The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203602494139

Anyone wanting a good HMV No. 5 could do a lot worse than this machine but can anyone spot the fairly obvious, and possibly completely genuine error made by the seller?

I have informed the seller who may or may not choose to revise the listing accordingly. My money is on the listing remaining unchanged.

The seller has added a note about the horn.
It sure is dried out and fragile, many years in the sun and possibly stored in the attic or some place with high heat.

I don't think it's particularly fragile, just more of a disintegrated finish. If I buy it (I am considering bidding on it) I would swap the horns over with some existing parts I have to create two machines, one oak and one mahogany. The mahogany horn would be completely stripped and repolished though.

The seller seems a decent affable fellow and not someone who is peddling dodgy items with deliberately misleading descriptions.

When I cast doubt on the listing being revised its more a reflection on how most people serm to view comments made with suspicion and rarely bother to trust advice given in good faith, leaving poor or misleading descriptions as they stand. I'm pleased it's been updated anyway.

Trust me it's fragile, I may be new here, but I have more the 30 years of dealing with old hide glue and antique furniture.
Look carefully at the seams, they have separated in many places, not much, but the wood has dried out so much you can see the seams have moved.

In cases like this the hide glue has dried out, and become crystalized and brittle _ fragile.

If you get the seller to agree to ship it, let the forum know, for what ever reason most people don't seem to want to take the time to wrap it up.
It's as if they have to send it to the moon !

For future reference:

JeffR1 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:50 pm Trust me it's fragile, I may be new here, but I have more the 30 years of dealing with old hide glue and antique furniture.
Look carefully at the seams, they have separated in many places, not much, but the wood has dried out so much you can see the seams have moved.

In cases like this the hide glue has dried out, and become crystalized and brittle _ fragile.

If you get the seller to agree to ship it, let the forum know, for what ever reason most people don't seem to want to take the time to wrap it up.
It's as if they have to send it to the moon !

I trust you know its not really a wooden horn? Yes, it's got veneer to both faces but it's laminated construction with a kind of hessian cloth through the centre. The horns don't exactly behave like natural timber but they do come with their own problems.

Steve wrote: ↑Tue Sep 14, 2021 3:39 pm

JeffR1 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:50 pm Trust me it's fragile, I may be new here, but I have more the 30 years of dealing with old hide glue and antique furniture.
Look carefully at the seams, they have separated in many places, not much, but the wood has dried out so much you can see the seams have moved.

In cases like this the hide glue has dried out, and become crystalized and brittle _ fragile.

If you get the seller to agree to ship it, let the forum know, for what ever reason most people don't seem to want to take the time to wrap it up.
It's as if they have to send it to the moon !

I trust you know its not really a wooden horn? Yes, it's got veneer to both faces but it's laminated construction with a kind of hessian cloth through the centre. The horns don't exactly behave like natural timber but they do come with their own problems.

The cloth was probably impregnated with hot hide glue and heated to activate it upon assembly.
I came across several veneered tables that were done this way.

I would like to talk to Don Gfell and see if he does it this way.

Odd though, I've see the horns that have been exposed to moisture and are totally coming apart, there was no fabric ???