The Venerable Rainbow - Baby Champ - Waterfall Radio by Northern Electric in its first 1946 basic version, Serviced and Perfectly Working
In a Nutshell
The Biggest Little Radio in the World
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Introduction:
The classic "Baby Champ", "Rainbow" or "Waterfall" radio by Northern Electric, the 1946 Model 5000, is a Canadian icon and very collectible. The radio was a huge commercial success in the late 1940s and early 1950s. With its bakelite Art Deco case, miniature design, and low price, 136'000 radios were sold for about $25 each in 1946 alone. The radio craves
for
being
painted (see pict.22, a custom painted version recently sold for $350). NE itself made the model available in painted ivory, green, blue, carnation red, and red gold. In addition attractive hammertone painted cabinets are known with own colors blue, green, rose and gold. Northern Electric called this radio "The Biggest Little Radio in the World" (pict.20). The radio for sale is made from brown-swirled bakelite and has the original brown bakelite knobs, and the original back plane with all stickers. For more about the red Canadian Radio License sticker on the left side of the back plane (pict.s 4, 13), please read ref.3.
Additional information:
ref. 1: http://www.babychamp.ca/
ref. 2: http://www.nortel.com/corporate/corptime/1874.html
ref. 3: http://pl703.pairlitesite.com/Articles/DayHadToPay.pdf
For cleaners only:
This radio didn't need any bakelite treatment but in case you wonder how to rejuvenate and possibly (re-)paint bakelite. Bakelite consists of two components, a soft main component from formaldehyde and phenol and a hard filler of sawdust, asbestos or other fibrous material. Objects are made by heating the mixture and injecting it into steel molds at high temperature and great pressure, which results in the high gloss finish found on the outer surface of the Bakelite case. This finish however is very thin, dissolves with alkali and ammoniated cleaners and the soft component can also be rubbed away with polishing. This is where most people start to make mistakes (don't use alcohol, just use dish washer soap to clean from dirt, don't try to polish with plastic or metal polish, you only make it worse). Then, depending on how dull the surface is, start with a 0000 grade steel wool in the worst case, where the cabinet has 'sunburn' or other bad discolorations. Next step: mix into the steel wool a bit of (e.g. Johnson) ordinary hardwood floor wax, then use the wax alone and finally finish with a virgin wool cloth. In doing these steps exhibit less and less pressure and take more and more of your time. Only the last step will suddenly bring the luster back. And remember, try it first on the bottom side. Of course there are very expensive commercial bakelite cleaners around. You hardly need them, much more important is time. Painting is easily performed by taping the emptied cabinet and have a bodyshop friend painting it professionally with durable car paints. The procedure is risk-free, since bakelite is totally insensitive to even the most aggressive strippers, such that you can correct errors and/or have your radio repainted every third year, for example. Picture 22 shows a small selection of the almost infinite number of possible color combinations. The picture is software generated!
About my radio:
The radio is in excellent
like new condition with no chips, cracks , hairlines, scratches etc. It has the original knobs, dial lens, and back plane. The chassis looks like new too. Filter capacitors have been replaced and all moveable parts were treated with contact spray. The radio plays loud and clear allover the band spread (click on pict.24). Please
e-mail
me (Kris) for any questions, ich spreche Deutsch, je parle Français.
Here are the specifications:
Technical Description of Item |
| Manufacturer |
Northern Electric, Montreal, Canada |
| Type |
5-tube AM superheterodyne receiver |
| Model |
5000 |
| Serial Number |
6018 |
| Production Year |
1946 |
| Cabinet |
Black-brown swirled glossy bakelite |
| Dials and knobs |
R8142-24 airplane dial, mottled brown bakelite knobs |
| Size (WxDxH) |
11" x 7" x 6½" |
| Weight |
6½ pounds, 2.9 kg |
| Frequency Range |
AM 550-1600 kc |
| Controls |
On/off - volume, Tuning |
| Tube Complement |
35Z5, 35L6, 12SA7, 12SK7, 12SQ7 |
| Comment |
Thoroughly cleaned and serviced, works perfectly |
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