Some upcoming projects...

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

My dad has been going through his garage, workshop, and pile of old gadgets, and he recently offered me a few before donating them to charity or throwing them out. I'm pretty excited to get into these projects over the next few months and see if I can make them like new again.

First up is an air compressor my grandfather bought back in the 1950s or 1960s, a W.R. Brown Speedy Sprayer 875C. He had worked for the public transportation company in Cleveland, Ohio back then as a bus body repairman. I think he bought this air compressor to paint cars on the side. I know my dad borrowed it in the 1970s to paint a used VW Beetle. Once my grandfather died in the late 1980s the compressor stayed in my dad's workshop and didn't see any more use. He was going to throw it out, but I snagged it for a few reasons: a ) I love the utilitarian design, b ) I have pleasant memories of the puttering sound it made, and c ) it has enough output to run an airbrush very nicely, unlike the smaller compressor I have.

I did plug it in and run it, and I'm happy to report the rubber diaphragm is still in good shape and pumping air. I was able to fill my cars' tires with it; it still makes the same great noise I remember. It just needs a good cleaning and maybe some fresh paint to make it really nice again. I have a full set of documentation, including instructions, diagrams, and parts lists to keep it running.

This one isn't mine, but it looks just like it:

Here's what it sounds like (again, not mine):

I've been searching for W.R. Brown and Speedy Sprayer for quite some time, looking for information and parts, and strangely enough it wasn't until I put in the exact model number that the successor to the W.R. Brown company popped up:

http://speedysprayer.com/

I sent them a contact request asking if they have any new old stock parts in the back room, maybe even some decals, or ideas on paint to make it like new again. Hopefully I hear back from them!

The other great catch is my dad's old stereo receiver, a Heathkit AR-1515. I remember being five or six years old when he built it in the mid-1970s, and it's been in his living room since them. He recently decided to replace it with a new Onkyo receiver, and he offered the Heathkit to me before donating it. Of course I had to take him up on his offer! He has all the original documentation to go with it, and he also has the calibration meter used to tune it. He did indicate a few bulbs are burned out and one of the segments on the frequency display isn't lighting, but he has some spare bulbs. I'm also thinking I can probably find another 7-segment LED display from Digikey if I have to replace it. He suggested spraying some of the potentiometers and switches with contact cleaner. Otherwise it still sounds good. I'm thinking this will be a fun project for my son and me to restore it back to perfection.

Here's an ad showing the AR-1515's appearance and specs:

I have some Advent Prodigy tower speakers and some Advent Baby II bookshelf speakers that I bought 20 years ago. Since I'm only using the bookshelf speakers with a 20-year old Technics SA-GX550 in my living room, I should be able to use the tower speakers with the Heathkit.

Prodigy towers:

Baby II bookshelf speakers:

Much to my dismay, the foam suspensions around the speaker cones are starting to flake apart. Even though these speakers function, I touched one of the foams recently to check its condition, and I got a finger full of dust. Fortunately, there is a way to get new foams for these speakers through simplyspeakers.com:

http://www.simplyspeakers.com/speaker-foam-repair-new-edge-it-kits.html

My son and I are going to tune up the Heathkit AR-1515, then we'll work on replacing the foams for all our speakers. If all goes well we should have two good amps and two good speaker sets in the house. Now, to find a really decent set of headphones...

[mongoose1983 3335]

Oh, you did not mention that FANTASTIC Heathkit receiver + gorgeous Advent speakers before... Wouldn't it be great to listen to some George Jones' songs through such an awesome piece of equipment!?

[Tamiya1/10 382]

Yup, they sure don't make em like they use too. Your grandson could still be using it sfter your son painted the world. But the engineers of today are very good too, in making a product just last a few months after the warranty is over. Case in point, my car AC stop working after 5 years and 2 months. The parts alone was over $1000.00

[Crash Cramer 617]

Sexy compressor and I can't wait to see the rebuild of that. It doesn't even look like it "walks" at all while in operation, try that with most modern compressors of any size.

[2amp2 0]

Hi Speedy Beans.    Many years ago you posted about your repair of a Heathkit  AR 1515 receiver.  I have one too but for the life of me cannot  get the digital display working.  Came across your post but the images are no longer available.  Would very much appreciate any thoughts, info or adult supervision you could share with me to troubleshoot/repair the digital display.  It's a wonderful receiver and everything else works great.  Thanks so much in advance.

 

2amp2

[speedy_w_beans 4272]

Hi 2amp2,

I'm happy to help.  I have the full assembly manual, schematics, parts list, checkout procedures, illustrations, etc. since my dad built the receiver originally.  I also have the original Hirsh-Houck review in the 1977 Popular Electronics magazine.  Do you have the documentation as well, or just the receiver?  I can send you some photos or scans of the right sections, and we can walk through the symptoms and troubleshooting together.

Since you PM'd me we can carry on there and trade some contact details.