RCA Mic Restoration

[chris319]

I finally succumbed to temptation and picked up an umber gray RCA 77DX on the bay of "e". It was recently worked on by Clarence Kane, but the main defect is cosmetic: there is a dent/depression in the front grille which I would like to have "pounded out), realizing that this will probably require re-sliking and may require re-painting, which is OK. Oh, and the RCA logo may need some paint touch-up (I need to examine it when it arrives).

I'm aware of no fewer than five businesses which restore vintage RCA mics.

Clarence Kane/ENAK
AEA
"Big D" Broadcast Exchange
Stephen Sank
Jerry Silvia

Does anyone have any recommendations or horror stories on any of these?

I wonder if Clarence, S. Sank or AEA have actual NOS replacement parts, as opposed to trying to bend the existing piece back into shape. However, the supply of these things is finite. A couple of years ago I had Clarence refinish a BK-6B lavalier and he said he was out of BK-6B motors, which was OK because all I wanted was refinihsing, but eventually some of these guys are going to run out of whatever original RCA parts they may have. I don't know how they would "undent" a dented grille and get it back to the original shape of a 77DX. Anyone?

Here is a video of a 44BX being refinished by "Big D". He seems to pay painstaking attention to detail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9BjOX4ocSI

 

[zebra50]

The RCA 77 grills are pretty easy to knock back into shape.  If the grill hasn't been hit by a truck, you can normally get good results simply by using a doming block and a blog of wood cut to the right shape.

Replacing the fabric is pretty simple too - you can use the permanent kind of spray-mount. Use the old cloth as a template to cut out some new ones. Cover the outside of the grill with masking tape and spray the inside. It is sticky stuff so use gloves and work the new fabric into place, and let dry for a couple of days.

Well, it is a DIY forum!

 

[chris319]

Here is an interesting video showing how AEA makes its version of the 44BX. I never knew how they got the shape of the grille, but now I know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHkOkqnJjy0

Yeah, we are DIYers but I would rather send it out to someone who knows what they're doing, has the tools, has been doing it for a while, and can take care of any paint issues that may arise -- oh, and who knows what they're doing (well that excludes me!).

 

[chris319]

My 77DX arrived today. It's in better cosmetic shape than I thought, maybe an A minus. I plugged it in after first making sure phantom power was turned OFF. Nothing. Nada, zilch. It's deader'n a doornail, despite the ebay seller's representation that it's in "perfect working condition" and had just been worked on by Clarence Kane. It was wrapped in liberal amounts of bubble wrap and other packing materials, so I doubt it suffered any damage in transit. I have to wonder if the seller actually tested it after getting it back from Kane, or if Kane let a mic go out the door that didn't work.

I'm waiting to hear back from the seller.

UPDATE: Seller refunded a portion of the purchase price. Matter resolved satisfactorily.