The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Ok, I'm back with another question. I installed the new gaskets which went really well. However, when I removed the two metal tabs holding the needle bar, I noticed one has a small piece of metal attached to the side that touches the needle bar where the other doesn't (see pics). I'm quite certain nobody has ever worked on this before and I see no evidence that there was ever a small piece of metal attached to the second tab. Does anyone else have this type of Silvertone reproducer that can tell me if this is normal? How much play should there be in the needle bar once attached? It did move slightly whenever I replaced a needle prior to me taking the reproducer apart. Wishing I had another one I could compare to...

I figured out it's not actually metal as I can chip it off with my fingernail. Anyone have an idea what was glued onto those tabs? It had to be some kind of dampening material.

Fish wrote:I figured out it's not actually metal as I can chip it off with my fingernail. Anyone have an idea what was glued onto those tabs? It had to be some kind of dampening material.

That is rubber, rotted and perished. Sometimes they would use a bit of gasket tube placed between the pieces, or sometimes stretched over the end of the spring.

Nice find, I genuinely like Silvertone machines.

It's a Model III, which was a step up from the entry level model. Sold for $10.50 in the Fall 1916 catalog.

Not sure when it was last offered, but it's not in the Fall 1918 catalog.

I have the reproducer rebuild done and the fidelity is much better. Although it's still loud, even with a soft needle. At this point I'm picturing the original owner having a big Victorian style house and the Silvertone had to project from one side of the house to the other.

Thanks again for all the help.

Fish wrote:I have the reproducer rebuild done and the fidelity is much better. Although it's still loud, even with a soft needle. At this point I'm picturing the original owner having a big Victorian style house and the Silvertone had to project from one side of the house to the other.

Thanks again for all the help.

These were actually considered to be "portable" in their day, so it's possible someone had this machine to use for weekend outings. My grandfather told me about someone bringing a small phonograph along when they would have family picnics in the early 1920s. Since this was before the suitcase portable era, it was most likely a machine similar to this. He also said that machine spent a lot of time on their front porch in the summers.

Machines like this were also the primary phonographs for a lot of families on a limited budget.