HMV 101 portable, in dark blue color

[nostalgia]

Thank you for cleaning advice, Shane. I for sure will try using a soft needle brush next time, it will save both fingertips and vinyl gloves.

[Phono48]

Sorry to cast doubts, but looking at the photo you posted after removing the lid catch, the square of original blue revealed underneath doesn't look remotely like the dark blue used on the 101, more like the standard shade. I don't think it could be classed as "almost indistinguishable from black". It could be this is a standard blue model that has turned very dark over the years.

[soundgen]

Agree but what would make it go so dark?

[nostalgia]

Don't worry about casting doubts, Barry. Dark or standard blue, it does not really matter that much to me, really. What is most important is to nail what color it really is:) I took 3 more photos now, from inside the (still) uncleaned case. Tomorrow it will be cleaned, but thought it would be of interest to take these photos now, to easier(?) trying to decide the color. Barry...Soundgen....everyone, feel free to forward your opinons. I also earlier posted photos of the interior, but I now have a better phone camera, so maybe it will be easier to decide what model this really is.

[Phono48]

That settles it! The identification plate states LB101. LB was the code for "Light Blue" (see page 200 of "His Masters' Gramophone"), so it would seem that this is a standard model that has accumulated a heavy coat of dirt over the years. That said, I have a blue 102 that was bought new in the thirties, and had been stored in a wardrobe ever since, so had no chance of getting dirty, but is a most unattractive shade, more navy blue, so the shades definitely varied over the production period. Just a thought...could it have been in or near a fire sometime in the past? That severe blackening looks very much like smoke damage to me.

Barry

[nostalgia]

Excellent Barry, now I will clean the rest of it, so it returns to a color that it deserves! I have no idea myself what has caused it to turn dark. What I know is that it has belonged to a member of a whaling crew. Maybe he brought the gramophone with him on the whaling boat, and that it was stored too close to the coal bin or oven. Well, who knows really. If our gramophones could talk and not only play music, I am sure we would hear many good stories from the past!

[gramophoneshane]

That severe blackening looks very much like smoke damage to me.

Barry

Nicotine may well be the culprit.

I have an upright that was almost black, and once the cleaner was applied, it smelled like an ashtray until the brown sludge was removed.
Now the machine is a beautiful golden oak colour with no cigarette smell.

[nostalgia]

I have not felt any nicotine smell, and I am very sensitive to that,but whatever it was, it is now forever removed.

I have a motor question, are both of the motors pictured 59 motors, or is one of them a 410? The one I removed just now from the gramophone, (the one in front) is a 69 with the typical black steel cover, but what about the other one? The entrance to the winding key shaft is different...I am planning to install the second motor, since it is already cleaned and greased, if I can just change the end part of the winding shaft, that look different on the two motors.
The second motor was last year removed from a 101, and if I remember correctly, it was not a black steel cover surrounding it ( but that can of course have been removed in the past, since the case it was in also was totally tampered with).

[nostalgia]

I switched the end part of the winding shaft, and also installed the newly cleaned and greased spring of the spare motor. The original motor has a 69 number on it, while the spare motor did not have this number stamped on it, but they look exactly similar, apart from the end part of the winding shaft. I guess I can say that this job now is finished, apart from carefully mixing blue shoe creem in daylight, to cover the patch around the manual brake. Another HMV portable saved from oblivion, and as we can see now from the photos, it is a standard blue 101, also matching the plate inside the gramophone. This gramophone almost tricked us because of the very dark finish, whatever caused it, but Barry !...you were observant enough to decide that this machine was NOT a dark blue HMV 101, thank you for that.
I am uploading some photos, after finishing the cleaning today. I of course now can see some small spots on the front of the machine, it is remains from the metal polish, they will be taken care of!

PS. I tested a new way to clean the felt today, which was not good looking, with dirt, grease and many brown stains. I sprayed Vanish stain remover on the felt, covered it totally, and after 10 minutes held the turntable under the tap and allowed hot water to rinse off the Vanish while using my fingers to gently massage the felt. Then I put the turntable on top of my washing machine, put it to spin, while drying the felt with a hairdryer. I am happy with the result, really:)

[Phono48]

Oh, well done, that looks fantastic! I wouldn't have dared run the felt under the tap, for fear it would shrink, but you've managed it.