XI Tabletop

Discussions on Talking Machines & Accessories
GregVTLA
Victor III
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:40 pm
Personal Text: Greg
Location: Central Maryland

Re: XI Tabletop

Post by GregVTLA »

I agree. It seems so far that there is no major defect that would’ve prompted this makeover. Make a little evidence of excessive sanding, but nothing at all major.

GregVTLA
Victor III
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:40 pm
Personal Text: Greg
Location: Central Maryland

Re: XI Tabletop

Post by GregVTLA »

Did a bit more work on it today. I can’t imagine being faced with a machine this nice and saying “Hey, let’s paint it!” At least they didn’t throw it away :lol:
Attachments
image.jpg

EdiBrunsVic
Victor IV
Posts: 1060
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2010 12:12 pm
Location: Cranberry Township, PA

Re: XI Tabletop

Post by EdiBrunsVic »

The progress looks great, Greg.

GregVTLA
Victor III
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:40 pm
Personal Text: Greg
Location: Central Maryland

Re: XI Tabletop

Post by GregVTLA »

Thanks!

GregVTLA
Victor III
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:40 pm
Personal Text: Greg
Location: Central Maryland

Re: XI Tabletop

Post by GregVTLA »

Worked on the motor today, and unfortunately had a broken spring. Was really brittle too, it must’ve been broken up into 10 pieces before we got it out. Guess I’ll have to give Ron Sitko a call!
Attachments
196D6FB5-233F-4D61-9BB7-F9742B20982E.jpeg

EarlH
Victor III
Posts: 816
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2014 4:25 pm
Location: North Central Iowa

Re: XI Tabletop

Post by EarlH »

You really need to remove all your hardware and keep track of how it goes on to refinish that thing properly. You'll end up with stuff under all the hardware that needs to come out from under it before you can stain it and finish the cabinet anyway. It looks nice though. And as far as them painting it goes, the 60's and 70's had a lot of that sort of thing going on. At least it didn't get the "salmon pink" tune up or the aqua green color it might have gotten, if they did it 10-15 years sooner!

GregVTLA
Victor III
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:40 pm
Personal Text: Greg
Location: Central Maryland

Re: XI Tabletop

Post by GregVTLA »

Yeah, I'll eventually do this thing right but for now I don't have the time to do so with finals coming up. And I really don't want to make a rush job out of such a rare machine. Perhaps this summer after I get a bit of practice I'll tackle it the right way, but with most of the paint gone it is presentable as is.

EarlH
Victor III
Posts: 816
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2014 4:25 pm
Location: North Central Iowa

Re: XI Tabletop

Post by EarlH »

You'll rub your gold plating off the hardware if you aren't careful. And you won't be happy about that one in the end, as that's a fairly expensive thing to get sorted out. And I'm guessing some of the hardware on that machine is unique to it, mainly the door & lid hinges. That stuff will usually soak clean and look pretty good if you don't get after it with steel wool and rub the gold finish off. Usually when they painted a cabinet like that, it does do a pretty good job of preserving the gold plating.

This picture is how I keep track of screws, hinges et. I can't remember when I didn't keep track of screws this way. I had a 1941 Buick when I was in High School and this was the only way I could think of to keep track of the screws since so many of them were different lengths (but the same size) and there was no simple way to remember which hole they went into. And cranking the wrong bolt or screw into a hole that it's too long for might crack a casting. Also, if you ever tackle something that was made before the 1870's they often used hand made screws. It's VERY important to put the screws back into the holes that they came out of. You'll split wood, strip out screw holes and just make all kinds of work for yourself in the end. Some of those screws had the tops filed flat and the edges are razor sharp as well! That's a nice lesson to learn when you decide to finish removing one of those with your fingers.

Victor and Edison both did a pretty good job fitting their cabinets together and those guys often tweaked the hinges to get things to line up properly. The screw holes in the hinges are not always consistent either and putting them back in the wrong place might cause your door to rub on the top or bottom of the opening, or even bang into the door it mates with. Gosh, NONE of us has ever seen that and wondered why.... And if you find pieces of paper behind a hinge, it's usually there for a reason and if you don't put it back, you'll usually find out why. For whatever reason they almost always cut up time cards for shims and once in awhile you'll find a date on those scraps. Anyway, this system has worked pretty well for me. I usually date the stuff as well as I find it's usually apart WAY longer than I thought it would be. Haha! And put some notes on there as well in case you drop dead. The next guy might have to figure the mess you left behind out and it might save some of it from the burn pile. That's been known to happen too......

It looks like your machine is coming along pretty nicely, and that's the main thing. Oak is a lot easier to refinish than mahogany is as well, so there is that too in the end.
Attachments
DSCF5538.JPG

GregVTLA
Victor III
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:40 pm
Personal Text: Greg
Location: Central Maryland

Re: XI Tabletop

Post by GregVTLA »

Thanks for the advice, although it is easier to leave it together taking it all apart is probably for the best. I’ll get on that haha

Greg

Remmotors
Victor O
Posts: 85
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 2:56 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: XI Tabletop

Post by Remmotors »

GregVTLA wrote:Thanks to mattrx, I was able to purchase this painted VV-XI Tabletop machine. It looks to be in good shape and the paint is coming off fairly easily. The motor doesn't run but I can surely fix that. The grain is oak, which is a total bonus. Hoping I can get this baby back up to speed.

And quick question, can anyone tell the oak variety by the portion I've stripped here?

Greg
It’s quartersawn white oak
Roy

Post Reply