There are a lot of topics about this all the time, so here is another one.

First of all, let me warn you, that it does not involve Howards, any oils or waxes. And, that the process takes me about 3 times as long as a strip and refinish. So you will not save time. Preparing the surface is not easy either.

So, on our last field trip we acquired a Cathedral. It looks very much like a Sparton 410. The radio is even mounted Sparton style, sliding into 4 grooves cut into the side panels. But the look is very 1930(ish). Like a cross between an Echophone S4 and a Sparton Junior. The chassis is a double decker. Looks like a first attempt at putting an AC power supply on a battery radio.

Its condition, well, was what I normally would have refinished without a second thought. The shouldered "cathedral” top was separated from the front panel so far that you could drop a nickel into the radio between them. Worse, it had been reglued at some point locking it into this position. The radio was full of what was rubber insulated wire, at one time, and had been "touched up" with some silver paint - everywhere.

So the chassis got a complete rebuild including new rubber wire and works well with all of its globe tubes.

Here is the deal. This radio has two tags that call it a Northland Radio. A gold transfer mounted very crooked on the front and a tag on the back "Northland Radio Manufacturing Co, St Paul Minn. I tried to find a schematic, no luck. All I could find was a listing on the Radio Museum site as follows;

http://www.radiomuseum.org/act_main.cfm

Name: Northland Radio Co.; Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA)
Abbreviation: northland
Summary: The Northland Radio Company was located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and manufactured many models during the 1920s and early 1930s.


Wrong city, right State, but "many models"? Only 3 are listed, none have model numbers and one is just a "no name?". So the "many models" must be a misprint. It does refer to a "Northland Radio Company 1931 Cathedral A/C Receiver. ". So this one must be it.

So, I view this radio as a example of a model built by a short lived company, hastily designed, maybe copying other more successful manufactures, with poor cabinet construction and assembly ( many of the untouched panels look to have been cut with a rip saw and never sanded. There are veneer seems in the arch where there should not be, by no means, book matched), the bezel had to be filed down slightly on the right for the radio dial not to rub - ever so slightly, i did not notice until i had removed it, and overall poor fit and finish, just built by a company about to fail. So I had to save as much of the originality as possible. Everybody loves a perfect beautiful radio, I felt sorry for an ugly one. Plus I felt compelled to preserve the crooked nametag.

So here are a few pictures. The back of the radio is an "after" shot. Actually they are all "after " shots

So has anyone ever heard of this company, or seen another model, or this one?

Anyway, the arch had to be completely removed. So in the end, it got an entirely new finish. The solvents I had to use to melt the glue wrecked what was left of the original finish anyway. But don't judge to harshly yet. I did preserve the finish on the rest of the radio, even on the shoulders.



In the meantime the chassis was rebuilt. Under the new silver paint was that greenish silver paint they used in those days, I'm sure it was considered grey. Such advancement. First grey, then silver and now "chrome". I like the grey better. I even saved the original brown wrinkle finish on the power transformer.

I smoothed the original cracked, flaking finish as much as possible. And then began the process of filling and sanding, ending with a coat of semi-gloss. It will not be buffed this would bring out any unevenness caused by the flaking original finish. And, though I would not normally use s standard semi-gloss topcoat, it does make it looked more aged which is consistent with preserving the original finish in the first place. Some toner had to be used on the arch and the back side, top of the fron pannel.



All and all not as nice as a total refinish, but where would I ever have found that nametag transfer, And could I have made myself mount it crooked and off center?

Great job. Definitely a one of a kind radio. What solvent did you use to melt the glue and how did you apply it?

- Geoff

Lacquer thinner, with a brush from the inside and out. It does not melt the glue, but makes it soft enough to pull apart. I think that it must have been white wood glue since I have used this method on it before. If it was epoxy I would have had to use a better solvent.

Oh! and did i mention all of the nails and tacks? Some looked factory, some had been added.

The solid walnut strip at the top of the arch also had a knot hole ~1/4" on the outside that had what looked like factory filler in it. Now it has non-factory filler in it.

I called the people who make the carpenters wood glue, and was told that heating it to 170 degrees F will allow disassembly. I managed to glue a General Motors console cabinet crooked by working in the evening when I was tired, so will use my heat gun to try it.

That is one fine job on the radio. i always like to see how others refinish without stripping.
It is a one of a kind and you did it justice..

I know that this will work - more or less. The more recent the glue is the better it will work.

I just had to disassemble an entire Radio Cron cabinet this afternoon. Don't ask why, but it involves Stain Plus Topcoat Varathane and 60 grit sandpaper. Oh, and a few termites too.

The Pavek Museum in St Louis Park Minnesota has a number of Northland Radios on display plus much information about the history of this company. Contact snr@museumofbroadcasting.org

Thank you. I sent them an e-mail.

Northland was one of many local Twin Cities area companies that produced radios during the 1920s and early 30s, and I've seen a number of them here in the Minneapolis area. Your model was probably one of their last, along with a very similar model that had a clock in the center of the grill area. From the style of the front panel arch in your photos it appears you have the version without a clock, but mine and several others I've seen are the clock versions. I'd have to remove the wood back panel on mine to see if the tag says St. Paul, but I'd suspect it does since they probably wouldn't have had two locations. However, I know of at least 7 different 1920s Northland battery radios and the two that I own are labeled as made in Minneapolis, so maybe they moved at some time.

Thanks