Like many, I just can't resist the lure of a nice bakelite set that catches my eye. In this instance it wasn't so much a complete set as the empty black bakelite case from a Philco 444 in a dirty but otherwise good condition.

My immediate thoughts were to adapt or build from scratch a chassis to fit inside to give the appearance of a working original. However, other restorations gradually took me away from the intended project and the case stood idle for almost a year awaiting my attention again, until...

A friend telephoned telling me that whilst helping to clear out a garden shed he had come across a rusty old valve radio chassis and would I like to have it, otherwise it was going to be dumped along with the rest of the junk being cleared out.

Of course I said yes expecting it to be only fit for stripping down for the odd useable part. However, it proved to be in a much better condition than I had first assumed.

It was immediately obvious from the dial that it was from one of the many Philco people's set models. It was quite rusty on top, which is very common with these sets due to the chassis only being thinly plated, but in an otherwise good restorable condition.

It had been discovered inside a disintegrating suitcase which had obviously offered it some protection. It still had a full set of original Philco branded valves, the speaker was in a good state, its celluloid tuning dial was very well preserved and even all its bakelite knobs were still present and intact rattling around in the bottom of the suitcase.

After some research I narrowed down the model, despite no markings on the chassis or dial, to be either a B-537 or a C-537. After scrutinising the service sheets for those two sets I pin-pointed it to be a C-537 of 1937 vintage, which was one of the deluxe people's sets that came in a veneered wooden case.

The B-537, also of 1937 vintage came in the familiar domed bakelite case and used an almost identical chassis, differing in only having a rotary on/off control rather than the combined on/off and tone control present on the C-537.

But would it be possible to get this chassis to fit it into my earlier obtained bakelite case to make what would then be, to all intents and purposes, a do-it-yourself home built Philco B-537 model?