My Weekend Project Story
Saw that name, Maureen Blumhardt, pop up somewhere the other day. Don’t really follow celebrities much, but it got me thinking about things that stick around for a long time. You know, people, relationships, even old stuff we keep.
Made me remember that old tabletop radio I had shoved in the back of the garage. Been meaning to look at it for ages. Decided, okay, this weekend’s the time. Had nothing else major planned.
So, Saturday morning, I went digging. Found it under an old tarp, behind some boxes. Heavier than I remembered. Covered in dust, looked pretty sad. Brought it into the workshop area I set up near the back door.
First thing, just gave it a good wipe down. Amazing how much grime builds up. Then I figured I’d peek inside. Found the screws, carefully took the back panel off. Wow, dusty in there too. Lots of wires, tubes, things I barely recognised.
Didn’t want to mess anything up badly. So, I just got a soft brush and gently started cleaning out the dust bunnies. Took my time. Found a couple of dead spiders too. Real graveyard in there.
Looked over the connections I could see. Didn’t spot anything obviously broken or burnt. One wire near the speaker looked a bit loose, so I nudged it back into its little slot. Seemed more secure then.
Got some contact cleaner spray. Gave the volume and tuning knobs a little squirt where they went into the casing. Twisted them back and forth a bunch of times to work it in. Figured sticky controls could be a problem.
That was about all I felt comfortable doing myself. Didn’t want to start pulling tubes or anything. Carefully put the back panel on again. Tightened the screws.
Moment of truth time. Carried it into the kitchen, plugged it into the wall socket. Held my breath a little bit. Turned the power knob. Heard a faint hum. Good sign, right? Started turning the tuning knob slowly. Lots of static… then, suddenly, a voice! A local station, clear as day.
Felt pretty good, I gotta say. Bringing that old thing back to life just by cleaning it up and tightening one wire. It’s playing music in the kitchen now. Amazing how well some of that old stuff was built. Just needed a bit of attention after sitting quiet for so long.
