* Quick Restoration: Sharp GF-515 *

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jimmyjimmy19702010

Member (SA)
Hi Guys,

Well I finally got around to working on my latest find: A very filthy, unloved but cheap Sharp GF-515.

This is probably the most beat up looking POS box I've bothered to add to my collection! :sick: It had extensive paint wear on the top panel, the back panel looked like it had been slid down a concrete driveway a few times!

The decks did everything but play tapes (the usual Sharp tubing issue). :thumbsdown:

The tuner worked fine on all bands including FM stereo. It was complete though except for a balance knob and the line in also functioned fine so I decided this weekend to clean it up and get the decks working. ;-)

Here are the before photos as received:

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After removing the rear cover, it was immediately obvious this thing had been apart before. The rear case also had 2 screws missing. I then removed the front cover and removed the speakers so I could remove the speaker grill.
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The grill had various dents and surface rust so a repaint was in order. The speakers were a filthy dust bunny haven. Luckily the grill tabs weren't glued in so after around 10 minutes, the grill was out and ready for a little reworking, a sand and then a repaint. I went with a low sheen black enamel applied via a spray can.

After a good dust down and clean, I re-coloured the speakers with black permanent marker. ;-)

The top panel and rear cover had extensive paint damage so I decided to repaint those surfaces with flat black enamel.


The twin decks on this model weigh more than the rest of the box - just massively well built! :cool: Amazingly, the belts all looked ok. It looks like somebody re-belted the decks but weren't aware of the 5mm tubing required to get the decks to play tapes.

Ok, the decks were now lubed, all deck key switches cleaned, 5mm tubing fitted to both decks. Both decks now work ok but still sound a little flat when compared with the tuner and line in. I'll have to work on those tape heads as they still look a little ugly.

All back to together and ready for action. All in all, these 515s are very easy to work on.

Now the rear cover is black just like the similar GF-555 model. I think the now black top panel flows well into the rear case. The factory black front panel behind the speakers also carries the black theme over to the front panel.
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I'd like to express my thanks to Kenpat for supplying me a GF-515 balance knob for no charge!! His generosity enabled me to complete this resto - thanks again. :-)

It was never going to be a minter but at least this GF-515 can now hold it's own with the rest of the collection.

Total $$s spent on this resto: $0 (Just inside my budget). :lol:

Thanks,

James..... :-)
 
Ken

Ken

Member (SA)
MrMcBlaster said:
That black is better than original grey. Nice!
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:agree: Lookin' good, like you know it should! The back, top, and grill all flow together nicely. A job well done.
 
SLO

SLO

Member (SA)
Wow, impressive! What a huge difference, Im diggin the black as well, great work James :thumbsup:
 
caution

caution

Member (SA)
Looks fantastic! What a difference. I've been toying with the idea of just using a black sharpie to remove the fading from my woofers but was worried it might be noticeable, but this and other boxes look great behind black grilles. If it's not too hard to do, you could toss those deck keys into a glass of hydrogen peroxide and leave in the sun for a while, they'll be the original gray again. Just don't let them break the surface, that will leave marks.
 
J

jimmyjimmy19702010

Member (SA)
caution said:
Looks fantastic! What a difference. I've been toying with the idea of just using a black sharpie to remove the fading from my woofers but was worried it might be noticeable, but this and other boxes look great behind black grilles. If it's not too hard to do, you could toss those deck keys into a glass of hydrogen peroxide and leave in the sun for a while, they'll be the original gray again. Just don't let them break the surface, that will leave marks.
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You will find that after you've used the black marker trick, the cones should look like new. You just need to ensure the paper cones are clean and that you have used a newish pen with a fresh tip and plenty of ink. Tried up pen tips won't do the job.

Here is a before and after pic: As you can see, no pen stroke marks are visible.

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James.... :-)
 
L

lovecolour

Member (SA)
I have a GF-515 and all works but the cassette decks "PLAY". What is this tubing you mention? How and where to "install" it?
 
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