Amberola 75 rides again!

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Bryan
Victor Jr
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu May 03, 2018 6:27 pm
Personal Text: It plays a what now?

Amberola 75 rides again!

Post by Bryan »

A few weeks ago my cousin gave me one of my great uncle's cylinder players - an Amberola 75. I took it apart down to the bedplate and with a handful of new parts have it clean and running great.

Some goofy stuff I found:

The top grille and front grille were lost and someone re-created grilles with what appears to be a Skillsaw, some cheap plywood, and possibly a couple cocktails.

The crank was the wrong one with the wrong threads on it, so it cross threaded into the winding shaft. This gives it a cone-shaped "sweep" when you crank it, and the crank escutcheon cut a slot almost halfway through the crank neat as you please. Looks like a saw did it.

The pin that locates the front of the horn was replaced with a wood screw. This prevents the horn from rising when the carriage is at either end of its travel. Replacing the screw with a peg let the horn rise slightly as the carriage gets to the ends of its travel and makes for much smoother carriage travel. The machine played fine with the screw in place though.

Two lid hinge screws were replaced with similar screws. I found two lid hinge screws laying in the bottom corner of the cabinet.

Someone took the door off, and re-installed it back-to-front. Maybe they thought the wood on the inside looked nicer? But they didn't think it through and as a result had to move the "ball" part of ball catch in the cabinet too. Which then interfered with sliding the middle drawer out. At this point I imagine someone said "Hell with this" and stuck the machine in the attic to wait for me.

Overall a straightforward machine, high quality components, clever design details. Fun project.


I have three questions remaining about this thing.

1. In the drivetrain, the first reduction gear pair (the gear driven by the ring gear on the spring barrel) is supported by two bushings that appear to be aluminum. They're badly worn. I'm going to make some new ones but can anyone confirm aluminum bushings in a circa 1915 machine? I never see aluminum in early 1900s machines of any type.

2. Is the mandrel supposed to spin at 160 rpm on a 4-minute machine?

3. The governor cover is missing and I'm not sure if this machine is supposed to have a governor cover with an adjustment hole or not. The fine adjustment of speed is done with a screwdriver from above and I assumed the hole was to provide access for that. But I've also seen pics of a governor cover with a knurled knob coming out of what I thought was just an access hole. Does anyone know what the correct cover should have? Hole or no hole?

I'm uploading some pics of the finished machine. Interestingly, the first time I'd ever heard a cylinder player in real life was this one - when I finished it.

At this point the only thing missing is a front grille. What are the chances of finding an original front grille in mahogany finish? Just watch eBay and be patient?
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Jwb88
Victor II
Posts: 400
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 10:41 pm
Location: Riverside, California

Re: Amberola 75 rides again!

Post by Jwb88 »

Looks fantastic! Great machine.

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barnettrp21122
Victor IV
Posts: 1600
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 4:19 pm
Personal Text: "Did you ever stop to think that pleasure is a duty?" (Victor sales pamphlet)

Re: Amberola 75 rides again!

Post by barnettrp21122 »

I can answer two questions!
Yes, the mandrel rotates at 160 rpm.
Your governor cover would be with the small hole in the back. Otherwise, if your speed control had a larger knurled knob it would obviously need the larger hole. I've heard that Ron Sitko sells reproductions of these.
I'd do a "save search" on Ebay for an original 75 grill, and also consider in the meantime a nice reproduction grill, available from Gramp's Treasures:

http://www.grampstreasures.com/

Very nice restoration you've done!
Bob
"Comparison is the thief of joy" Theodore Roosevelt

His Master's Voice Automatic 1A Exponential Gramophone Demonstration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi70G1Rzqpo

tomb
Victor IV
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Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 10:46 pm
Location: riverside calif

Re: Amberola 75 rides again!

Post by tomb »

That will be a nice phonograph when it is finished. It is already showing a lot of promise as you fine tune it. Sow us some finished pictures. I almost wish I had gotten a amberola 75 like yours instead of my 50 . The 50 plays very well though and is loud and clear. Tom

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