Second Style Pooley Victrola Fun, warped panels et.

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EarlH
Victor III
Posts: 816
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2014 4:25 pm
Location: North Central Iowa

Second Style Pooley Victrola Fun, warped panels et.

Post by EarlH »

I bought this Victrola about a month or so ago and I knew it had some loose veneer on the sides, but of course these things often turn into a WAY bigger mess than you think they are going to, and this one has not disappointed me in that way and in some ways is the 'gift that keeps on giving' Haha!

You can see in the first pictures that I had it out in the pool and washed all the finish off. Of course, the veneer wasn't actually loose anymore because someone 45-50 years ago sort of glued the one side back down leaving a big hump in the center with white glue, and then on the other side they got out "liquid nails" for those of us old enough to remember that stuff. Maybe they still make it, I have no idea about that. My Dad LOVED that stuff to put paneling up with and I don't even think it did a very good job of that. It took a few days with the paint remover and a heat gun to get that stuff out from under the veneer. And then of course the core wood is warped, so now I have the side panel knocked off so I can get that flat again. I don't know what it is with me and Pooley made cabinets, but they are all problematic as far as I'm concerned. They must not have used quarter sawn lumber for the core wood. The veneer was loose on the front doors as well, and there is a HUGE knot under one of those panels that's about the size of a 50 cent piece! I've never pulled the veneer off a Victor made cabinet and found stuff like that under the veneer, but I also haven't gotten this far into too many Victrolas as they usually just aren't worth this much work to sort out. If Pooley had captured the bottom edge of the plywood with a rabbit, it may have kept this from happening, but it's hard to say. The dowels are a sign of less than wonderful construction as far as that goes too. But, it's just where things were in 1909 and I'll do what I can to sort it out. I've never really junked out one of these, so I'm not sure if Victor did the cabinet construction differently on this style cabinet. Victor, in all honesty, was kind of lazy about finishing the parts you couldn't see and this machine sat somewhere that was really damp for a very long time. It's pretty unusual to find a Victrola that doesn't have loose veneer on the bottom of the cabinet.

So, I figured some of you guys would get a kick out of this project and it is interesting to see how these things are constructed. It will take me some time to get that panel flattened out so I can re-set the veneer. I might have to glue something on the back side to help stabilize that part of the panel, but I'll have to figure that one out once this panel is flattened out. Fortunately, it's at the back behind the record storage area so a repair like that wouldn't show. Hopefully, the other side isn't like that. I'll roll the thing over later today and see how it's doing. If you had to hire this done it simply wouldn't be worth it. I hope I don't have to make a new side panel for it and move the old veneer over to it. That's not exactly a simple ordeal either as I'm sure anyone looking at it can figure out. Oh well, these huge ordeals make me think twice about taking any more projects on, that's for sure. But I guess they keep me out of trouble. Maybe...
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Steve Levi
Victor II
Posts: 206
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2016 3:49 am
Location: Indiana

Re: Second Style Pooley Victrola Fun, warped panels et.

Post by Steve Levi »

Keep us informed of your project. Very interesting. Steve L.

VanEpsFan1914
Victor VI
Posts: 3165
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2017 11:39 am
Personal Text: I've got both kinds of music--classical & rag-time.
Location: South Carolina

Re: Second Style Pooley Victrola Fun, warped panels et.

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Major kudos for saving this very neglected machine! These are often stripped for spare parts but this goes to show that the right kind of dedication (and funds and time and the right dose of quixotic idealism) can save any phonograph. I LOVE Pooley VTLA's, and this one will be a treasure when it's finished.

EarlH
Victor III
Posts: 816
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2014 4:25 pm
Location: North Central Iowa

Re: Second Style Pooley Victrola Fun, warped panels et.

Post by EarlH »

At least these Pooley made Victrola cabinets are kind of easy to knock apart! I will give them that. I've got the panel on the left hand side flat enough that I can live with it, but I'm still going to put a piece of plywood on the inside to hold it in place. The right side is much worse and it's getting better. I have been wetting the back side and clamping it, and it's a lot better than it was. I just need to remove the clamps every few days and make sure it's not getting moldy in there. The old hide glue REALLY will take up the notion to feed mold if you let it. A little bit of bleach in the water usually takes care of that, but it's still a good idea to pay attention to it. I'm not expecting it to be perfect, because it's that's just not going to happen, but it at least needs to look like something you'd not mind seeing in your front room. The veneer has been loose from the sides long enough that it's shrunk up some, so it's about ⅛" from the back of the case. And that's ok as it's not something you'd get your eye on unless you directly look at the sides. Most collectors have so many machines and other oddball stuff sitting around next to everything they have, that the sides are probably a moot point anyway..... Hahaha! Earl.

GregVTLA
Victor III
Posts: 516
Joined: Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:40 pm
Personal Text: Greg
Location: Central Maryland

Re: Second Style Pooley Victrola Fun, warped panels et.

Post by GregVTLA »

I love seeing how much care you put into your restorations! Keep it up and this machine is sure to be a treasure when finished!

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