Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find and info on its restoration

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Herderz
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Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find and info on its restoration

Post by Herderz »

Well I went and did it, got another talking machine to spend hours on. I have been able to hold off for a while. This machine is rough and has had a hard life. It appears to be a Columbia Favorite/50. tabletop in oak. I took one look at it and just about walked away. Dusty, dirty and dried up, missing horn louvers, sitting in a shed. But opening the lid made me look further. It is amazing that these machines always look good under the hood. Decal still shining on the tiger oak. The reproducer and tone arm was intact, the mica had no cracks or delamination. I pulled the turntable off and everything looked good. I wound it up and cut off the brake and she started to turn, gravely at first but after a couple minutes started to quite down. She ran for a good 5 minutes, promising that although grimy nothing broke to speak of. I had brought a couple needles and a disk so I put a needle in the reproducer and gave it a finger rub. Hey we got sound. Wound her back up and put on a disk. Dropped the reproducer onto the disk and it literally puffed dust out of the horn but we had music.

So now what? Start a list.
Pro's: it plays
what is there looks original
Con's: missing louver for the horn the hardware is there except linkage that ties the two louvers together (I think I can make with a few detailed specs)
missing rear right corner column (I think I can make based on the left one)
missing lid prop arm
missing bottom of case (I think it should of had one to start and I think I could make one )
And here is the big one. apparently while in the shed some vermin, mouse, rat or what ever chewed on the back corners of the lid and base. Not going to be a easy fix
but at least it is on the back side only.

So I brought it home for $50.
I have a Edison C200 for the house, a Victor VV VI for my shop and now a Columbia. I will keep the Columbia in the shop after my restore because I quickly learned that I had to keep the Victor covered up because of it being lidless.

Here is what I am starting with, mind you I had to clean it up just a little I think it was a chicken shed at some point.
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Last edited by Herderz on Sun May 30, 2021 6:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Herderz
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Re: Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find

Post by Herderz »

After a lot of searching on the forum I did find this Columbia Favorite in mahogany and I think it is a model match for what I have.
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Herderz
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Re: Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find

Post by Herderz »

I am also curious as to why no needle cups on these machines.

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dzavracky
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Re: Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find

Post by dzavracky »

That’s a Columbia favorite... interesting that the decal doesn’t say favorite though. Yours is an early model with the speaker doors.

I used to own one awhile ago. Here’s what it looked like.

David

EDIT: I just realized yours has slats not doors.
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Last edited by dzavracky on Sat May 29, 2021 11:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Inigo
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Re: Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find

Post by Inigo »

Nice find, and looks wonderful! Knowing your abilities, we're impatient to see how it grews up in magnificence! Please, keep us informed, and Congratulations!
Inigo

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Curt A
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Re: Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find

Post by Curt A »

Those are nice, practical machines and look good in oak. The only resto issue might be finding or making the louvered slats that open and close as a volume control... Looks like a good project.
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"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."
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Herderz
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Re: Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find and the restoration

Post by Herderz »

Thanks guys for the comments. Well I am 100% committed now to restoring this machine back to the respect it has been wanting for a while. Because I know it will play I will hold off for a while on the motor and reproducer and tonearm. I broke it down and shelved all the hardware and will start with the case. It will be the most challenging part of the restore. There is little if any original finish left to the exterior of the cabinet, the inside of the lid is still in perfect shape for a machine this old and I will try to preserve that finish at all costs. The exterior with all the repairs needed must be striped down and start a new. I broke the cabinet down into 4 pieces to insure the best outcome in the end.
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I started on the base by striping what little finish that was left off. Then I used steel 4/0 wool to smooth the raised grain. I think that I am leaning to a linseed oil finish for a few coats and then maybe a shellac final finish, but I am not sure about that. Here is the base with 1 coat of linseed oil on the right side.
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Inigo
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Re: Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find and info on its restoration

Post by Inigo »

Looks good. Can be shellac applied over oiled wood?
If not, you can consider finishing with linseed and no more, perhaps waxing after the oil has dried and been absorbed. I personally like these finishes, as the wood looks more 'natural' than using shiny shellac finishes mirror-like... I'm not an expert, though... :| only personal taste, but the ease of this procedure is a point!
Inigo

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Henry
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Re: Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find and info on its restoration

Post by Henry »

Ditto Inigo on the finish. Boiled linseed oil mixed half-and-half with turpentine will give you what used to be called an "oiled" finish (as in "oiled walnut"---very popular for loudspeaker enclosures back in the high-fidelity era); this, followed by paste wax (Johnson's, for example) produces a nice, attractive, durable finish. All materials available at hardware stores. The wax is optional; I too like the look without it.

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Inigo
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Re: Columbia Grafonola Tabletop Barn Find and info on its restoration

Post by Inigo »

I used this because ease, nice natural look, true feeling of clean bright wood and 'not behind a screen'. Maybe this is not historically right, but I don't see any bad in doing this work if the original finish is not there! At least you restore a finish that does no harm and looks very good in modern times. Specially if it's your own machine to play records and look nice!
Besides that, I've seen Herderz mastery work this way last time he posted a project, and the look was so vivid and nice... viewtopic.php?f=2&t=48311&start=30
On the other hand, oak machines were finished with that certain natural look in the factory... I believe, the mirror like shellac finishes are applied to mahogany machines? .
So oiled finish to an oak machine looks very correct to me. Kind of it's the least you can do for a machine to look nice!
Of course, purists, shellac masters and serious machine restorers in authentic historical finishes will think differently... But I'm a poor engineer with limited abilities, so easy things that look natural please to me.
Inigo

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