hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

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caratunk
Victor Jr
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: maine

hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

Post by caratunk »

hi im from maine and i found a victrola 210 .... at a old potato house . its missing the frt left leg . moldy , missing the record stand , BUT it works ;];];];] it need re finishing ,it has paint spilled on it, missing veneer ..you know..anyways ive watched chillboy 2007 on you tube . on how to re grease a motor, well.... i cant get the screw out of the speed adjuster!!!! ive oiled it... tried using small screw drivers and ive basicly demolished the screw head. i STILL CANT MOVE IT !!! ive soaked it in 3 n 1 oil/ wd 40 ..nothing has gotten it loose. so from what i can tell unless....... you get that needle out, your not going to access the motor. right? so any ideas on how to do this now??? grrrr .and now.. if and when... if ever ... i can even move out that screw... who do i contact to replace it? i cant believe 1 tiny screw can literally put a halt on accessing the motor ;[;[;[;[ any help would be great and no i DO NOT PLAN on tearing down the motor....i just want to clean up the old gunk and relube it with grease ..thank you.

VanEpsFan1914
Victor VI
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Personal Text: I've got both kinds of music--classical & rag-time.
Location: South Carolina

Re: hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Nice find Caratunk, and welcome to the Talking Machine Forum! I think you'll like it here. We love extravagant restorations--and if you bring your own rather war-battered relic back to good condition, on your first restoration attempt, the Victrola force is with you!

The speed indicator screw isn't as hard as you think. I had the same problem on a Victrola--one of the old-time uprights. It was my first machine too and the screw is annoying. Why? (drum roll) It's Not A Screw. The needle fits on the way alarm clock hands fit on--pressure fit. Just stuck on there. You have to simply use your fingers or something and pull up on the speed indicator needle.

Should you mess it up too badly, Mr. George Vollema of Great Lakes Antique Phonograph has all kinds of parts for just about anything. A 210 is extremely common--he can probably even sell you a new wooden cabinet if the old one is too far gone to restore.

If you restore this Victrola count yourself a dedicated hobbyist. Most people scrap them when they are this battered--the restoration costs might exceed the actual value of a good-condition Victrola (aroudn $100-325) but there is a real reward to saving one of these from going to the burn pile or eBay for parts.

Good luck! And don't forget to post pictures. This ought to be a good project, but beware--Victrolas and phonographs are addictive!

caratunk
Victor Jr
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: maine

Re: hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

Post by caratunk »

hi thank you;];];]well i did manage to get the needle up over the screw head or whatever it was... but its demoed :cry: i did get the nut out but it also in rough shape and the needle pulled right out , i backed wound the crank and that came off ,, so that was good..and pulled up on the motor base ..and man oh man that poor thing is a mess... i found a whole mess of needles and an old ½ pencil too.so i got that out and vacumed . apperently there was a label of some sort under the horn but is rotted away. and no i didnt vacum it up. there is also a label under the cabinet, but someone tore it ½ off so no date, it was made :( that moldy too and i dont think it readable :( i did get the some of the veneer reglued on the cabinet doors but need to do the sides where the crank is. i still have the motor on its board .. my question is since its sooo gunky...can i unscrew the motor ...and take the whole thing and soak it in white vinager? i was thinking of taking WD40 to it, but as loaded as it is... i dont think it would get past the old grease..i havent cranked it at all .as i want to make sure there isnt any " power" left in it. i also found a metal tag where the govenor is its stamped M240L . i dont know if there is a stamped # on the barrel case ... i dont see 1 yet unless its under it. over all... im happy i got this far;];];] im trying to think how to leave the bottom of the cabinet but somehow cover it so the mustiness and dirt wont work its way back into the motor once i clean it...i dont want to damage it any more then i have to.any ideas? thank you for replying .im a 53 single home owner with a house and a cat and now an owner of a victrola :D

caratunk
Victor Jr
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: maine

Re: hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

Post by caratunk »

hi again well i found george on fb and sent a pm... hope he gets it;];];] im soo thankful for this forum thank you;];];] also the # 17 is on the spring barrel;];;]
Last edited by caratunk on Mon Nov 13, 2017 12:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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: hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Caratunk--

Is this "Extreme Makeover Victrola Edition?"

Nice hearing about the progress. Go nice and slow, take your time, and it will be fine. Veneer is best stuck down in WOOD GLUE or horsehide glue. (the original.) Gorilla glue, other synthetics, aren't very "green" and they will ruin the cabinet if someone wants to repair it in the future. We collectors hate gorilla glue.


While I admire the DIY spirit, DO NOT soak your motor in vinegar. It will rust, fall apart, and not work. Unscrew it from its board, put on your gloves and get in some ventilation, and go de-grease everything with mineral spirits on a rag or a good paint thinner. Then, go get a fine screwdriver (clockmaker's screwdrivers are best if you can get them.) Be careful what screwdriver you use, as Victrolas are so old that the screws are different. They don't really fit a regular flat-head screwdriver--they use old-time gunsmith screwdrivers.

WD-40 may work as a degreaser but it is a lousy lubricant and smells horrid. This is a nice antique, so try to take care of it--at least, what's left of it. You'll fix it. Use good oils and tools, and, if you show me a picture, I can maybe tell you a trick or two to save the finish and restore it.

Don't give up. My victrolas usually take a month or more to restore, and I haven't found one in nearly as bad of shape. I have re-glued veneer before, and cleaned motors and fixed broken springs. But yours--water damage! Ick!

Actually, gun stores are full of oils, solvents, and tools that work great on phonographs.

I suggest a book called The Compleat Talking Machine. It was written as a service manual for phonographs and should give you some useful tips. It's in print and relatively inexpensive.

If you'll take the serial number off the silver Victor tag, it can be decoded to tell what year it is. There is a website called "The Victor Victrola Page" that has a serial number database for all the machines Victor ever made, and yours is definitely in there--a very common model that was a huge hit with customers in the 1920s. Cheap, sturdy, and good-sounding, the 210 replaced old-style upright victrolas with a modern, Jazz Age console.


Good luck! Keep us posted. This Victrola odyssey is actually a lot of fun. Sounds like my first restoration, but more extreme.

52089
Victor VI
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Re: hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

Post by 52089 »

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:Caratunk--

Nice hearing about the progress. Go nice and slow, take your time, and it will be fine. Veneer is best stuck down in WOOD GLUE or horsehide glue. (the original.) Gorilla glue, other synthetics, aren't very "green" and they will ruin the cabinet if someone wants to repair it in the future. We collectors hate gorilla glue.
Original Gorilla Glue should be taken off the market. It's nasty and more likely to ruin things than fix them. However, Gorilla does make a wood glue which I personally use and like.

caratunk
Victor Jr
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: maine

Re: hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

Post by caratunk »

well as for glue i got elmers wood glue ;];]] i havent touched the motor at all and pmed george waiting on a reply on fb... im now thinking its best to pack the whole board and all to him... your right .i dont know what im doing and ts too old to mess up.. thats why i contacted you all;];];];]

estott
Victor Monarch
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Re: hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

Post by estott »

I've used WD40 to soak grease off of phonograph motor parts, but any petroleum distilate will do the job- gasoline or kerosene.

Regarding WD40 as a lubricant- it does work, but mostly in situations where there is gummed and hardened lubricant in place already. On its own it has a very slight amount of lubricant. The stuff has its place but it isn't a miracle.

caratunk
Victor Jr
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: maine

Re: hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

Post by caratunk »

as for the bottom of the cabinet thats moldy i just vaced it out and cut a piece of lite weight shower curtain to lay on top of it so the mold dust wont be flying all over the place....i know it wont stop the mold but for now it will do . this whole thing is in my living room.the motor is on my coffee table by the couch.its cold here and frosty, i do have a garage but not insualted. i have a nice cellar but its all closed in and warm... im not using flamable solvents down there. so for now im at a stand still. :( i was thinking of using citrus strip for the cabinet. as i can use that inside.i wish i could take pictures...but my phone is a cheap walmrt trac phone.i dont have that option on it. unless i have your phone # and i can send it that way :( i wonder how also to fix/replace the broken frt leg or if george would know how to walk me through it .there arent any " wood lathe turners" in my hometown...carpenters .yes...but not lathe
workers. this poor thing im glad i have i...t but its gonna take a long time to get it nice and running right again. but thats ok its a winter project right :) it came with 1 record and 2 round needle holders and another 1 that is made into a speaker right off the needle..i cleaned the record with a piece of velvet and it cleaned up nice and plays smooth :) so that good;];];] no water /soap ...just velvet.it also came with a good handful of rusted needles that are now in vinager as it was soooooo rusted and dirty... i still have 1 in the arm. i havent touched that either... to clean up.can do i use grease or 3 n 1 oil on that? i do have wd/ 3n 1 oil here and that grease.....all purpose vavoline. its red in color. i have to work from 2/ 5 today . i clean buildings for the mentally disabled, after they go home from their day programs.

caratunk
Victor Jr
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: maine

Re: hi im a new owner of a victrola 210

Post by caratunk »

estott wrote:I've used WD40 to soak grease off of phonograph motor parts, but any petroleum distilate will do the job- gasoline or kerosene.

Regarding WD40 as a lubricant- it does work, but mostly in situations where there is gummed and hardened lubricant in place already. On its own it has a very slight amount of lubricant. The stuff has its place but it isn't a miracle.
so im wondering if i take a q tip...and get rid of the build up grease but leave the whole motor intact..and use WD40 with the orignal grease would that help loosen it up and run smoother..or im wondering take some motor oil and add it to the orig grease to smooth it out and have it run smoother? im just trying to avoid costs of shipping it to be dismantled if i dont have to..but then again .... i dont know the conditions of the springs either...

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