The Scots inventor's legacy that's being kept alive

The Herald Scotland

4 days ago

From portable TVs to giant flatscreens, television has developed far beyond what anyone could have imagined that small box in the corner of a living room could.
Vintage sets have become much sought after, and this Sunday collectors will be able to get their hands on seven vintage sets at an unusual boot-sale taking place in Glasgow.
The 'rare and collectable' sets, some of which are in a poor condition, will go on display at the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre in Kelvindale, where they are currently stored. They need to be disposed of because of the start of building works aimed at expand the centre's facilities.
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The sale has piqued the interest of Iain Logie Baird, the grandson of John Logie Baird, the Helensburgh-born engineer who is renowned as the 'father of television'.
The disposal of the TV sets comes 100 years after John Logie Baird achieved a significant breakthrough by transmitting a television picture of a human subject, in a Soho attic in October 1925. Seven months earlier, he had demonstrated an early 'in the rough' version of his television system three times a day for three weeks at the London department store, Selfridge's.
Iain Logie Baird, who with his father, Dr Malcolm Baird, runs the website bairdtelevision.com, said that all of the Glasgow sets are post-war, the oldest being a Cossor TV dating from 1946-47. A.C. Cossor was a British electronics company whose history dates back to 1859.
Malcolm Knight, founder of the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre at Kelvindale, Glasgow pictured in the large store at the centre. (Image: Colin Mearns)
Mr Baird acknowledged that it would be sad if some of the sets were unable to be repaired and had to be thrown onto the scrapheap. 'Few remain, and production numbers did not even reach six figures until 1949', he told The Herald. 'Many of these sets can be made to work if the picture tubes are still functional; however, this work is certainly not for the amateur."
Mr Baird, asked whether he would be interested in acquiring any of the sets, said: 'I would have been interested if one of them had been a pre-Second World War set or a pre-1950 Baird-branded set, or a mechanical TV made for the 30-line system, but I don't collect many TVs on this side of the pond at this time. The Cossor is the one I would have been most interested in. I am about to purchase a 1947-48 Baird Garrick that is quite similar."
The vintage TV sets, which were manufactured between 1946 and 1960, were amassed by the Scottish Industrial Preservation Trust, which has not been operative since the death of its founder and director, Steven Raeside, in May 2014.
It is understood that some of the sets were featured in 'TV Is King', a 1994 BBC TV documentary about Michael Bennett-Levy, a leading collector of early technology items including television sets.
Attempts have been made without success to find a new home for them in the guise of a museum or individual who could preserve them.
Chris O'Kane, Scotland Co-ordinator for the Projected Picture Trust, said: 'Steven collected a number of things in his time and we ended up with these television sets. Exactly where they came from, we're not sure, but they ended up in storage at the Mask and Puppet Theatre because Malcolm Knight, who runs the centre, is one of the trustees of the Preservation Trust. Malcolm knew Steven quite well.
'They've been sitting there, and over the years we've not been able to do anything with them and we've had no interest from other museums. It seems to be the case that nobody has any money to do anything with them and nobody has any room for them.
'They have deteriorated a bit and we have to get them out now. I don't think they would work, and I wouldn't recommend switching them on, but they would be okay in the hands of someone who knows what he's doing. It is possible that some of them could be restored. They will be up for offer on Sunday to anyone who can make use of them, either for display or whatever."
Malcolm Knight, founder of the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre at Kelvindale, Glasgow pictured in the large store at the centre. (Image: Colin Mearns)
As to the potential hazards that await anyone seeking to restore old televisions, he cautioned: 'Old TVs are significantly more difficult to restore than old radios, and have even higher voltages, meaning electric shocks are potentially fatal. There are sometimes some hazardous materials in the sets, such as Chrysotile asbestos panels or coatings--a risk to be aware of and to seek professional consultation on.
'Finally, the cathode ray tubes all appear to be still under vacuum, which are usually covered by safety glass at the front, so there's no issue there, but if the chassis is out of the cabinet, then there will be no safety glass, cabinet, or back panel protection. If the tubes have been 'necked' at the back, they will not be functional, but replacement tubes can be found from a donor set with patience and effort."
Creating a picture on the sets was another issue if got working, he added. 'This can be done with a 625-line VCR played through a 625-405 line standards converter. The latter are not easy to find as they were made in very small numbers, aimed at hobbyists.
'It is an enjoyable hobby, but not for the faint of heart. The 1950s sets generally are easier to get working again than the 1940s models, and have a better picture. I would say a good option is to purchase only one set and focus on restoring one, as restoring five or six would get expensive unless you are an electronics technician with a minor in cabinet restoration.
'A collector may be happy enough to restore the cabinets only and clean up the chassis without getting them working. That is generally what I have done myself and what most museums do'.
Mr Baird said he has been working with a group in Helensburgh that hopes to stage a local exhibition about his grandfather's childhood and early life, covering the breakthrough in October 1925 and the first public demonstration in January 1926.
* The car boot sale takes place between 10am and 4pm on Sunday at the Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8-10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, Glasgow, G12 0QF. There will also be puppet shows - Looking for Nessie, by Talking Heads Puppets, at 11am and 2pm, and a Family Fun Day. https://www.maskandpuppet.co.uk/