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Before I start, I want to say one thing. A close friend of mine once told me, "You can't be an expert on ANYTHING until you question EVERYTHING." This has stayed with me for many years, and it has taught me to be resourceful, to ask lots of questions, and to dig deep into book research to get every last fact, figure, and grain correct before presenting something as fact. The short journey below represents a lot of research on the internet, in university documents, books, and conversations with living authorities on the subject. In the end after comparing and contrasting the data collected the best I can, I have been able to put down my Sherlock Holmes pipe for a moment, and present a surprising inference. Get your venti iced mocha, this is gonna be a good one!
I obtained this piece from a furniture collector in the midwest. To dispel the myth that antique phonographs aren't found in antique shops anymore (well, nothing better than a Victrola XI in most cases) you can take one flying guess as to where this was found. He found it in a local antique shop! The antique shop acquired it along with the estate contents of an attic.
Another curiosity, 4 cutouts for recorders/reproducers in the front drawer.
The machine in its "as-found" condition. At first glance it is impressive enough as it is quickly identified as an early North American Class M, from the early 1890's. The two screw holes in front of the swarf drawer are left from its original carriage lifting device, long lost to time. The Automatic reproducer, serial #12847, dates to 1894. Upon closer inspection the bedplate and upper castings display a few errant brush strokes on the nickel plating, and the hoop around the governor also is painted black. Evidence of a repaint? Certainly. But a super close inspection shows that the black paint applied is in fact alligatored, cracked in areas, and genuinely old. Why does this old paint job look hurried and sloppy? What was being covered up?
To add further intrigue, the machine is devoid of any patent, usage, or serial number plates or stampings. At this point, I have been conversing with my fellow collectors as to what to do with the machine to honor it: leave it as-is, or repaint and re-decorate the casting with fresh paint and carefully reproduce the gold decoration? The decision was made to strip and re-finish, in light of the badly applied paint. The black paint did have its chips and scratches, which exposed a lighter colored metal underneath. I had discounted these spots as raw cast iron showing from underneath. I have been advised that the bedplate and upper casting could very well be made out of cast aluminium, but at just over 60 pounds in heft, this was DEFINITELY not aluminium, and it didn't even occur to me to do the magnet test to see if it was in fact cast iron.
After ordering the correct paints, tools, and chemicals for a proper re-detail...I started stripping off the old black paint.
The old black paint dissolved, withdrawing from the metal like a tide of black oil...exposing nickel plating. This came as a complete surprise.
It is uniformly weathered and worn from usage, but the area under the switch board is clearly shiny and mirror like.
I grabbed the nearest magnet, and it was indeed NOT cast iron at all. It was certainly heavy like iron, the bedplate weighing nearly 9 pounds alone. On one hand I didn't have to labor over a re-paint, and the painstakingly patient task of re-applying the gold detail. But now the mystery thickens.
I dropped everything and started researching the Edison Papers Project at Rutgers University. I scanned tirelessly through laboratory notebooks, patent applications, and company communications. I wasn't able to glean anything off of the digital edition. The microfiche and bound editions are at the moment out of my reach unless I visit Rutgers in person. Another option is to visit the paper archive at the Edison historic site, but I don't have the time to commit to that endeavor yet. I called and emailed fellow Edison collectors and researchers, and a consensus started to emerge from all the feedback. I emailed pictures and measurements, discussed construction details, and the existence or non-existence of clues. The details and geometry of the machine, along with the precise machining of the bedplate and upper casting point to this being made at the Edison factory. The cabinet, motor, governor assembly, carriage arm and reproducer are all original Edison parts as well. The hollow mandrel brings the date of the mandrel to 1892. A respected researcher, author and Edison collector, Al Sefl, informed me that the earliest machines were indeed of brass construction, and that my example may have been a laboratory development model. Brass is much easier to machine than iron, and additionally, a lot easier to fill, level, and finish in nickel plating. After measuring the resistance of the governor shunt at 1.9 Ohms, Al confirmed that this was a Class M and not a Class E. The lack of a serial number meant that this item was not meant for resale. On the front of the machine, there is a worn off area that may have had an identification badge on it at one time, but all that remains is a blob of solder that was flattened to accept the black paint.
The wear on the nickel plating shows lots of use. This was most likely a spectacle equipped machine at one time, and later updated with the single eyelet carriage to accept the Automatic reproducer which was more capable of reproducing entertainment recordings. This hypothesis is further supported by the lack of the carriage lifting device which was originally intended to be used for dictation.
Rewiring.
The inference; given the physical condition of the machine and its characteristics, is that it is an early development model of the Class M cast in brass for the development of the machine and nickel plating. After it was no longer needed or discarded, someone at the factory in 1894 installed a cast iron carriage on it, with an Automatic reproducer and the corresponding hollow mandrel. To make everything match and cover up the nickel plating, a quick application of black paint was brushed on to make it look like a production model. And with that, it found its way away from the factory by unknown means.
As with many phonograph projects, I am not the sole instigator, perpetuator, researcher, guide or resource. My special thanks to the vast cognitive resources offered by George Paul, Al Sefl, Stu Miller, and Paul Baker.
I invite your comments, thoughts and insights. Thank You for reading!
Here is her re-awakening after compleat rewiring:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0whLxQbZgjk[/youtube]
. The research part is really the fun (I think) even more so when information is re-discovered and brought to light after many years.
