Hi all ,
I am new to this site and after 45 yrs, I am taking up again my passion for everything Valve Radio. I have recently acquired a Console STC radio, the Dial has Model 56 on it but want to confirm that the Chassis and speaker is part of the original radio for this cabinet before I start bring it back to its former glory. I will get Brad to post some pics I took with Chassis and speaker out of the cabinet as well as the cabinet.

If you can help with the following questions.
1. What model is this
2. When was it built
3. How popular was this model
4. Does the Radio and Speaker belong to this Cabinet
5. Is it a common model or is it rare?
6. I want to do the work on the cabinet myself and suggestions or links that could assistant me to ensure I do it right.

If you can provide any answers that would be most appreciated or please send in the right direction to find these answers.

Thank you in advance George.

Welcome to V-R.

I'll wait for your photos to appear, but in the meantime you could check this link and see if it matches or is similar to what you have:

http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/stcaus_561_ch_56.html

Hi George, welcome!
I cant help you with electronics, but if you want to chat about finishes Ive been working with veneers and doing finishes a long time and dont mind chatting about veneers and finishes
Pete

I have two articles from Discovering Vintage Radio, an Electronics Australia publication by Peter Lankshear from 1992. The article are called Restoring a Classic STC, parts 1 & 2. His was a 562, but the circuit given is for a 56 - there was a 561 also, probably different cabinets for different models. The radio looks identical to that in Radio Museum. Can scan if you like.

The valve line-up is 57, 58, 57, 2A5, 80. If you check the valves for their numbers, remove them by pulling on the base, not the glass envelope. Be careful removing the top cap connections- the top caps may have come adrift from the envelope, and you may break the connecting wire. Also beware that the numbers on the valves can be easily wiped off, so be careful handling them and don't clean them until the type has been read.

Good luck.

Restoring a Classic STC, parts 1 & 2

http://messui.polygonal-moogle.com/valves/VR198908.pdf

Thanks! Great link! And saves me scanning.
There are a couple of articles on cabinet restoration that Captogo might find useful:

http://messui.polygonal-moogle.com/valves/VR198812.pdf

Wow, thank you all for your responses, I do feel welcomed and look forward to participating on this great forum.
GTC, thanks for your link, I had in fact seen this , one the photos are uploaded, you will see the my cabinet is different, though the controls arrangement looks the same, so I gather the chassis is similar.

Vintage Pete, I will take you up on advise around the Cabinet restoration.

STC 830 thank you for the advise, and offer to scan, I used to have copes of Radio Australia I think to was called and then Electronics Australia covering the 50s.60s and 70s but after a few moves over the years the are all missing, boy what I would give to find them again, such great memories as a kid reading these and building different projects, that was a long time ago.

Robbert thanks for the great link, I have downloaded both that article and the STC 830 also suggested and I will read overt the weekend.

I will come back with an questions if that is ok, and keep you informed on my progress, check out the pics once they are loaded and anything else come to mind I would love to hear from you.

Have a great weekend.
Cheers for now George.

Radio Australia I think to was called and then Electronics Australia covering the 50s.60s and 70s

A potted history of that magazine lineage:

August 1922 Wireless Weekly

April 1939 the magazine became monthly and was renamed Radio and Hobbies.

February 1955, it was renamed Radio Television & Hobbies

April 1965 it became Electronics Australia

In 1987 several of the EA's staff moved to its main rival, Silicon Chip.

March 2000 the last issue of the title Electronics Australia.

Silicon Chip is still in publication (and its issue sizes are getting bigger lately).

This cabinet looks in pretty good condition, In the photos I dont see broken Veneer. I'm not sure what you have in mind for it, but you see the upright framing that has been painted in a brown to make it stand out and create a frame.If that is original, the colour is important because it was often matched to the Grain filler.
Its an old technique of making cabinets an even colour and still giving it the contrast that jumps out at you..
If your intentions were too give this a new finish you want to match the colour frame and the grain filler and the Stain before you started.
This is a beautiful cabinet and well worth the effort and its in good condition to start with.
Yep very nice Cabinet
Pete

Hi Guys,

This radio is a 1934 STC Model 562 with a 56 chassis.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/182887493/19232765

The one in Peter Lankshear's article is actually a Model 561.

Priced at £25/10/0, which equates to about $2,430 today.

Thanks Pete, it is in great condition no veneer cracks or chips. When you say upright framing do you mean the side panels with the two shades?
Also do you know what the station indicator decal on the front is made of as I do not what to damage it when I try to remove it.

My intentions are to restore it to the original using if possible the same technique and materials back in 1934. I saw a YouTube video a while ago from the UK using a simple technique, no stripping to restore Veneer cabinets of this era, I will see if can track it and provide a link to get your opinion if that technique will work on this unit.
Cheers George

Thanks Monochrome TV, that ad from 1934 is great, good to see the marketing spill on this unit.

So are you saying the Chassis 56 was the original for this Model 562?

Have you or others come across many of this model, is it quite common ?

"Have you or others come across many of this model, is it quite common ?"

STC radio chassis have a serial number stamped on the back and printed on the paper label. It is fair to assume that this indicates its order off the production line. Though maybe not, for example 2345 might mean the 2345th example, or the 345th example of the 2nd batch.

Similarly the ARTS&P sticker number should indicate its order in the licencing queue, eg in this case No4, A 77628 probably means the 4 x 100,000 + 77628 = 477,628th radio licenced in 1934.

Hello George,
Furniture of this Era should aways be done in the Traditional finishes.
I have a background in Furniture Restoration not Radio or electronics.
There are some exceptions when you would want a modern finish .A couple of years ago a lady asked me to Restore a 1950s Radiogram for a Cafe with the intention of letting the public play Records on it in the cafe, So it needed the toughest clear finish I could think of to cope with that, so after staining it .I clear coated it in Automotive 2 Pak. Well 2 years have past and it still looks new,
But in the case of your cabinet it should be done in the Traditional finish.
Now depending on what look your after will determine which process to use.
Yes sometimes old finishes can be re-activated, but this depends on experience and Skill levels and how bad the finish is to begin with.
Your cabinet is pretty good so you really have the options to Restore it or Tidy it up.
The Trim I was referring to in my last post is the brown trim on the front ,That forms a picture frame.
All the best Pete.