Russ HuntOur Services
Relic-Tronics can handle anything from fixing a simple loose wire to a full restoration of just about any piece of antique electronic gear. We tend to be conservative when it comes to comes to restoration of older gear: Original style parts, no chassis mods or anything that isn't reversible, and minimal "refinishing". This old stuff deserves respect.
Capacitor replacement - Hammarlund SP-600 RF deck
Service and Repairs:
General service on most tube gear includes the following:
1. Tube sockets: Clean, tighten and deoxidize the contact surfaces
2. Controls: Wash and lubricate pots, deoxidize switch contacts
3. Components: Inspect for signs of deterioration due to age.
4. Brush dust and blow out spider nests, etc from chassis with compressed air.
5. Test operation. Set bias (if a guitar amp).
Repair Work
Repairs are charged fairly by time and materials. Our hourly labor rate is $48.
Normally, some detective work is necessary to get to the source of a problem or there may be multiple problems. Sometimes research to find service documentation is needed to more efficiently find the cause of a problem. For this reason, we have a minimum $40 evaluation charge if the customer decides not to have the work done by Relic-Tronics.
Depending on parts availability and the amount of work to be done, we can usually turn repairs around in a few weeks up to a few months.
Restoration:
Collins 32V-2 surgical procedure
Restoration work requires time (= money), and much of that depends on how far one wants to go with it. I don't really like the glitzy, overdone restorations, preferring instead a minimally-invasive functional approach. We always keep you informed of the progress of the work and how much the costs will be along the way. On big jobs we don't have the heart to charge for the actual hours spent so usually we come up with some reasonable amount based in the real world. We try to be fair about prices.
SP-600 Bathtub cap rebuild
I have decided to limit the amount of restoration work that we take on here at Relic-Tronics by becoming very selective. The amount of work required is just too much in most cases. It is easy to put $1000 worth of work into a $150 garden-variety radio but it then becomes very hard to justify economically.
This kind of work is really a labor of love and so the small amount of time that I have available will be spent mostly on my own restoration projects. It is unfortunate that many other restorers have come to the same conclusion.
Collins R-388 Signal Corps Receiver
If you don't mind, here is a bit of advice that took me a long time to learn: Spend more and buy something in the best cosmetic condition you can. Then, learn to work on it yourself.