The new guy with a Columbia basket case

[Shane]

Question for the experts. Did Talk-O-Phone brand machines use the exact same horn as what this machine would use? I've always been a little unclear if Columbia made parts used in Talk-O-Phone machines. If so, searching the internet for a talk-o-phone horn may be an alternate way of finding an appropriate horn for this machine if searching for a "Columbia horn" doesn't work out.

Here's a picture of mine... you can see the similarity here.

[JerryVan]

No, it's not the same horn. The diameter at the small end steps down slightly where the aluminum sleeve fits over it. I've also felt that the brass bell on Talk-O-Phones where just a bit longer than those on Columbias & Victors. I'm sure Columbia didn't even make the horns used on its own machines, let alone Talk-O-Phone.

[JerryVan]

I've been slowly starting to gather parts. Ron Sitko had quite a few parts that would have been tricky to find. I neglected to ask him about this one part however and was wondering if anyone knew where to find a suitable replacement.

It's the little pads on the ends of the fork for the govenor that functions as the speed control and brake. I think mine are pretty worn out since my speed control knob has to be turned in almost all the way to make contact when the on/off switch is flicked. I'm not entirely sure what material it is though; rubber? Some sort of fiber?

Any help is appreciated as always.

The friction pad material is hard felt. It doesn't look too bad however. Try loosening the setscrew at the other end of the governor assembly and sliding the whole governor mechanism up the shaft and a little closer to the gear. This will bring the friction plate closer to the pads and get you a bit more range on your governor adjustment.

In other words, (or pictures), reduce this gap:

[victorIIvictor]

Jerry Van wrote, "I'm sure Columbia didn't even make the horns used on its own machines, let alone Talk-O-Phone."

Not that Shane probably needed any more convincing, but George Paul concurs, on this recent thread:

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 25&start=0

Best wishes, Mark

[Adam_G]

Shane, that was a good question and I too was wondering what other names I could use for searching for horns, but it sounds like Talk-o-Phone won't be one of them. Then again, Jerry says they're typically longer than normal Columbia horns, but as I've been discovering this early model AH doesn't have all of the same parts as the late model AH. I already know I need a longer horn (18 to 20") compared to the late models which were around 14", so maybe I should be looking at Talk-o-Phone horns.

Jerry, that's a good idea about just sliding the whole assembly up on the govenor to close the gap between that plate and the felt. I'm guessing I can only move it about 1/16" before it bashes into other moving parts. Have you ever replaced the felt? How is it held in there? Just friction I'm guessing?

[Adam_G]

Hey Guys,

Long time, no post. I've been so busy this past summer that I found no time to upload any of my progress that I was making. I won't put up all the pictures at once as there's lots, so I'll spread it out over a week or more. Anyways, here we go:

I stripped the old finish off the wood box as it was pretty dirty, scratched, chipped, and just generally ruined. I started off using a gel type furniture stripper, but it was difficult to clean off before it dried. Surprisingly, automotive brake cleaner worked the best as it would blast off any residual finish and stripper. I haven't refinished this yet as there was a piece of trim missing and it needed new veneer in some spots, but that's a story for another day.

To get the mechanism up and running required some new parts, most importantly the springs. Ron Sitko had the springs as well as spring barrels that still had the rivet pin for holding onto the spring. My original spring barrels looked nice, but were kind of useless without those pins to grab the springs. He also had some other odds and ends like rubber feet, little screws, and a wooden knob for crank handle.

Other parts I acquired from the internet and forum members:
- reproducer
- horn elbow
- traveling tone arm with cradle support bar
- turn table
- decals

I basically have everything EXCEPT for the horn and needles. I see there's some needles on ebay I was thinking about purchasing, but was also going to experiment with making fiber needles out of bamboo toothpicks. The horn is proving to be difficult to locate and I might just have to fabricate one unless someone has one kicking around or knows where to find one without spending a fortune.

[Adam_G]

And some of the new/used/reproduction parts:

[Curt A]

Not sure if this is the correct horn, but someone on here can verify it... If it is, it's not a bad starting price...
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Antique-Brass-Be ... 2118a45f47

[Victrolacollector]

Your case looks great....... I am happy you are restoring and preserving this machine. Keep up the good work. I have had a few basket cases myself and I enjoyed restoring them.

[phonogfp]

The horn for an AH should be 22" in length.

George P.