Here is another case of a seller on Ebay cheating death with their silly stunts.

First, have a look at the comment by the seller: "I have plugged it in and it works".

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Antique-valve-radio-/181065231901

The radio has its original VIR-insulated flex and it is in by no means good condition. Thus it is likely the radio hasn't been re-capped or inspected for other faults.

Second, have a look at the photo below, showing the state of the flexible cord.

Please also see the threads below highlighting other sellers who have done the same thing.

http://vintage-radio.com.au/default.asp?f=1&th=321.
http://vintage-radio.com.au/default.asp?f=1&th=498.

Yet another idiot. I guess we'll see more.

Unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with the understanding of the dangers of electricity.

Teach 'em young and they stay taught. That's my experience.

They'll soon understand if they come into contact with the bare wire. It hurts - it hurts a lot.

If you are unwell for any reason it can still kill hours later, even if the shock was minor and even if the victim no longer feels any pain or other adverse sensation. This is why OH&S policies in most workplaces now require an employee to be taken to a hospital for an ECG after any electric shock. That waveform tells more about the condition of the human heart than most non-medical people would know.

Astor radios of that vintage are also notorious for having perished rubber coated wiring underneath the chassis. I've restored a few Astor KM's & others over the years. The wiring underneath either crumbles into dust or turns into a horrible goo. Sometimes if the wiring is not too far gone I've been able to sleeve the wiring with heatshrink so as not to have to go to the bother of replacing it. But I'm not sure if this method is to be recommended. More often than not, once you disturb the wiring it just falls apart and has to be replaced anyway.

Either way, a house fire, or a lethal shock. Perhaps Ebay should find a way of policing potentially dangerous items being offered for sale.

It's people like this making it harder to find any good old radios & other electronics , for instance:, the local antique shop where I am has a Philips radio which had a damaged cord, which was removed, Then the original plugtop was sealed in the bag sitting in the back of the radio, this rule should apply for people like this!
This is just stupidity!!!!

Any flexible cord made of single-insulated VIR (Vulcanised Indian Rubber) should automatically be scrapped and either replaced with a new cotton or PVC-covered double-insulated cord.

In addition, any unrestored radio offered for sale anywhere and by any means should either be declared in safe working order or have the cord cut off and not sent with the radio. Let's not forget that a removed cord has to be safely disposed of - you won't want them being plugged in without an appliance at the other end.

The question is: How do we get this across to those selling radios? The same should really apply to any old electrical appliance. It is only a matter of time before someone who knows what their rights are (and we probably have too many rights as far as civil litigation goes) takes a radio seller to court for not warning them that 240 volts and the human carcass don't go hand-in-hand.

Natural selection isnt it? Cleans up the gene pool

Perhaps I am a bit late in adding a comment but as a teenager I was taught by an old ex PMG radio tech, 'Always test before you touch!' He had lived into his 60s then (like me now) so I reckon his tip was worth taking.

I carry a small neon tester in my pocket and whenever I am looking at something that is possibly 'live' a quick tap first is better than 'testing with a finger'. A few times the neon has glowed when I thought all power was off. (And never assume that anything in any asian country is earthed!)

The other tip he gave me was when working on powered equipment, stick your left hand in your pocket and only use your right hand. That way if you do get a bite the current will go down your right arm but not across your chest and through your heart. This does not guarantee your survival but it is better than no precautions at all.

In my working life I have seen trained engineers and sparkies working on live equipment and taking what I consider foolish and unnecessary risks. So I'm not surprised at anything the average eBay seller might do.

Andrew

Here's a transcript of an argument I had with an Ebay user regarding basic safety precautions with vintage radios.

I copped abuse for simply cutting old, decrepit power leads of some radios I was shifting but stood my ground. The end result is that I am not in gaol because I allowed someone to buy a radio that ended up electrocuting the new owner.

We can sure as hell do without the attitude displayed by the individual in this transcript.

http://vintage-radio.com.au/default.asp?id=debate.

Brad,

I know the feeling of having to argue with immature morons, who can barely speak, let alone write (and construct proper sentences) in the English language.

I recently had an argument with a fellow insulator collector (glass and porcelain telegraph insulators), who is one of those people who think that they know everything, and that your argument is invalid. He was also one of those people who only see others in the hobby as 'dollar signs', not as people.

He also used his age (60) as a reason for being correct. Well, I would've thought that 60 years of age would mean he would have a more responsible and mature attitude, and would have been better at solving conflicts. Apparently not...

The argument was followed by more accusations, abuse and unpleasant language, all of which sent through Facebook (where else?). I've since left the hobby as I do not, under any circumstances, want to have any further interaction with the other individual involved.

Thankfully, I still have this wonderful hobby!

There are always going to be individuals out there who think they no more than everyone else, and who can not conduct a proper and mature conversation. It's a sad part of life, but you just have to deal with it.

Cheers,

Chris

and if you know anything about electricity --you will know that when these radios were made --they needed an arial which was grounded. grounding the arial gave you an earth.

I near spat out my coffee when I read that. LOL!

Chris,

If you are ever passing through the Blue Mountains in the next few months, stop in at the antique shop in Warrimoo. They have a 10 channel AWA Radiola telly there (I'd say a 21 incher) and numerous insulators.

I've also had people use their age as a reason for knowing everything. Back when I was new to collecting radios I visited an antique shop in Stanmore which is no longer there. I saw a timber mantel radio that I liked though I protested at the $350.00 asking price, given that it was the year 1991 and the radio was post-1950. The landlord claimed that it was a 1920s radio and said that he was alive back then so he ought to know. He wouldn't accept that seven pin baseless valves simply weren't available in 1920 so his radio didn't sell. I just gave up. The reason I knew how to date radios at the time was because I listened to advice from experts like Peter Lankshear who is a veteran of the valve era. All this shop owner wanted to do was sell a radio that was worth about a tenth of the selling price at the time.

GTC,

Yes, I was beside myself with disbelief at this bloke's cheek. All that commotion over me cutting off rotted power cords or the cords from damaged receivers. It's just the right thing to do especially if a buyer has young children - every layer of protection possible just minimises harm and if he's such a brilliant engineer then it shouldn't be a problem to buy a few metres of cotton power cord and wire it up in the correct way. He thinks he's Sir Ernest Fisk yet he'd be lucky to have a radio in his collection at all methinks.