ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Hi all B&O fans (vintage fans above all).Finally my personal Beocollection has expanded in one new direction and I got my first Beolit.And it is not any Beolit, it is a Beolit 1000 So I was happy to get one very nice example in full working order with very nice (almost mint) wood case, strait antenna and nice lettering but with one issue. All aluminum buttons and the aluminum sides have this typical alu-marks. I am not sure if it is from hard usage (I presume not, the rest of Beolit is very nice, battery tray not ever used) but I presume it could be some chemical reaction (oxidation or something like that, I am not an expert…). So, my question is: could it be anyhow restorated or cleaned or what is your experience with this phenomena?I hope there are few B&O-Cosmetic-specialists here (Leslie?...) who can give me an advice how to make this radio even nicer.Thanks in advance…
Vintage Bang & Olufsen
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Beautiful radio! Have you tried cleaning the aluminum yet? Sometimes the stuff you see is just dust that's congealed on the metal over the years, sometimes it's pitting as the dust and dirt seem to corrode the metal, I think there is some kind of electrolysis that happens. Don't use solvents or alcohol, warm water with just a slight amount of mild soap in it immediately followed by drying with a soft, lint free cloth usually does the trick..I'd suggest soft cotton or foam swabs to clean with, but be careful as if you scrub too hard you can remove the lettering
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
I'll check mine when I get home, but I seem to remember that a fair amount of the 'aluminium' is actually plastic. The carcass is certainly not what I thought it would be. I had both wood and goatskin varieties - I now just have the goatskin. I prefer the styling of the 700 model that followed and the sound was no worse in my view. I think the 700 actually had a slightly bigger speaker though the amplifier in the 1000 was very interesting, allowing 7.5W to be directed to an external speaker. This model could be regarded as an early In Car Entertainment system as it could be supplied with a separate car bracket and this was the major use for the extra power.
The plastic chassis was not a cost cutting measure but allowed the proper isolation of the front panel when used in the car role.
Peter
Jeff: Beautiful radio! Have you tried cleaning the aluminum yet? Sometimes the stuff you see is just dust that's congealed on the metal over the years, sometimes it's pitting as the dust and dirt seem to corrode the metal, I think there is some kind of electrolysis that happens. Don't use solvents or alcohol, warm water with just a slight amount of mild soap in it immediately followed by drying with a soft, lint free cloth usually does the trick..I'd suggest soft cotton or foam swabs to clean with, but be careful as if you scrub too hard you can remove the lettering
Yes Jeff, it is really beautiful. I am loving it
And yes, I tried to clean the buttons and other aluminum parts very softly and careful but it can not be removed. I got some dirt cleaned but this marks can not be removed
I presume it will stay as it is ...
Peter: I'll check mine when I get home, but I seem to remember that a fair amount of the 'aluminium' is actually plastic. The carcass is certainly not what I thought it would be. I had both wood and goatskin varieties - I now just have the goatskin. I prefer the styling of the 700 model that followed and the sound was no worse in my view. I think the 700 actually had a slightly bigger speaker though the amplifier in the 1000 was very interesting, allowing 7.5W to be directed to an external speaker. This model could be regarded as an early In Car Entertainment system as it could be supplied with a separate car bracket and this was the major use for the extra power. The plastic chassis was not a cost cutting measure but allowed the proper isolation of the front panel when used in the car role.
Hi Peter,
of course the goatskin version is even more luxurious but I like the Brazilian rosewood too. My favorite wood on my vintage devices ...
It would be very interesting if we could get the picture of original car bracket for the Beolit 1000. I've read about it but haven't found any pics of it...
According to 'aluminium' maybe it isn't really alu but however for sure it is a metal and not plastic. Therefore I presume it would be not possible to clean it but who knows. Maybe Leslie has few tricks...
And I must say, this radio has really excellent reception and the 3 pre-set stations are very practical, for sure not to be seen on the competitor radios from end of 60's. And the 7,5W on his speaker with external main power neither.
the_o_master: It would be very interesting if we could get the picture of original car bracket for the Beolit 1000. I've read about it but haven't found any pics of it...
My friend and member ipaul has one. Will ask him if he would be so kind posting a picture.
the_o_master: According to 'aluminium' maybe it isn't really alu but however for sure it is a metal and not plastic. Therefore I presume it would be not possible to clean it but who knows. Maybe Leslie has few tricks...
For cleaning aluminium platters I use the dishwasher method (oops!). In your case you could try a polisher like Belgom alu and use this tool.
But looking at your pictures it will be a tough job to do!
Brengen & Ophalen
Hi, indeed i have some Beolits 1000 and 1 carbracket in very good condition :) (but i am at work so cannot pots a pic as yet).
The knobs and frame around the dial are of some alu kind, but i am almost sure they are spayed with silver paint.
On one radio (kind of looking like your's) with polish i managed to get most of it off but ended up with nice shiny bunttons, whereas originally they don't seem to be like that.
The plastic frame (chassis) of these radio's is the tricky part: amny times it is cracked or broken.
I am still hoping to find a nice set of oak wood panels (there used to be 3 different models).
Had a look last night - the surround is metal as are the buttons but they have a plastic inner shell. I agree that the finish almost seems painted and would be tempted to take this route if restoring. Luckily mine is in good condition - it is the one shown here.
Let's see how it comes out...this pic is from one of my BL1000, i am almost sure the knobs are silver sprayed from the sides, the top doesn't seen to be.
And now the bracket :).
It has some electronics attached, as well as a speaker cable and aerial entry.
For some reason i can't post more pics, will try...
Ok, now it works, last pic of the bracket.
ipaul: Ok, now it works, last pic of the bracket.
Hi paul,
thx a lot for your efort!
First time I see this rare B&O item. Very interesting!
Do you know, was it compatible with lot of car models or was it produced for a specific cars?
Well, i don't think it matters which car, in those days (up to the 90's) there was no such thing as a standard for car radio's and installing one always was a pain in the ...:)
so for sure it was just a matter of putting the bracket wherever you want it, and connect power, aerial and optionally external speaker.
however, my guess is that people who could afford a Beolit 1000, had a kind of car either including a radio or a nice console in place where these brackets don't fit...
it is not unique to B&O though, this bracket/dash in system (and was re-introduced in the early 90's for car radio's as anti-theft protection, again: history repeating).