Melodia portable phonograph

Discussions on Talking Machines & Accessories
User avatar
OldRestorer
Victor III
Posts: 535
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 7:14 pm
Location: Long Island NY

Melodia portable phonograph

Post by OldRestorer »

HEllo all,
I was perusing eBay last night and this was listed right when I got online. It is a Melodia but it looks somewhat home made?
HAs anyone seen one like it or know what the original looked like. I feel like something is missing.
I asked for motor pics but nothing yet. If the spring is ok then I think it is a good price.

Link:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-MELODI ... 2749.l2649


Thank you,
Kirk
Attachments
Screen Shot 2018-02-18 at 10.38.10 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-02-18 at 10.38.10 PM.png (246.96 KiB) Viewed 1366 times
It's not what you say... It's what you do...

User avatar
gramophone-georg
Victor VI
Posts: 3984
Joined: Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:55 pm
Personal Text: Northwest Of Normal
Location: Eugene/ Springfield Oregon USA

Re: Melodia portable phonograph

Post by gramophone-georg »

I was going to call "foul" on this one mistakenly believing it was purportedly made by the same Eastern European "Melodia" company I am familiar with, and the 'giveaway' was that the "Melodia" mark should be written in Cyrillic... but I see it's a Chicago machine so all bets are off.

I see it's ended- did you get it?
"He who dies with the most shellac wins"- some nutty record geek

I got PTSD from Peter F's avatar

User avatar
OldRestorer
Victor III
Posts: 535
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 7:14 pm
Location: Long Island NY

Re: Melodia portable phonograph

Post by OldRestorer »

Yes I bought it but the seller agreed to send a pic or 2 of the motor.
She wrote back tonight and said she could not get the cover off the motor. She said the screws were weak and were stripping so I said to leave it.
It will be a nice refinish project. Lets hope the spring is ok...

Kirk
It's not what you say... It's what you do...

estott
Victor Monarch
Posts: 4172
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:23 pm
Personal Text: I have good days...this might not be one of them
Location: Albany NY

Re: Melodia portable phonograph

Post by estott »

Looks nice - an early generation portable much like the Outing, which weighs a TON

User avatar
OldRestorer
Victor III
Posts: 535
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 7:14 pm
Location: Long Island NY

Re: Melodia portable phonograph

Post by OldRestorer »

Wow,
It is super heavy!
I was surprised when I got the box off the porch. I bought it as non working but I took it apart and it was just dried grease that was stopping it. The cabinet came out pretty nice with some cleanup but I wonder if I should refinish it??? The finish is 50% missing and flaking but it looks ok now.
It even has a record storage compartment?

Original or restore? What do you guys think?

Kirk
Attachments
IMG_8729.JPG
IMG_8727.JPG
Screen Shot 2018-02-24 at 9.08.48 AM.png
Screen Shot 2018-02-24 at 9.08.48 AM.png (538.31 KiB) Viewed 1202 times
IMG_8730.JPG
IMG_8731.JPG
It's not what you say... It's what you do...

52089
Victor VI
Posts: 3745
Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2011 7:54 pm

Re: Melodia portable phonograph

Post by 52089 »

That's gorgeous! Leave it alone, don't refinish it. Looks like walnut! Makes me wish I had gone after it!

User avatar
gramophone-georg
Victor VI
Posts: 3984
Joined: Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:55 pm
Personal Text: Northwest Of Normal
Location: Eugene/ Springfield Oregon USA

Re: Melodia portable phonograph

Post by gramophone-georg »

52089 wrote:That's gorgeous! Leave it alone, don't refinish it. Looks like walnut! Makes me wish I had gone after it!
I'm going to make it a tie and say it's very worthy of a complete restore as long as it's faithful to the original as I am sure you will do. It's a surprisingly handsome machine; restored to new it'll be a stunning museum quality showpiece.
"He who dies with the most shellac wins"- some nutty record geek

I got PTSD from Peter F's avatar

User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6412
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Re: Melodia portable phonograph

Post by Curt A »

If you do decide to refinish it as part of a restoration, be sure to take a clear closeup photo of the decal. That way if it gets accidentally screwed up you can have Gregg Cline make a replacement decal for you.

I bought a similar portable called an Outing which needed a complete restoration. Once I got it done, it became one of my favorite machines... all wood, like yours and beautiful.
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

jboger
Victor IV
Posts: 1124
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 10:12 pm

Re: Melodia portable phonograph

Post by jboger »

You ask whether to restore or leave it alone. "Restore" means to put it back in some previous, earlier condition. What earlier condition are you trying to restore it to? Are you trying to make it look new? That's impossible. Or are you trying to make it appear used but well maintained? The latter you already have. So perhaps preservation or conservation are better words to describe what to do with this machine. If that's the original surface, leave it alone and appreciate the wear and tear that humanity had inflicted on this machine while it gave pleasure to them. Your its curator for the next generation.

User avatar
Lucius1958
Victor VI
Posts: 3935
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 12:17 am
Location: Where there's "hamburger ALL OVER the highway"...

Re: Melodia portable phonograph

Post by Lucius1958 »

I would advocate restoring the original finish, rather than refinishing. You can do a lot with a little shellac and some wax.

Bill

Post Reply