My first talking machines and info on their restoration

Discussions on Talking Machines & Accessories
Herderz
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Re: My first talking machine and info on it's restoration

Post by Herderz »

Thanks Curt A, I think I will try to not screw this one up but things do not go the way I would like sometimes, lol.

JerryVan
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Re: My first talking machine and info on it's restoration

Post by JerryVan »

Herderz wrote:I got my tonearm donor today, Looked pretty good to come up with something playable with some work "old arm at the top". Reproducer diaphragm is solid but needing a rebuild just like the one that came with the machine. Length measured pretty much the same from center of mounting horn to tip of needle mount.
20201030_143936.jpg

Upon further inspection though I saw this. A hair line crack in the elbow of the horn mount to the reproducer. Just my luck, I will have to look at it for a couple days and see if I can disassemble it with out breaking it. If I can I think I can reinforce the crack from the inside to strengthen it so it will hold up to playing. A thin coat of epoxy on the inside maybe.
20201030_144020.jpg

I wouldn't try to disassemble it. Just work some epoxy into the crack from the outside by putting a gob of epoxy over the crack, then rub your thumb through the epoxy and over the crack to force & push it into the gap. Then wipe off the excess.

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Curt A
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Re: My first talking machine and info on it's restoration

Post by Curt A »

If that part is good on the original reproducer, why not just change it out for the cracked one...
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

JerryVan
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Re: My first talking machine and info on it's restoration

Post by JerryVan »

Honestly, that crack does not look as if anything is getting ready to fall apart. Doing nothing may even prove to be the best.

Herderz
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Re: My first talking machine and info on it's restoration

Post by Herderz »

Thanks, Jerry Van and Curt A.
Curt A the crack is in the elbow the same as my original tonearm, but it is only a stress crack not broken through yet. Jerry Van I said I would think on it a couple days but it only took a couple minutes and I was removing the reproducer to look inside the elbow. The stress crack had not gone from end to end just around a internal casting protrusion for the screw thread to the elbow tilt adjustment. I took a small round wire brush that I use in clock repair and roughed up the internal casting at the crack. Then made me a very small paddle out of wood to apply steel re-enforced epoxy in a thin coat to the inside of the elbow. Let it cure up and I will go from here. While curing I broke down the sound box, surprisingly the seals were still flexible with no hardening or cracks unlike the original which fail into pieces. The diaphragm had a couple of spots were it was starting to de-laminate but no through cracks. I cleaned the seal with silicone used a heat gun to try to get it more life and re-assembled the sound box. I just had to see if my talking machine would sing, and it did. I need to rebuild the sound box put am having trouble finding an 2 ⅛" mica diaphragm. I can get the seal pretty easy but the mica not much luck yet.
20201031_153639.jpg
I also cleaned the inside of the lid, not much work with not oxidation to speak of.
20201031_153410.jpg

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dzavracky
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Re: My first talking machine and info on it's restoration

Post by dzavracky »

Ron Sitko sells the white tubing for reproducers, it is not expensive. I wonder if Ron would also be able to get/make you the correct size diaphragm? I just got a diaphragm and some tubing from him today... it sounds great!

David

JerryVan
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Re: My first talking machine and info on it's restoration

Post by JerryVan »

The mica you show there looks very good. I would not replace it. You should melt a small bit of beeswax where the needle arm attaches to the mica, (on both sides). This insures a rattle free connection between the two. A small chunk of wax is usually laid next to the needle arm connection, then a small solder iron or wood burning pencil is touched to it to heat the wax until it flows around the foot of the needle arm.

Herderz
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Re: My first talking machine and info on it's restoration

Post by Herderz »

Thanks dzavracky and Jerry Van. I will try to get a hold of Ron about the mica and the current diaphragm is ok for now minus the seals that would be a cheap rebuild that would help I think.
Here is todays work, I polished the hinge and the lid prop which were chrome plated, cleaned up nice. Then the needle cups which were more of a challenge to get down in them but I prevailed.
20201101_135109.jpg
Also had to clean the screw heads of grime, got to get the details right for a job I would take pride in.
20201101_173306.jpg
Working on the tonearm board to clean it up before re-assembly.

Herderz
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Re: My first talking machine and info on it's restoration

Post by Herderz »

Well it has been a couple weeks since my last post on the progress on my first machine. I have not been idle. I have about 60 hours in the cleaning of the original finish. I striped down the cabinet and started to clean the muck. I do a process of what I call the "mud" cut. It is cleaning off of all the dirt, lamp silt, wood and coal silt after years of accumulation from the finish. I use a medium cut cleaner from Meguiars and with small folded cotton cloth I rub the finish in about a 3 inch square with the compound until it creates a mud looking paste, then I wipe clean with a larger cotton cloth. The small cotton cloth must be folded to a new clean pad before the next cut. I use a lot of Qtips to get in corners, edges etc. After that I repeat the same process with a fine cut cleaner from Meguiars. It is a scratch remover and a fine polishing compound, it will polish the surface of the old shellac back to a gloss state. The last step is a bee's wax coating for a day then a buff with cotton cloth.
This is how it comes out after sore finger tips and tired arms.
20201116_082343.jpg
20201116_082332.jpg
The inside of the case also got a bee's wax cleaning and everything looks good. The horn seems to be solid and no cracks in the seams as far as I can tell using a flash light to see if there is a gap anywhere.
20201116_082320.jpg
With the base done I can start re-assembling 1 piece at a time now.

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dzavracky
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Re: My first talking machine and info on it's restoration

Post by dzavracky »

WOW! That is a really nice looking machine

How is the reproducer going?

David

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