Mystery Phono ID (56k unfriendly)

[nsjames]

So, I acquired this unit after I did some work for a friend. No one knows any of the history.
The most I've been able to figure out is that it may be an Empire machine, it has a Heinemann motor underneath.

On to the pictures.

[nsjames]

That's it for the general exterior. on to the more detailed shots I have.

[nsjames]

This label is on the underside of the lid.
Whitney music store was incorporated in Chicago in 1920 according to some MI business records I found.








The unit has basically no control over the RPM's, I'm a fairly handy guy, I figured if I can build Jeeps and guns than a phono player can't be that hard.

I found the problem with the speed control in the form of a badly bent arm.


I repaired that and can get a decent tone out of the player.

[estott]

The arm and motor are both from Otto Heineman's General Phonograph Supply- the motor should be marked OKEH and / or The Motor Of Quality. Otherwise it's a typical off brand machine, much nicer than most though. Whitney could have contracted with a cabinet maker to build it & selected the fittings from a catalog. As these machines go it's above average and probably has very good sound

[nsjames]

It is marked with Henemman's OkeH logo in the casting beneath. My intarweb freaked out last night andI didn't get to post those photos. Here's the detailed shots of the motor.


U over the number P557



There are some more markings underneath the table, the turntable is nickel.



A 105 stamped on the bottom of the baseplate.



91 inside the back wall of the cabinet

[nsjames]

And that brings us to the only art of the machine that is not functioning

This looks to be some sort of auto stop. The arm coming from the soundhorn (someone please tell me the proper names for all these parts!) looks like it may have been connected to the large horizontal arm that comes from the lock mechanism. They both have jagged edges like the metal fatigued and broke. THe shark's fin shaped bit is in the same location that I found it, I assume that it goes somewhere in that general area ad interacts with this mechanism.

The arm on the soundhorn makes contact with the horizontal arm.

[OrthoSean]

That is an auto-stop and the arm is surely broken. You *may* be able to fix it with something like JB Weld, but arms like that one are very common on eBay, so you may be better off just hunting one down and replacing it.

I'm not really sure what that other loose part is or where it belongs, sometimes it's like putting a puzzle back together.

Sean

[nsjames]

Better pictures of the mechanism, and the patent date, My 28 19 8
Space between the 9 and 8 is blank on the plate, no sign of a stamping, I assume 1908.






Here's what I ended up with:


I sacrificed a screwdriver and filed it to fit the oddball screws so I was sure not to damage any of them. I figured it was worth it. As of now I've done nothing more than oil the wood to stop the water damage from spreading. I'm not interested in selling t or restoring it, just maintaining it's condition and repairing it to original functionality.

[nsjames]

I did wipe the rust out of those storage pots with some oil and the nickel finish came out OK. some minor pitting.

[nsjames]

That is an auto-stop and the arm is surely broken. You *may* be able to fix it with something like JB Weld, but arms like that one are very common on eBay, so you may be better off just hunting one down and replacing it.

I'm not really sure what that other loose part is or where it belongs, sometimes it's like putting a puzzle back together.

Sean

If the arm needs repaired there will be no JB weld
I will find another arm, or I will make one from scratch and replace the originals. I will of course keep the originals with the machine in case someone ever wants to put them back.

I've been attempting to locate the patent drawings in the hope that there's an illustration that shows the locations of the parts and how they operate together, but I've had no luck. I'm not sure that the patent belonged to Heninemman, and without a name it's very difficult to find anything with a patent search.

Also, what abot replacement cellophane for the needle assembly? What's in there works, but it is not in good shape, I'd like to replace it and tune the unit up a little bit.
The speed control is still not quite right, I'm going to use a model airplane engine tachometer to adjust it to an exact 80 RPM when the arm is adjusted to that on the scale.