Follow the restoration of an Edison "MANHATTAN" coin op
Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 2:20 pm
Atop its slender cast iron legs, this machine could certainly make the wait at the ferry terminal a little less boring and mediocre. 1c per play, for a full two minutes of musical escape. The Manhattan Phonograph Co ingeniously converted an Edison Standard to coin-operation using very direct and substantial methods of mechanical wizardry. This machine was built to play records for a lifetime. What you see here is an all original machine, virgin. Stay tuned for the next few weeks and watch it change from a basement find, into a "Manhattan" celebrity.
The cabinet, less its cast iron legs. The original bolts were lost in time, but I was able to locate unplated steel carriage bolts from a supply company called Blacksmith Bolt, which will be ideal replacements. The finish is mostly original, with a few touch-ups in the shellac evident. The sign, just staring at it, makes me wish I was born in 1885, so I could experience this machine first hand in its original environment.
The top works. The coin flies down the chute, over a magnet (missing) to catch steel slugs, and into a catcher which drops the coin below the level of the bedplate to counterbalance a release lever which starts the governor spinning on the motor. A very well thought out mechanism. The brass front plate acts as a lift for the carriage arm (this model has PAT APL'D FOR stamped on it), and a spring loaded spool on the back of the mechanism returns the carriage to the start position. A beautiful ballet of movement. There are many small changes made to the original Standard mechanism, including the mandrel, which seems to have what looks like gutta percha sleeve on it....possible intended to keep the record from sliding off the mandrel during temperature changes? Even the reproducer has been modified!
Why stop by adding a heavier weight? They added a coil spring as well! The stylus pressure is incredible. I can't see this playing a record more than 300 times before the record wears out! But, we will put the machine through its paces when it is completed.
Under the works, the coin tin, the original crank (which needs a handle....the original handle shrunk and split into 4 pieces, in part to rust expansion on the stem). Notice that the coin tin has accommodation for a padlock.
The main mechanism under the bedplate. I am impressed by how well thought out this all is. It was made for heavy duty service. Comparing this to a Graphophone coin-op which is dependent on several laws of physics playing in harmonic balance to function reliably, this machine is built to accept coins and play cylinders on shaky uneven floors, or even on a steamship heading to Yonkers.....in rough tide.
Check back often for updates!
The cabinet, less its cast iron legs. The original bolts were lost in time, but I was able to locate unplated steel carriage bolts from a supply company called Blacksmith Bolt, which will be ideal replacements. The finish is mostly original, with a few touch-ups in the shellac evident. The sign, just staring at it, makes me wish I was born in 1885, so I could experience this machine first hand in its original environment.
The top works. The coin flies down the chute, over a magnet (missing) to catch steel slugs, and into a catcher which drops the coin below the level of the bedplate to counterbalance a release lever which starts the governor spinning on the motor. A very well thought out mechanism. The brass front plate acts as a lift for the carriage arm (this model has PAT APL'D FOR stamped on it), and a spring loaded spool on the back of the mechanism returns the carriage to the start position. A beautiful ballet of movement. There are many small changes made to the original Standard mechanism, including the mandrel, which seems to have what looks like gutta percha sleeve on it....possible intended to keep the record from sliding off the mandrel during temperature changes? Even the reproducer has been modified!
Why stop by adding a heavier weight? They added a coil spring as well! The stylus pressure is incredible. I can't see this playing a record more than 300 times before the record wears out! But, we will put the machine through its paces when it is completed.
Under the works, the coin tin, the original crank (which needs a handle....the original handle shrunk and split into 4 pieces, in part to rust expansion on the stem). Notice that the coin tin has accommodation for a padlock.
The main mechanism under the bedplate. I am impressed by how well thought out this all is. It was made for heavy duty service. Comparing this to a Graphophone coin-op which is dependent on several laws of physics playing in harmonic balance to function reliably, this machine is built to accept coins and play cylinders on shaky uneven floors, or even on a steamship heading to Yonkers.....in rough tide.
Check back often for updates!
