Oak Kimball Right Next Door

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audiophile102
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Re: Oak Kimball Right Next Door

Post by audiophile102 »

Henry wrote:Isn't there a piece of the grill missing there on the right side? Surprised nobody has commented on that....
Yes, it's broken. The grill pieces are intact and behind the grill waiting for repair. A little glue and some pressure and it should look great.
"You can't take the phonographs nor the money with you, but the contentment the phonographs bring may well make your life better, and happier lives make the world a better place."
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audiophile102
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Re: Oak Kimball Right Next Door

Post by audiophile102 »

Thanks to the highly skilled and very generous Roger Merenkov, the Kimball is repaired. The section behind the reproducer was made of leather with a backing plate. The leather disintegrated and in order to bring the tone arm and reproducer back together, Roger custom made a part from aluminum. The precision that Roger puts into his work makes this seemingly simple repair quite special. There are few machinists with his wide ranging skills. His business, Touch of Beauty Brass and Lighting, is in a nondescript building with no advertising of any kind on the outside. He is always busy just from word of mouth referrals. He told me that he has owned as many as a thousand phonographs. I asked him how he managed to find so many phonographs. He answered, "They find me".He sold many of his most special uprights, but he still owns a few more machines. He sold me my first phonograph and I will forever be grateful to him for sharing his passion for antique phonographs. Here are pictures of the repaired Kimball.
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Repair 2.JPG
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Repair 3.JPG
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Repair 4.JPG
Repair 4.JPG (129.34 KiB) Viewed 354 times
"You can't take the phonographs nor the money with you, but the contentment the phonographs bring may well make your life better, and happier lives make the world a better place."
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travisgreyfox
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Re: Oak Kimball Right Next Door

Post by travisgreyfox »

Wow, it is soo pretty. Did you show the owner how to play records properly with the correct needles? If so, what did he think of it all?
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audiophile102
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Re: Oak Kimball Right Next Door

Post by audiophile102 »

travisgreyfox wrote:Wow, it is soo pretty. Did you show the owner how to play records properly with the correct needles? If so, what did he think of it all?
The owners wife was home alone when we returned the tone arm. I gave her a new batch of needles weeks ago, but she forgot where they were. I played "My Gal Sal" by Ted Weems and she was happy it was working again. I'm sure her husband will enjoy it even more.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aDiaGu7TRQ[/youtube]
"You can't take the phonographs nor the money with you, but the contentment the phonographs bring may well make your life better, and happier lives make the world a better place."
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