are not the same ones I learned 10 years ago in college electrical courses:




First off, when two wires intersect, and there's a dot there, is this to mean they are connected at that point? I'm thinking it does.

Second, this thing doesn't do much in terms of identifying which tube is which. I'm assuming the tube in the lower left-hand corner is the rectifier tube (80), the tube directly above the speaker is the audio tube (45), and the three in a row connected to the coils (IF coils? RF coils? I don't know what these are called) a would be the 24a tubes.

For the 24a tubes, the symbol they're using doesn't really match up with what I'm seeing on the tube database. They are drawn differently. On the schematic above, I see the heater terminals as the fork on the bottom. The line directly above that is the cathode, the U-shaped line is the screen, and the rectangle box inside the U is the plate??? If I am wrong, please correct me!

Also, in working on the chassis, I managed to unplug 2 out of the 4 wires from the speaker. There are five sockets on the speaker, and of course I have no idea which holes they went in, and the color on the cloth wires is faded into oblivion. What do those dotted lines mean around the speaker on the schematic?

Thanks again in advance for the advice.

The dotted lines show that the speaker unit is separate and kind of self enclosed. The red and green wires go to the input transformer. When you find those two, using you meter, you may hear a scratching sound in the speaker, which will let you know you found the right ones

And yes, if they are there, dots mean connections. Sometimes the draftsmen forget....

I just wanted to say thanks to everybody here... I've learned soooo much about working on radios from all the help. I just finished (successfully) replacing that entire waxy multi-pack capacitor. It took me 2 hours of just staring at the schematic before I finally started to realize which tube was which, and I was able to use my continuity meter to verify other connections to make sure I was on the right track. I can now say the radio no longer pops whatsoever. I've also learned what a candohm is... I originally thought they were just soldering posts to the chassis!

As it is I can pull in a couple stations at the higher end of the frequency spectrum, at something that approaches normal volume. The lower end of the dial still comes in at very low volume. I guess this thing does indeed have some sort of automatic volume control, as I hear no static between stations. It seems to also be working on weaker stations, by making them play at very low volume. I've tried playing with the trimmers, which helped very slightly, but not much.

Congratulations! I'm sure it was a challenge to replace all those capacitors stuffed in that can, but it sounds like you did well. It has been my experience in the past that the model 26 isn't a real hot performer. You might want to try a longer antenna (and good ground) after you verify your voltages are pretty close to the chart on the schematic.

You know, I've been looking at that empty ground screw on the back of the unit and wondering about it. Is there a convenient way to make some sort of ground for this unit, short of running a wire through a hole in the wall and pounding an 8 foot metal stake into the ground?

If you're having trouble getting reception near the bottom of the band, the three tuning cap sections may be a bit out of alignment.

Check the sections where they rotate on the shaft. See if there are two screws there (almost always, there are).

Tune in a station or signal generator near the bottom of the band (capacitor mostly meshed). Slightly loosen the two screws on the tuning cap nearest the antenna. Now using two hands hold onto the tuning shaft and slightly rock the tuning cap section for best volume, while also rocking the other two sections that are still turned by the tuning shaft. You may get a whole lot more audio. You have to take care to keep the plates centered between the stator plates! Quite a two-handed trick but doable after a little practice.

When you find a max volume point for both the tunig shaft and the loosened plates, tighten down those bolts to lock the section in its new place.

Now do the same with the middle section against the outer two. Again you may get quite a bit more audio.

A ground rod is the best option, but a cold water pipe often works well.

You can do a search and find other options, but often some of those will induce noise.

I am really kicking myself right now, but maybe in a good way.

So, I took the chassis out today to attempt to re-align those plates. It seems the stacks of plates are riveted to the shaft, so I wasn't able to adjust much there. I turned the radio on, and got no sound whatsoever, not even a hint of a station coming in.

At one point, I lifted the chassis up to take a look at something underneath. It slipped out of my hand and fell a few inches, hitting the tabletop. I powered up the radio, and the thing started playing a station loud and clear. Somehow I felt compelled to wiggle the #45 tube, and when I did the station immediately stopped playing. I had cleaned the tube pins, but I had forgotten to clean the contacts in the chassis itself! After 20+ hours of work on this radio, two squirts of contact cleaner fixed the problem. I actually had to get a shorter antenna, because this thing plays so loudly, I was afraid it was going to damage the speaker.

Once again, thanks for all the help. This radio is re-capped and playing great.