Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

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Jonsheff
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Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

Post by Jonsheff »

I recently did a complete restoration on a Newby & Evans phonograph with a case made by the Sterling piano company and a Meisselbach motor. I know these are rare, just wondering if anyone had one too. I sold it on ebay for $1,000 and the freight company i used (Old Diminion) ran a fork lift thru the shipping crate and broke one of the legs, buyer refused the shipment and now i have it again. Trying to decide if i should try to fix it or strip for parts. Here is a pic after restoration but before the damage.
20190211_214132.jpg

VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Wow...just wow. :(

That sucks.

Beautiful restoration of a more unusual style of off-brand! I'd say, now that you've put all the work, the skill, the restorer's art into that little phonograph, it'd be a shame to strip it down for parts now. If I were you and had the knack of doing stuff like that restoration, I'd be after it with the wood filler and fresh varnish.

I'm shocked but glad to see it sold for a thousand dollars. Finally an offbrand gets a little recognition for the rarity--and for the restoration. Did you use shellac, varnish, or urethane?

And I don't know if I'd let Old Dominion touch the next one.


Here's a picture of one I put back together, before I got to working on it. It had been stuffed in this storage unit for years. I had to reinstall both back legs and refinish the case because someone had embalmed it in polyurethane. The machine is a 1922 Brunswick York Model.
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Brunswick wreck.jpg

brianu
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Re: Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

Post by brianu »

I used to have one of these, but sold it to another forum member several years ago... aside from that one and yours I haven’t seen another. Please, do not just strip it for parts, they will never be worth the sum of the whole thing, if for no other reason than there just aren’t enough if any of them out there that could use the parts for restoration. I would repair the leg, or pay to have it done, and do what you can to maintain the originality of that machine as best you can.

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travisgreyfox
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Re: Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

Post by travisgreyfox »

There shouldn't be any doubt in your mind on this one! Fix and it and keep/resale it. It looks as though you did a great job fixing it up the first time. She is a looker.


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Curt A
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Re: Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

Post by Curt A »

This machine is definitely worth restoring... again. I hope Dominion paid you for the machine. The broken leg is not a big deal, unless the cabinet is damaged also. I had an Amberola 75 that was dropped off of a truck and the leg was broken right at the bottom of the cabinet. It was splintered and broken off then was the victim of some hack who tried to attach the leg with Elmers Glue and nails... I got the machine for $75, because it sat in an antique shop for several years unsold. I fixed the leg by totally removing it with a zero kerf hand saw similar to this one on Amazon - (a power reciprocating saw would also work and might save some time)
https://www.amazon.com/Zona-35-550-TPI- ... P1M60Q3CM3

It was necessary to use this since Edison cabinets are doweled and the legs are extremely difficult to remove - in fact I was told that it would be impossible to remove it with good success. However, it worked and I cut through the dowels and removed it in one piece. I obtained a larger straight mahogany leg that was salvaged from a junk, no-name machine and using the Amberola leg as a pattern, cut it out on my bandsaw. I used biscuit joiner to insert a couple of biscuits for strength and then re-glued it back in place... I matched the stain and the finish and took it back to the skeptics who said it couldn't be done - and they thought I had obtained another machine to fool them. Needless to say, it turned out great and you couldn't tell that it had been repaired...

SO, give it a shot and put that nice machine back together...
"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."
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vansteem78
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Re: Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

Post by vansteem78 »

This machine sure turned out to be a beauty and think it is worth saving again. Neil

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Re: Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

Post by Jonsheff »

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. I think I am going to try to fix the leg, it is splintered but with some effort I may be able to make it presentable again. The Newby was black when I got it, completely shot clear coat. I only paid $50 for it and had planned on just parting it out but didnt have the heart to strip it down. I buy and restore Victrolas and sell them on Ebay. I work for a furniture company so I try to only do pro work on the refinishing. As for materials, I believe in using modern materials, I dont see the sense in using obsolete materials that failed over the years. Polyurethane if applied properly and the right gloss selected (full, semi or satin) can look as good or better than anything else (in my opinion). Below is a 1918 XVI I did using semi gloss poly.

As for the process; Jasco Stripper, sand with 120, patch dings with putty mixed with stain, sand again with 180, Old Masters Mahogany stain coat, then Zinser Shellac seal coat (now standard step for me after a fish eye battle due to silicone contamination), light sand with 400, another coat with Minwax Poly (normally use semi gloss as it is close the the original shellac used back in the day but sometimes use full gloss like on the Newby to give lots of pop). sand with 400, another coat of poly, sand with 400 and a final coat of poly. I lay the unit flat and do the flat surfaces, wait till it sets and turn. I only apply poly to horizontal surfaces, that is the only way I have found to get a perfect finish. I have a 1912 XVI L Door in Mahogany I am finishing up and then have a 1920 XVII in walnut I picked up for only $160 in NY, needs some veneer work on the front doors but will be a real beauty. then I have an fumed oak table top to do, and the list goes on.
20181028_204755.jpg

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Re: Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

Post by zenith82 »

I'd restore it again. You probably won't see a lot of encouragement on this forum for the use of poly, though, as it's not a period authentic finish.

Good luck getting it back together again. I don't think I'd be using that particular shipper again. It takes talent to ram a forklift blade through a crate!

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Curt A
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Re: Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

Post by Curt A »

You definitely won't get kudos for using poly, no matter how good you think it looks... :? Poly finishes have no reason to be anywhere near antique furniture...

The main problem with poly, is that in the future if anything needs to be repaired or restored, it is an almost impossible job to remove it. Amber shellac or lacquer are both easy to use finishes, easy to remove or restore and they look better than poly...

The only good use for poly is on a table top in a bar... :lol: Don't take this personally, it's just my opinion after restoring antique stuff for over 40 years. If I find a machine (even at a bargain price) that is covered in poly, I will pass on it unless I need the mechanical parts... :roll:
"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."
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VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Does anyone have a Newby & Evans phonograph?

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Curt said it...I was going to let that sleeping dog lie.

Part of the appeal of antique furniture and talking machines is how easy they are to re-finish. Polyurethane, as Curt said, is not easily reversible.

Also, the "look" is a little different.

If you're doing the Newby & Evans again (and I hope you save it, it's a nice shape and very unusual) I would, if I were you, try stripping it down with chemicals and give it a good re-do in a good stain with a couple coats of amber shellac. Shellac is very forgiving and easy to work with, and (for those interested in such things) is an all-natural material, which is kind of neat.

But yeah, I would stay away from that shipper. What were they doing...drag racing with the forklift?

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