Starting the restoration on the $25 Brunswick YO

[VanEpsFan1914]

Mine's the green oak Model A variety...I think 1904 was the last year for them. It's the "New Style" with banner case...

Tried a shot of stain on a few parts of the Brunswick and this restoration is deserving of some pictures. Better borrow a phone I guess.

[VanEpsFan1914]

Updated Again: There was tinkering involved.

I have been getting the case looking absolutely wonderful in places, but on the lid I believe a trace of either paint remover or the old polyurethane is still sticking. The lid will require re-stripping as, instead of the wonderful 1920s brown finish, it's a sticky molassey mess. Well, I didn't expect it to be perfect the first try.

The grill cloth & felt are in and if I can get some glue and some axle grease it'll probably play again. The legs are gnarly-looking--when they broke off, splinters and chunks of wood went missing, so I'll be building it up with a bit of dowels and wood-filler. Not perfect, but salvaging.

[EdiBrunsVic]

Here is a photo of the Brunswick York I owned for several years.

[VanEpsFan1914]

Thanks for the pic. That ought to help with decal placement.

By the way, I am getting to like the Brunswick the more I work on it. It's very understated, classy, and well-made. Victrolas are easier to service but the Brunswick...that enormous horn! I wonder how it will sound?

[travisgreyfox]

Thanks for the pic. That ought to help with decal placement.

By the way, I am getting to like the Brunswick the more I work on it. It's very understated, classy, and well-made. Victrolas are easier to service but the Brunswick...that enormous horn! I wonder how it will sound?

Classy is a very good adjective to describe Brunswick machines. Not to steal from your thread, but heres a pic of my late grandpas machine.

[VanEpsFan1914]

Okay, okay already!

This thread has officially been HIJACKED, and I can't picture a better way to do it.

My machine still looks like a disaster, as the lid veneer was damaged somewhat, but at least it's getting some respectability back.

Congratulations on saving your grandfather's machine. That is a console to be proud of for the heritage as well as the lovely cabinetwork. It looks like it was designed under Mary, Queen of Scots! (I'm a sucker for Tudor architecture.)

[EdiBrunsVic]

Are there any updates on the restoration project?

[VanEpsFan1914]

Nothing super impressive. I got some silk grill cloth (thanks for the picture!) and some felt, and tried to apply a Gregg Cline decal. It looks super realistic EXCEPT for that bit in the K of Brunswick, where klutzy me accidentally removed part of it. Fortunately I have some gold paint in my room and access to fine pointed brushes and I can pull a MicaMonster to touch it up, using fountain pens to do the black border on the edge.


Checked Wyatt's catalog and found the Pathé needle collet it needs, decided to just order tubing in bulk and reuse the old diaphragm (in good shape still) and found NOS Pathé styli on eBay that are supposed to be sapphire and not glass. Griped about the missing needle cup, accidentally bathed myself in broken glass and mineral spirits when I foolishly soaked a mainspring in a glass container (it blew up.) I built the largest fireball I've ever been party to when I burned a bunch of rags soaked in stripper and "nitro" varnish. Stared at the empty spot in my room and wondered what it would sound like over there. Scratched at the bad finish inside the horn--it got wet in spots I guess.

Tonight I go for axle grease & dowels to put it back on its legs and start up the motor. In a few weeks it should be running and playing again but I prefer to change all the gaskets first, and, sometime, I need to find a few tiny bits like the Pathé collet. I can't wait to hear it restored--there are a few jazz records in that pile that deserve a mighty machine like the Brunswick.

You know, I went down and "visited" it in the basement. My faux-1920s finish looks very convincing when it sits for a few weeks and is rubbed down.

[VanEpsFan1914]

UPDATE: It's LEG DAY at the Phonograph Ranch! (AKA that spot in the basement I co-opted to do these projects.)

⅜" drill and dowel rod are bringing the Brunswick back to shape. I used a wood sliver to fill a gap, stuck the whole thing together with the dowel-rod, and one leg is now back attached! It'll need a ton of wood filler, though, because there are chunks missing. I believe that thing must have exploded when the leg broke.

Motor is back together and running but the spring slips. I must not have seated it right when I put the barrel together. Shoutout to Cliff for the CDPBDX (Spelling?) video on Brunswick ratchet pawls! A Lifesaver.

Grill cloth is on, and looks nice. Felt is on; got a few glue spots

Not a perfect restoration but it's sure more presentable than it was! I'm going to finish the legs soon and match them to the case, then rebuild the reproducer. In a couple weeks it should be ready to use.

[EdiBrunsVic]

Thanks for the update on the restoration.