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I love the look! I vote restore and make safe.

My vote is to make it safe and restore it. Something that beautiful, regardless of how poorly it was engineered, deserves to live. If we just cut the cord off and shelve it, what have we learned?

4:40 When he mentioned evidence of previous electrocutions I was picturing bits of burnt flesh still stuck to metal parts rather than a color-coded plug.

When I was about 12 I used to go to a soda fountain in a drug store. They had a large stainless steel soda fountain. They had a soup heater that would give the soda jerks shocks. One day I told one of them to pull the plug and turn it over before plugging it back in. The looks when the shocks stopped made me swell with pride. Everyone there thought I was a genius!

The perfect bathtub radio.

Yes, save it's life and put in a nice grill cloth.

I grew up around old tube type radios , never knew how dangerous they could be . But always have had respect for electricity. I do enjoy your professionalism.

My vote is make it the best that you can. Bring back alive and most safest to anyone will use it. Thanks for sharing Mr Paul.

🤔 let’s make it safe 👍

I remember when I was in my early teens, (1960's), I used to get TV's and radios from various places to repair and sell them. Nearly all of them were built this way. They called them AC/DC sets, (although it has a different meaning these days!) But the golden rule was that you always wore rubber soled shoes and kept one hand in your pocket when working on them, so no danger of getting any amps across your heart. The days of selenium (metal) rectifiers, how I miss 'em! Anyway, I'd stick some isolation in there and save it.

Silvertone was a Sears & Roebuck brand. They stamped that brand on their musical instruments as well. With Sears on it's deathbed it would be nice to see the radio restored, and possibly end up in a museum some day. I enjoy your videos. They are way over my head, but I still learn something every time I watch one.

Paul: I would enjoy viewing videos on a masterful restoration of this chrome beauty. I, too, have no idea what the engineers were thinking at the time. Nice find.

Rrstore, make safe, add a stainless steel fine filter mesh painted black for a super slick look

Thanks Paul! I say let's make it safe! Ouch! That is so cool! I can't wait to get my Curve Tracer built. Merry Christmas!

I vote yes to restoring this beautiful rare Silvertone radio. Make it safe. You are the best teacher.

These AA3, 4, and 5s are all very eye catching(some more than others) from the outside and only the outside. The average buyer was not really electronically minded but was commercially convinced the more tubes the better the radio. By today many have disappeared into the trash can because they no longer worked, shocked the owner or a curious child, or just eventually got ugly, or replaced by a better radio. Turning one of them on today is a trip into nostalgia and a time that seemed less complicated. A restoration to me is hard to define because keeping the exterior beauty is easy but the interior workings can be completed in many different ways. The purist restoration is exactly to print with no modifications and includes no safety regards or function improvements. A Safety restoration incorporates safety improvements and additions to make the restoration as safe as can be but may still have Lethal voltages inside. The last restoration is what I call the spirit of the circuit. Many will Boo, Hiss, Condemn, swear at, even make physical gestures about it. This restoration keeps the stages but the entire schematic and workings are completely made solid state(I can hear it now). The tuning , filters, band selection, and any other reusable parts are used but the spirit of the circuit is now transistorized and the power supply is now low voltage maybe even from a wall wart. The tubes may be gone if the tube sockets are used as tie points. The spirit of the circuit is there but only in transistorized form and the exterior is still intact. Among all the Boos and Hiss this is submitted as a vote for restoration as Mr Carlson would do a safe restoration.

The quality of your videos are on a different level, from content to a/v, you sir are a master. Thank you for all of your effort!

lol, the meter literally said OUCH lol, I would like to see this thing fixed up

Yes I do think this should be completely re done and made safe too use daily ! It looks great and I think it would be a wonderful addition to anyone's home or office space !

I had one of these all- metal hot-chassis Silvertones as a child back in early 1950s. it sat in the bedroom that I shared with my oldest sister. Our radio had a black case with yellow plastic knobs. I remember that it stopped working and our mother took it to a radio repairman who repaired it by replacing a tube, which he returned to us. My sister and I listened to it regularly before we went to sleep.

Wow... Just wow. That's such an insane design. I think you should make it safe. It's a beautiful piece, but just being a dust collector wouldn't do it justice.

I vote for isolating the cabinet and restoring the set. Nice looking little set. Like it or not, people are going to find and use these sets, a video on making it safer would be a good idea. I have a similar 1948 Airline 84KR-1520B with a metal cabinet with a hot chassis (and cabinet), interesting little sets.

Excellent presentation! As a collector of vintage and antique radios, I leave all the repairs to a qualified serviceman. Everyone who is even remotely thinking about plugging in grandma's or great-grandma's old radio that they found in the attic or cellar should view this video, and heed the cautions about the potentially lethal dangers that lurk within many of these instruments. I vote restore, and provide the necessary modifications to make the radio safe, and then create labels for the back and bottom to instruct future owners.

Paul - by all means - the little fellow deserves to work. I can't wait to see it working - complete with long-wire antenna. A great video - really is amazing how they use to do things.

Restore, please! But before that... Demo the unit as plugged into a GFCI! To show how those work to keep us safe!

Another video treasure . . . You say, "Thanks for watching." And I want to say thanks for taking the time to share your work. It is inspiring and educational . . . and it serves as a reminder of simpler times. Blessings

Paul, the simple stuff like this is my favorite. I find it totally relaxing how you describe things, and I've learned a lot here. I vote to make her safe.

First sir thank you for all the incredible restorations and insights you share from your vast knowledge of electronics. I am just a lowly autistic werewolf with many other disabilities sir unable to do the cool things you do with ease. I enjoy watching you troubleshoot these radios and other electronic devices. I couldn't solder two wires together to save my life BUT, watching your channel I have learned just enough to let me make better decisions when buying electronics technology of any kind from any era. Ok to answer your question I would love that you RESTORE this hazardous radio to SAFE WORKING CONDITION! I feel by restoring this radio adding all needed safety features will give additional detailed insight into safety. Mr. Carlson no one stresses safety like YOU when dealing with electronics! By watching you take a toxic electronic design embodied in this radio and rendering it safe to use, you will offer invaluable practical real world understanding of the fundamentals of safe electrical engineering theory! Mr. Carlson you would be saving lives by sharing all the considerations needed to create a safe design when starting from a dangerously unsafe design this radio represents. Please consider my request and the logic that is its genesis. Again thank you Mr. Carlson for sharing all your projects and being such a kind and detail oriented teacher. You have the respect of the AUTISTIC WEREWOLF!

Very interesting, that shockingly attractive radio is a true electro-cutie! I vote for the restoration, but I'm that way, I like to see things work. Thanks for the great video Paul and the great explanation of the hot chassis radio sets! Have a great Christmas!!

Restore and make safe for sure! Only recently found your channel - love the way you explain things so thoroughly in layman's terms! Subscribed and lots of videos to watch :-)

Thanks for all the informative and interesting videos. Yes! Spare its life and make it safe. Back in the 50s and 60s our radios, TVs, etc, were almost all transformerless, and here in the UK the mains voltage is 240V! At the time there were the newer 3 pin earthed sockets, but most houses still had the older 2 pin reversable sockets running alongside the new. Many a lesson was learned....the hard way!

Yes! Watching you make it safe and restoring makes it worth it.Your videos are the best!

I wish you and your family have a prosperous New Year keep making videos I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about or what you’re doing but I just love watching your videos

Great information for the average consumer. It reminded me of the older power tools like drills, saws, and sanders that have aluminum housings, and 2-conductor, non-polarized plugs. They develop ground faults through the overheated motor windings that make contact with the armature or field windings and create a path to the aluminum case. I also had a situation where an old refrigerator had line voltage connected to the metal housing of the refrigerator. It was probably caused by moisture build up in the older fiberglass insulation from condensation and some unprotected line connections to lights or components. Another interesting case was a Craftsman Sawzall (reciprocating saw) that I was using outdoors to cut down a small dogwood tree. I was kneeling down on a large piece of cardboard and had dug around the trunk of the tree and was using the saw with a 9" blade to cut the trunk just below ground level. I was holding the front of the saw close to the vent holes and resting the outside palm of my hand on the ground at the perimeter of the hole. I started getting electric shocks through my hand. The skin between my thumb and forefinger was entering the case through the vent holes and touching the metal in the gear housing. Even though the tool was double insulated, a ground fault had developed with the motor (likely from years of hard use and heat damage to the windings). So even modern double insulated tools have design defects that could result in electrocution and be fatal. If I was not kneeling on cardboard, but directly on the ground, the electrical leakage path would have been through my chest to my knees!! I immediately cut the cord off the saw and then took the saw completely apart (so no one would trash pick it) and threw it out, went out and bought a new Milwaukee Saw kit. -- Joe Smetona.

From my family to yours,Merry Christmas and a happy new year!!

Yes, Mr. Carlson, you have my vote to, make it safe, it may even sound pretty good when you get past the hum. Oh yes, and I love your videos you are a great teacher, thank you for making it easy for us all to learn, keep them coming and Merry Christmas to you and your family.

These were popular at the time. They were made by Arvin (Noblitt-Sparks (irony noted)) and also sold under their name as well as Sears' Silvertone. Arvin supplied Sears with small radios from '46 and into the late 60s or early 70s. This 4-tube version was the most common of this style and 5-tube versions were also offered. This is a somewhat uncommon chrome version as most were painted. Arvin was also an appliance and auto parts manufacturer, specializing in mufflers and heaters. Sears probably also sold those. Back then people were used to getting zapped by their radios and appliances going back to the early 30s. It was the rising influence of UL that led to safer designs. The UL label became a selling point as years passed.

"You've been a bad boy, Lester... now go turn on the radio set to Dr. Kildare!" I would like to see it restored with its own isolation xformer, it is a very pretty radio IMO. EDIT: just became a Patreon supporter. You are one very gifted teacher of electronics and every bit worth supporting!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Thank you for another year of great content!

I loved this video too, however I'm surprised how many want to see a restoration. I've just started watching the Mr Carlson channel, and I have to agree with him that it was better to remove it from the public. Loved the comments about it working great as a bathroom radio. =) I think it's a lovely radio (not the electrical design) to display only, but after clipping the line in, keep the cord as this tells part of its history.

Restore it love that little radio. Can't wait to get my Curve Tracer built. Thank you for all you do.

It's going to be interesting to see how you isolate the chassis from the case electrically. I would see if I could go about isolating the two physically as well without disturbing the actual "look" of the radio.

A nice school with this video .Merry Christmas and Happy new year Mr Carlson !

Happy New Year, thank you for another informative, interesting video!!

Where do you put the bread?

I'd enjoy watching you restore it and making it safe.

I really enjoy your videos and I am still learning I am 68 thank you very much from Gary in the UK.

I think your idea of getting it away from the general public is the best one.

I vote for restore and make it safe. Preserve that history.

Ouch! I love that! How cool is a meter that says Ouch!! Thanks for sharing Paul.

I have learned to trust your knowledge and would trust you to restore her properly and safely. Everything deserves not to be forgotten and this is one that shouldn't be forgotten. If another can be found, this one can be used as a teaching method in comparison to one that hasn't been made safe. Thank you and I will keep my eye out for one.

I have a Silvertone Radio/Record Player that was a real killer. These were called AC or DC radios although I don't know if DC was around much. The engineers were thinking that wired this way the radio DID NOT NEED A POWER TRANSFOSRMER. Money, Money, above in series (50L6 & 25W4 Etc) The Power cord & plug were NOT polarized. On side of the AC went to the chassis & the over went directly to the chassis. On my radio if the plug happened to be wrong, you got 110 right one the metal record player arm. OUCH. Not one you would want to take out by the pool & listen to a record...

Make it safe, if you are happy to do so , I am wondering if the makers didn't like the public, in producing such a death trap. Anyone thinking of joining Patreon YESSS go for it, I really like it , if your into electronics you learn so much, not on Paul's payroll.

EXCELLENT way to make videos truely on the fly not heavy editing like most do.

Not only would it be cool to see how to restore it, I think it would be a benefit for public safety to continue to show the internals and how to make it safe.

Strictly speaking, electrocution (a portmanteau meaning electrical execution) is always fatal. What people who survive contact receive are electric shocks.

Absolutely do a video on making this unit safe as there must be many other types and people out there that could use the knowledge you exhibit. Don from your Patreon site.

Please restore it and make it safe. It would be very beneficial to people like me who are learning how to bring life back to vintage radios. All American radios scare me a little, but I want to understand them and how to work on them. I enjoy (a lot) your clear explanations of the more basic troubleshooting techniques. Thank you for sharing.

I'll add my vote to the restore and make it safe side of the tally. Love your videos, really enjoying the course on Patreon!

Fix it up. It’s an iconic piece of the 50’s.

Paul, have you or do you teach? You have such a soft spoken, very knowledgeable manner about you, you would be an ideal teacher!! When you say you know as much about this radio as we do, that's not true. You know a lot more about this radio without opening it than we do. You must. You may not know exactly what it looks like, after taking the chassis out of the cabinet, but you know all about the circuits and design. That is why you do these incredible videos and we don't. If at all possible I vote you restore it to safe operation and have yourself a fantastic retro radio! The chrome cab is stunning, like you! You and it would be a perfect match. It would also be of interest to say someone who has restored a travel trailer of the same vintage as the radio. Thank you for these "gems" you provide to us, your loyal and always hunger for your next video, followers! Happy Holidaze! Thanxz

Make it safe, but add a note on the back explaining what was done. It’s too nice to retire it! Merry Christmas and thank you for all the great videos. You’ve motivated me to restore many dumpster finds.

Yes Paul. Please fix this hot mess. There are sooo many of these transformer-less radios and ham equipment out there waiting for someone without an isolation transformer and variac to plug them into a wall outlet to see if they work. A presentation from you on this subject, the proper way to use safety caps, and basic safety issues around old equipment like this will save lives.

The signal tracer is super minty 👌🏻👌🏻

Fascinating! Could you install a small isolation transformer inside, or maybe put a little inverter in it and power it from an external 12V power brick? Edit: After watching the rest of the video, consider just replacing the capacitor with a class Y safety cap and possibly eliminate the 330k resistor. A grounded cord would be nice, as well.

You are awesome to prevent someone from getting a shock

This truly is an eye opener I would like to get my hands on that equipment will look into this I've been watching alot this is my first post u are amazing to watch

Make it safe, I always put of a polarized plug and cord and change the switch to switching the "hot", I found a lot of these radios switch the chassis on and off leaving you with a hot chassis when off if the plug in in the wrong way.

0:30 They were thinking "the bean counters in the accounting dept are going to electrocute some of our customers, but at least dead people can't ask for a refund and as engineers we can just blame accounting". Safety tends to take a backseat to cost/profit, even today.

Great videos. I have subscribed for a few reasons. One, great video quality. Two, you obviously know your science and how to teach. I watch and i know i will learn something. And three. I have a moderately strong fear of electricity. I have been shocked badly several times over my 50 years and want nothing to do with the workings of electrical things. Lol. So watching your videos is like a horror movie for me at times. Watching this particular video really had me on the edge of my seat. Scary but fun. And final point, my hope is i become less ignorant of the insides of electrical things and not worry so much from watching your video. Actually, interesting video idea. What to be afraid of and not afraid of when it comes to electricity. Sort of a basics of electrical devices. I'm only five videos in. You probably have a video like this. Keep it up. Love the videos.

This will be a perfect example/lesson of how to make a radio of similar design as safe as possible! Merry Christmas to you and your family!

If you think 117 volts is ouch, try a European version of a hot chassis with 240 volts...Now that is really OUCH!! Hope you do make it safe. Love to see how the reception is with such simple circuitry.

And where the heck do you get that meter.....does it have an audio "ouch" position?....lol

Please restore it and teach us how simple it wouldve been for the engineers to make the radio safe! The information you provide may even help someone not overlook safety in their own projects. Thanks for being here & be safe!

Of course I’d like to see it restored! Great work as always man cheers!

Mother-in-law's radio?

I'd like to see a "make it safe" restoration!

I think the engineers were trolling hard with that sexy radio. Mr. C you crack me up with your one-liners.

Wishing you the Best for 2019.

That's not a radio, it's a Darwin selector masquerading as a radio.

Restore and make safe, I’d like to see what the procedure would be.

Save it... it is an awesome teaching aide!!! The many demonstrations of you making electronic safe for future Generations as highly important. One more example is always Worthy!!!

Mr.Carlson- defender of electron flow, proprietor of capacitors, resistor of resistors, rectifier of rectification, making the world safe for amplitude modulation...

Even the meter says ouch ahaha :)

Make it safe and restore.

One more comment-I have seen several of your videos. They are very good.

I LOVE THE WAY THAT RADIO LOOKS MAKE IT SAFE

If that radio switches one side of the line to the chassis ( common in that era) it's NEVER plugged in right. If the owner fortuitously connects the chassis to neutral it will be safe, but only when it's turned on. In the off position, the chassis is connected to the hot side through the tube heaters. Relatively low resistance compared to someone's body. Thanks.

Make it safe. Polarize plug so chassis is always neutral and rewire power switch so it switches the hot. Add a safety cap. Is there anything else that can be done other than that except adding a transformer or rubber-coating the cabinet? If anyone has a better solution it’s Mr. Carlson.

I agree, it’s so beautiful it deserves to live... Safely! If you do then I reckon a deep red colour for the grill cloth would look stunning

It's a piece of nostalgia I think you should make it safe, besides I want to see exactly how your going to do that. Great job on everything you do and I really appreciate your expertise.

Restore it and make it safe to use.

Restore and isolate! That is If you can find a suitable isolation transformer.

Definitely restore. I'm fascinated to see how well such a simple circuit picks up stations.

Fix it! I would love to see that. You can do it Paul. You’re a genius!

I say you make it safe, just in case

You may be able to stick a torroidal isolation transformer standing on its side in the middle. Current draw shouldn't be to high on this with the exception of initial surge current so it shouldn't need a very large transformer.

I vote for a restore. The chrome is quite nice. Just put a 3-wire line cord on it; green to case, white to wired return, black to rectifier plate. Also move that power switch to the hot line side and add a fuse. I've done this many times to metal-cased AA-5 radios. There's one even worse case that was popular- the Lafayette Radio "Explor-Air" 2-tube regenerative shortwave radio KIT! --N2GX

I vote for refurbishing...I really like the look of this old radio. It is exactly the kind of project I used to really enjoy. While I am no electronics engineer, I do have some extensive electronics education with Uncle Sam's help and my VA after I got out. My original intention was to get that EE degree...I discovered that after using trig to calculate beta...that was the extent of my higher maths....lol. So I am a tinkerer, and have had many shocking experiences in the course of having a career in electronics. I worked on DTMF phones, and crypto gear and when you talk about watching out for capacitor shock you are oh so right! I burned two nice holes in my arm when it contacted the two connectors at the top of a capacitor in the power supply drawer on the equipment I was working on...definitely got my attention. That was after I had disconnected the power cable a half an hour before...sigh.