Roberts Iconic fifties style radios are sometimes known as the handbag model. So I decided to make one into a real handbag for the wife to take to a party for fun. Yes, I should have known better…

Removing the chassis and speaker mounting to make the inside surfaces free from obstructions was the first step. I left the telescopic aerial in place for effect. To remain authentic from the top I retained the volume and tuning controls but without the actual components I made up blind spindles. One control operated a catch to open the dial with a hinge mechanism. This allowed the radio to function as a handbag with some practice in opening. Design was limited as the dial opened inwards so you could not put much inside that could obstruct the dial.

I also retained the back opening so that larger items could be stowed instead of via the hinged dial. This needed care when opening to avoid spilling. Not a great design! Adding a pocket would help of course.

Inside the radio was covered in a contrasting green felt for padding and to hide the wood. I left the original Roberts Radio label exposed for authenticity. The dial pushbuttons were up cycled with plastic from an old floppy disk drive and sadly don’t function.

The original R500 radio was a grubby brown leatherette so was sprayed a nice burgundy to match the strap from a later R550. Overall a transformation. Now what to do with the R500 chassis that took several hours to repair…