Edison Gem Model A project find

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VanEpsFan1914
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Edison Gem Model A project find

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Scored a new one today-- Gem Model A #50718. Keywind, two minute only, green oak banner-case Edison goodness.

Took a look at it, liked it, bought it. The price was very much right, considering I have beefsteak tastes & a ramen budget. It's out of an attic in Pennsylvania, and though it suffered some effects of poor storage, it will be a fine addition.
IMG_20211022_122802.jpg
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I've always liked Gems but the bad thing is, I get to craving just about any phonograph I find. They're neat. Not going into this expecting it to have wondrous sound quality and a perfectly smooth-running motor, but I also think that this one stands a good chance of turning out nicely as a restoration.

The cons:
  • broken & shortened mainspring
    bent idler pulley arm
    worm holes in case, just a few
    screw missing for speed control
    mandrel & pulley have the usual pot metal issues
    crack in winding shaft where someone wound it with a screwdriver--got to braze it I guess
    missing key, belt, reproducer, and horn
The good:
  • restorable finish
    gears have rather low wear for sure
    governor is intact & unwarped
    lower pulley shaft is not bent
    paint is mostly ok
    pinstriping looks decent
    nickel plating could clean up nice
Look at this mess inside.
IMG_20211022_125411.jpg

Quick look at the broken mainspring, the bent arm and idler pulley, and the background of iron rust. Most Gems need new mainsprings anyway though to boost playing time. Glad the governor is OK -- I turned one of the large gears by hand and the governor took off running smooth and strong, no wobbling on the friction disc. That's good news.
IMG_20211022_125357.jpg

Getting this running will be mostly installing replacement parts with a bit of reshaping & touching up. If I had a lathe I'd machine a new end for the mandrel. Aluminum would be a better replacement for cheap diecast.

And I needed Edison parts anyway as I'm fixing the Home B. This probably will take a long time; don't hold your breath. But there's another machine in preservation that will be playing cylinders soon enough.

AmberolaAndy
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Re: Edison Gem Model A project find

Post by AmberolaAndy »

Cool find Charles! I need a Gem in my life one day.

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kirtley2012
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Re: Edison Gem Model A project find

Post by kirtley2012 »

Nice!, I love the keywind Gems, that one should be a great one when done, they look cute with the little conical horns

VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Edison Gem Model A project find

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Glad you all liked it; it was a fun find and I really like the old-fashioned aesthetic and compact size.
This morning,having no time to work on it, I dropped some oil into the bearings on the topworks and spun the mandrel over by hand. It rolls nicely but the surface of the mandrel pulley is out of round--this thing is going to sound horrible unless it's changed. So there's that.

Also--I have no idea what thread the screw should be holding the on/off switch to the cast frame of the machine. I presume there was a washer involved, whether that was steel or fiber or leather I don't know--but the screw is straight-up missing and has been for awhile. Should be able to replace it with a brand-new part -- sure there are old ones out there but it's one screw and they still make screws. I don't see a pressing need to use an original Edison part on the brake controls.

Copied this picture from an eBay ad for it--considering framing the picture & displaying it alongside the machine and a few Gold Moulded boxes, some replica Vulcans, and that kind of thing. It's not like a Gem is going to get played constantly--if I want musical pleasures at home and fireside then, well, I'll use a Home or a Fireside.
Edison Gem ads.jpg

VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Edison Gem Model A project find

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

Quick mockup with a new horn and the K reproducer off the Fireside (and the K does it no good as this is 2m only.) Going to be a slow project.

I found out the threads for small screws inside the casting are the same thread as others used on it so hopefully re-attaching the brake assembly will be easy.
IMG_20211106_094912.jpg

VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Edison Gem Model A project find

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

To move this project a bit further along, I knocked the pulley out of the mandrel by repurposing two pairs of pliers--one to catch the end of the mandrel & not damage it, and the other (a 1910s Stilson wrench) to act as a deadblow hammer. I opened the jaws up past the gear so as not to foul the teeth, and bonk-- Out it came.

It knocked the pulley out but broke some of the pot-metal. Fine; that's why it was coming out in the first place. Anyway now I have something to work with for pattern-making.

Right now I'm not sure what to use for the pattern, but as for the final product, it must be metal (of course) stuck onto the mandrel itself with some rosin (that'd do it!) and capable of holding enough weight to make a pretty good substitute for the original alloy. This would give it a flywheel effect helping to smooth out the motion just a little bit, which seems like overthinking but who knows. I may see about pewter but am not sure. Granted, this is coming from the guy who logs into the Forum on a laptop with the screen falling off, and who still hasn't fixed his broken washing machine for want of a couple of slightly burred teeth on a drive gear. I love machines & machinery but that does not make me any kind of a machinist.

And the slotted end of the winding shaft, where the key goes in, is cracked and I think it's worse now--accidentally loosened that up a bit while removing the speed control rod out of the motor frame when I pulled the motor. I need to probably sweat a sleeve on over the winding shaft as it's split and will come apart while winding if I put the new spring in. As for the spring, I did manage to get the old remnant of the spring out and promptly got to fidgeting with it, ignored it, and got my left index finger stuck in it until I removed it with a pair of pliers.

Festina lente, as the Caesars would have put it, for in those days the modern-day machinist's lathe had not yet been perfected & mighty Caesar would have not had one either.

gramophoneshane
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Re: Edison Gem Model A project find

Post by gramophoneshane »

If you can find yourself an 8 panel horn for this, (even a cheap reproduction) it'll be well worth the money you spend
With an 8 panel horn a Gem actually becomes an enjoyable machine to listen to, rather than something that will sit on a shelf looking pretty and gathering dust.

VanEpsFan1914
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Re: Edison Gem Model A project find

Post by VanEpsFan1914 »

gramophoneshane wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 1:49 pm If you can find yourself an 8 panel horn for this, (even a cheap reproduction) it'll be well worth the money you spend
With an 8 panel horn a Gem actually becomes an enjoyable machine to listen to, rather than something that will sit on a shelf looking pretty and gathering dust.
True but this one isquite early, lacks the crane hole in the top casting. I didn't budget a table crane into this project considering it needs a new mandrel (or at least a mandrel pulley) and a reproducer, spring, key, and full rebuilding. The $80 I should have spent on a table crane just went instead for a spring barrel to repower my 1905 banner case Edison Home B, which is coming out of scrap condition to be a nice machine with its c. 1908-1910 Amberolizing set.

Currently I've got both reproducers to build the Home--a vintage H still in box, with original green dye, and then a new-build C in brass by Paul Baker. I need to put a Markus leather belt on it for I would have no other, change the lower pulley for aluminum (the Home's lower pulley isn't as bad off & will go on the Gem until I can replace it) and a bit more work.

I also have a healthy appetite for cylinders & those little darlings aren't cheap.

Last but not least I need fabric, thread, notions, and patterns, as I'm running short of white shirts that don't have grease, dried blood, sweat, and motor-oil ground into them. I am switching over to separate-collar Edwardian shirts for practical purposes, and need to get a bit of sewing notions as all I really have is an antiquated castiron Singer, a 1940 flatiron, a broken wringer washing machine, and a large pair of scissors.

The Gem isn't built to be a primary player; it's being built to have a workable original-finish Gem. I wish I had a bit newer machine to start the build, as then I'd be doing what you're suggesting with the 8-panel and the crane--might should get a Gem B, C, or D down the road as they're set up to run a proper horn.
Then again I do crave a Graphophone BV (either the Columbia or the unbranded Oxford variant) and we'll see.

gramophoneshane
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Re: Edison Gem Model A project find

Post by gramophoneshane »

VanEpsFan1914 wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:17 am
gramophoneshane wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 1:49 pm If you can find yourself an 8 panel horn for this, (even a cheap reproduction) it'll be well worth the money you spend
With an 8 panel horn a Gem actually becomes an enjoyable machine to listen to, rather than something that will sit on a shelf looking pretty and gathering dust.
True but this one isquite early, lacks the crane hole in the top casting.
It does actually, but it's on the right side near the endgate.
It's easy to see why they moved it lol.

JerryVan
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Re: Edison Gem Model A project find

Post by JerryVan »

gramophoneshane wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:38 am
VanEpsFan1914 wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:17 am
gramophoneshane wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 1:49 pm If you can find yourself an 8 panel horn for this, (even a cheap reproduction) it'll be well worth the money you spend
With an 8 panel horn a Gem actually becomes an enjoyable machine to listen to, rather than something that will sit on a shelf looking pretty and gathering dust.
True but this one isquite early, lacks the crane hole in the top casting.
It does actually, but it's on the right side near the endgate.
It's easy to see why they moved it lol.
I've always used that as a winding key holder when the lid is in place.

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