This beautiful Art-Deco mini-tombstone tabletop radio from Stewart-Warner Corporation’s 1933 model year is a superb example early industrial design. The aluminum grille is the perfect decorative statement and was highly innovative for the times. The radio is a single AM band receiver and uses four tubes. It has good selectivity and amazing volume for the compact size.
History: The Stewart-Warner Corp. began as the Stewart and Clark Co., founded by John Stewart, and made automotive parts, particularly speedometers. The firm had a huge factory on Diversey Parkway in Chicago. Radio production began in 1925, and to support its radio products, Stewart-Warner bought the O&T tube factory in New York City, which had previously made Silvertone tubes. Although its tube manufacturing business was not very successful, Stewart-Warner was building radios at the rate of 1,000 units per day by 1926.
This model first appeared in the fall of 1933 and the same chassis (R123) was used in several cabinet styles. This model – the R-1235 ‘Aristocrat’ – is the nicest with its highly detailed turned column bordering the speaker grille, and burled veneers decorating the face.
Today, this attractive radio is sought after by collectors but almost never found restored to this near perfect condition. We acquired this radio in early 2017 from a collector who had not restored it. The cabinet was in good shape and had its original finish. The chassis was working but needed a full restoration and upgrade.
Dials: The amber dial displaying the station frequencies and volume are quite impressive, especially in a dim or dark room. All numbers of the main faceplate are legible and show virtually no signs of wear.
Chassis: We checked all the chassis’ components, replacing resistors and tubes where needed. All capacitors were replace. We thoroughly cleaned, and lubricated the main tuning capacitor. We aligned the radio (both IF and RF), and it plays well across the AM broadcast band.
Cabinet: We put a lot of work into this cabinet to enhance its Art Deco features. We stripped the original shellac and toned the bottom footer and shoulders with an ebony lacquer. The sides and top were toned in brown to match the original look. All other wood including the elm burl Carpathian wood front banding got a simple (almost clear) maple stain. All of it was conditioned with grain filler and sander sealer. We then finished the entire cabinet with a flat matte lacquer. This makes the original veneer pop.
We fixed a few small abrasions and added a period correct reproduction grille cloth and retained the original control knobs. No detail was overlooked. The result is this handsome looking radio that will last many, many years into the future.
Speaker: Even though it performed well, we had the all-original 6-inch speaker cleaned and reinforced. The result is clear audio across the entire audio frequency range. This radio produces good bass tones for its size and the great sound will fill an average size room. See link to demo on YouTube below.
Dimensions: 12-1/2"H x 10"W x 8"D
Weight: 12 Pounds
See demo video here. If you cannot view, then copy and paste the link to browser: https://youtu.be/yPYsI9jOdG
History: The Stewart-Warner Corp. began as the Stewart and Clark Co., founded by John Stewart, and made automotive parts, particularly speedometers. The firm had a huge factory on Diversey Parkway in Chicago. Radio production began in 1925, and to support its radio products, Stewart-Warner bought the O&T tube factory in New York City, which had previously made Silvertone tubes. Although its tube manufacturing business was not very successful, Stewart-Warner was building radios at the rate of 1,000 units per day by 1926.
This model first appeared in the fall of 1933 and the same chassis (R123) was used in several cabinet styles. This model – the R-1235 ‘Aristocrat’ – is the nicest with its highly detailed turned column bordering the speaker grille, and burled veneers decorating the face.
Today, this attractive radio is sought after by collectors but almost never found restored to this near perfect condition. We acquired this radio in early 2017 from a collector who had not restored it. The cabinet was in good shape and had its original finish. The chassis was working but needed a full restoration and upgrade.
Dials: The amber dial displaying the station frequencies and volume are quite impressive, especially in a dim or dark room. All numbers of the main faceplate are legible and show virtually no signs of wear.
Chassis: We checked all the chassis’ components, replacing resistors and tubes where needed. All capacitors were replace. We thoroughly cleaned, and lubricated the main tuning capacitor. We aligned the radio (both IF and RF), and it plays well across the AM broadcast band.
Cabinet: We put a lot of work into this cabinet to enhance its Art Deco features. We stripped the original shellac and toned the bottom footer and shoulders with an ebony lacquer. The sides and top were toned in brown to match the original look. All other wood including the elm burl Carpathian wood front banding got a simple (almost clear) maple stain. All of it was conditioned with grain filler and sander sealer. We then finished the entire cabinet with a flat matte lacquer. This makes the original veneer pop.
We fixed a few small abrasions and added a period correct reproduction grille cloth and retained the original control knobs. No detail was overlooked. The result is this handsome looking radio that will last many, many years into the future.
Speaker: Even though it performed well, we had the all-original 6-inch speaker cleaned and reinforced. The result is clear audio across the entire audio frequency range. This radio produces good bass tones for its size and the great sound will fill an average size room. See link to demo on YouTube below.
Dimensions: 12-1/2"H x 10"W x 8"D
Weight: 12 Pounds
See demo video here. If you cannot view, then copy and paste the link to browser: https://youtu.be/yPYsI9jOdG