Object
We’ve a flashback object for you today, which is quite an interesting one. This radio loudspeaker was made for the Philips Company and is part of the Beamish Museum collection. The main body of the loudspeaker is made from bakelite, while the interior contains mostly textile and metal components, making it an interesting composite object to treat.
The Philips company was founded in 1891 and initially produced light bulbs, but eventually they expanded into new technologies and they’re still around today. In 1926 they produced a round loudspeaker, which at the time required the largest mould in the world. During 1929, the Philite factory (Philips ‘trademark’ name for their bakelite products) came into use in the Netherlands and allowed the mass production of products using presses and moulds 24 hours a day. This particular loudspeaker has a manufacture number and so through research it was determined that it would have been made during 1929 and 1932. The purpose of a loudspeaker was to amplify electrical sounds from the radio receiver and create them into the sound we hear. Some radio receivers has these speakers built in, but there were others that would need a separate loudspeaker, such as this one, in order to have the radio sounds produced and amplified.
The radio was one of the major innovations of the late 19th early 20th century. It is important to understand the impact radios had in domestic life; entertainment before the radio was centred around conversation, games, reading, musical instruments and early music players such as the gramophone. The central focal point of a living room was often the fireplace, however once the popularity of the radio took hold it became a regular part of domestic life. As the price of receivers went down, mainly the upper and middle classes felt the social impact of these devices, as their ability to disseminate information to multiple households increased. As technologies such as mains electricity, and battery operated radios began to spread, more and more people were reached by radio broadcasting.
The radio receiver, as well as the loudspeaker was also viewed as a piece of furniture; to fit into the cultural norms of fashion and design, radio manufacturers started to make the products appear less futuristic and less like a piece of technology, and began to manufacture them with the already established ‘domestic living room’. One of the reasons that bakelite was so popular for these products was its natural colour that almost appeared to look like wood, which helped it to blend into the interior room designs.
Condition
- Evidence of dust and dirt on the exterior and interior.
- Evidence of a previous repair on the exterior casing.
- There is a crack on the main body of the speaker.
- The metal components show signs of surface corrosion.
- The wire cord attached to the internal components is frayed and torn.
- The interior speaker cone is loose.
- Evidence of dirt, discolouration and damage to the textile interior.
Conservation
This object proved a challenge to conserve as the main casing was made from bakelite (a synthetic plastic), and plastics do not always respond well to solvents, with some plastics dissolving in specific solvents. As there was a risk of damaging the object through solvent application no solvent testing was performed and the treatment method was chosen purely from research of comparative materials. As water has been used successfully on bakelite in several case studies without any harmful side effects, this was chosen to surface clean the exterior of the loudspeaker. Although there was a crack in the exterior case, which could have been a structural issue, it was not treated as visual examination determined it was not putting the object at risk and there was no way to test consolidants or adhesives on the object to know which would be suitable for use to stabilise the crack. As such it was suggested in the treatment report that this area of damage be monitored and if the crack deteriorated then treatment could be revisited.
As the interior cone was made from paper, dry cleaning methods were preferable to remove the dust and dirt on the surface. A number of methods were tested and the most suitable option, that removed a sufficient amount of dirt without damaging the paper was chosen. The metal components surrounding the cone were cleaned using suitable dry cleaning methods only in order to prevent deterioration to the paper and a melinex cover was made for the paper as added protection during treatment of the metal. The cone was then secured back in place along the metal components with a small amount of appropriate adhesive in order to prevent movement in the future.
The interior cord, which was frayed and torn in places required careful treatment as the components were fragile. It was decided that consolidation of the fibres would be the most suitable treatment option and a number of consolidants were tested on comparative material so as not to damage the object. A suitable consolidant was found and applied to the fibres using a fine point brush for precision.
The interior textile component had shown areas of dirt and iron staining on the exterior and the decision was made to try and remove these stains or at least minimise them. A number of treatment options were considered, including several chemical treatments known to be effective but with the possibility of causing some damage. In the end the decision was made to test a number of solvents that would not risk damage as the textile was already fragile and stretched and the most suitable treatment was chosen. This did not completely eliminate the staining but did reduce it significantly.
The decorative metal grill on the exterior of the loudspeaker had shown some signs of deterioration, both with the protective film covering the metal and also of the metal itself, which showed some signs of corrosion. As it wasn’t clear what the overall colour would have looked like when new, the decision was made to remove the degrading film, which was causing the metal to look unsightly and then surface clean the metal to remove any dirt and corrosion without brightening the metal. A number of solvents were tested on the metal and an appropriate one that removed the degrading film without damaging the metal was chosen. The metal was then surface cleaned using mechanical methods in order to remove the corrosion without removing the patina on the surface. Finally the metal was consolidated using an appropriate coating for historic metals in order to help protect it from further damage and deterioration in the future.