Transistor 17

Hello:

I recently purchased a Grundig Transistor 17 portable radio. It is the US version of the Ocean Boy 204.

The radio works perfectly on all bands even though it is about 50 years old.

However, the radio has a musty and moldy smell. The cabinet is wood particleboard and vinyl. I believe that the smell is mostly comming from the cabinet.

Can anyone provide any advice regarding how I might clean the radio so that the smell is reduced?

I don't expect the smell to be 100% eliminated. But it would be good to reduce the smell if I could do so easily.

If needed, could easily remove the chassis, speaker and any delecate parts from the cabinet.

A few  of my Nordmende Globetraveler radios have this same problem. They also have wood cabinets.

Any guidance and advice would be very much appreciated.

Very often, older German radios are stored in a basement or attic, where they are likely to become moldy. It is not understood that the wood cabinet will pick up moisture and mold.

Thanks and best regards,

Mike Witas

Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA

Hello Michael.

It may be that the Selnium Rectifier is on its way out and when this happens the smell is Bad.

Regards Kev.

A faulty selenium rectifier smells of rotting fish marinaded in cat wee.

It's probably a small amount of mould. Rinse inside of case with "Milton" or similar (a kind of bleach, so be careful!)

Mike:

Thank you for your comments.

To the best of my knowledge, my radio has no selinium rectifier. The AC power supply was not included. It just runs off of batteries.

Question: Is "Milton" a special blend of bleech? Does it have any special formulation or additives? The reason I'm asking is that Milton is not sold here in the USA. The bleech most people use here is Clorox. I never thought there was much difference between brands, but maybe I'm wrong.

Thanks again,

Mike Witas

Milton Ingredients

Milton main content is just 1% to 2% Sodium Hypochlorite. It has about 16% common salt (Sodium Chloride), probably as a stabiliser.

Clorox Ingredients

• The active ingredient in Clorox household bleach is sodium hypochlorite, which performs the bleaching, stain removal and disinfecting functions. Other chemical ingredients in Clorox include sodium chloride (salt), which thickens and stabilizes the solution. Sodium carbonate (washing soda) is an alkaline cleaning agent that breaks down alcohol and grease stains. Sodium hydroxide (lye) is another alkaline cleaning agent that breaks down fatty, oily or acidic stains. Sodium polyacrylate is a dispersant that prevents loosened soils from depositing back on fabrics during the laundry cycle.

I think diluted Clorox will work too. Read the instructions.

See Wikipedia on Sodium Hypochlorite, it's very effective against Mould. But don't mix with any other cleaning compound!

Mould is a big problem here in Ireland due to mostly mild winters, cool summer and lots of damp. It's black spots and streaks when really bad. Algal growth is a problem here too (green almost moss like scum on paths, walls, driveway, even household windows, not just ponds), even car windows if parked for a week.  However Mould rather than Algae is usually the source of a musty smell.