Beogram 4000: Installation of a New Precision Machined Solid Teak Frame

I recently received a lovely new CNC machined solid Teak plinth from Christian Hakansson, to be installed on the Beogram 4000 that I recently functionally restored.

Unfortunately, this Beogram had an original plinth that was damaged at the corners (please, watch out for door jambs when you carry your Beograms around!!...;-):

I removed the plinth:

If you do this at home, please, note that there is a 5th bolt under the keypad, i.e. the keypad needs to be removed before the plinth can be extracted. 

The deformed particle board under the veneer suggested that this plinth not only had damaged corners, but also had been in contact with too much moisture at some point in time:

The installation of a new plinth requires that the metal fixtures be removed from the old plinth to be transferred to the new one. I usually wrap the plinth in aluminum foil and then I put it into the oven for an hour at 200-250F. Once it comes out the metal parts can be separated with a suitable spatula or similar:

Once the parts are off, the residual contact cement

needs to be removed. I usually soak paper towel with isopropanol or goo gone and wrap the metal parts in it:

I put aluminum foil around it to prevent evaporation:

After 24 hrs the glue can be rubbed off with the drenched paper towels:

This shows one of the cleaned metal fixtures:

I use ultra thin 3M 300LSE adhesive tape for the installation. This makes the process much cleaner than with contact cement. The tape can be cut out with a razor blade to match the frame shape:

It is important to not cover the little spring tabs that are in the back of the frame:

Otherwise they can get glued to the wood and are not able to perform their duty (holding the plinth in place once it is pushed back) anymore.

Now comes the moment where the metal parts are glued to the wood. This is probably the most difficult task since one only has one try and the parts need to be placed precisely at the right level on the frame. This is greatly simplified by using the aluminum panels of the Beogram. They have the right thickness and can be used to align the metal parts with the frame.

It can be challenging to get the metal parts all the way into the corners since there is adhesive on both sides. I usually deal this issue by using some parchment or wax paper to prevent one side from sticking, while I push in the part all the way into the corner:

This shows one side glued while the other still has the paper in:

Sometimes the metal parts are not entirely conform with the frame in the corners. Many Beograms actually came with this issue 'factory installed'...;-). I sometimes use tongue-and-groove pliers to help seating the metal parts in the corners. Be careful not to damage the frame if you do this at home: 

This shows the new frame with installed metal parts:

And here a couple happy shots of the Beogram 4000 with the new frame installed. Beolovely!!: