Edison Triumph -- what would you do?

[Zenger]

Thanks, everyone, I really appreciate the feedback. As I said, I plan to keep it; if I were going to sell it, I would never even consider redoing the decals. And I probably won't touch them now, either. I do like it the way it is.

This machine came from a direct descendant of the original owner, and included a large brass horn, a floor crane, and about 50 cylinders. I will be happy to post more pictures of it if people are interested.

Any tips for cleaning up the bedplate, beyond Kotton Klenser and 0000 steel wool? And any thoughts on when this might have left the factory?

[phonojim]

I would not touch it other than a careful cleaning.

[phonogfp]

This machine came from a direct descendant of the original owner, and included a large brass horn, a floor crane, and about 50 cylinders. I will be happy to post more pictures of it if people are interested.

Absolutely!

Any tips for cleaning up the bedplate, beyond Kotton Klenser and 0000 steel wool?

Kotten Klenser is fine, but I find that non-pumiced Goop, GoJo, or Purple Power work just as well for less than half the price. I'd avoid the steel wool on the bed plate and upper casting when going over the gilt decorations. I'm a fan of Meguire's Scratch-X 2.0. Sometimes it requires a final coat of paste wax, but the results are usually outstanding.

And any thoughts on when this might have left the factory?

Triumph #31800 left the factory during the second quarter of 1902.

George P.

[zenith82]

+1 to what George said regarding the Gojo cream hand cleaner. It does a great job of getting off all the caked-on grime, oil, nicotine, and all the other wonderful stuff that's built up on the cabinet and bedplate the last 120 years. Just make sure it's the kind WITHOUT the pumice. Most auto parts stores carry it and it's not expensive. Not too long ago, Car Quest had a large can of their privately-labeled cream hand cleaner (exactly the same as Gojo) for about 7 bucks.

[phonojim]

Harbor Freight has it cheaper also.

[Zenger]

Well, it's taken me a while, but here are some more pictures of the machine. One nice little bonus was that it came with the original recorder, too, as well as the original boxes for both the recorder and the reproducer. The reproducer is a "C," but it doesn't have the little tab that says "reproducer" -- given how early this machine is, I would have guessed it would have come with one of those, but I guess not. When did Edison stop putting that tab on its C's?

I think that's a shaver in back there, but I'm not sure, never having used one; if someone can confirm (or do whatever the opposite of confirm is), I would appreciate it.

One weird issue with this machine: When I attach the crank (it's the kind with a square slot) and slide it all the way in, I can't then turn the crank without the inside edge of the handle (the metal part) hitting the phonograph case twice per full revolution; to get it to turn freely, I have to pull the crank off the shaft partway, which doesn't feel as secure to me. Has anyone else ever had this problem with this (or any) model? Is there a way to slide the crank shaft (and I guess the whole motor) a bit to the right so I won't have this problem? If there is, I haven't figured it out yet. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

[phonogfp]

The reproducer is a "C," but it doesn't have the little tab that says "reproducer" -- given how early this machine is, I would have guessed it would have come with one of those, but I guess not. When did Edison stop putting that tab on its C's?

The adjustment lever on C reproducers isn't an "earlier/later" thing, but rather an accommodation to use the C on earlier machines that lacked the positioning pin at the 12:00 position on the carriage. High-numbered C reproducers exist with the adjustment lever.

I think that's a shaver in back there, but I'm not sure, never having used one; if someone can confirm (or do whatever the opposite of confirm is), I would appreciate it.

That is indeed a shaver on the back of the carriage.

One weird issue with this machine: When I attach the crank (it's the kind with a square slot) and slide it all the way in, I can't then turn the crank without the inside edge of the handle (the metal part) hitting the phonograph case twice per full revolution; to get it to turn freely, I have to pull the crank off the shaft partway, which doesn't feel as secure to me. Has anyone else ever had this problem with this (or any) model? Is there a way to slide the crank shaft (and I guess the whole motor) a bit to the right so I won't have this problem? If there is, I haven't figured it out yet.

That seems odd. Check your motor frame screws to be sure they're tight.

Good luck!

George P.

[Zenger]

Good idea! Now if I can only figure out which screws those are...

[Zenger]

Greetings, everyone. After living with this nice machine for a while as it is, I am now seriously reconsidering restoring the bedplate. I don't want to replace the banner decal -- for one thing, I don't like the way reproductions look, and there's enough of this one left that I think it looks OK as-is -- and I definitely plan to keep the machine, so I'm not concerned about resale value. But the bedplate, as you can see in the pictures, is pretty rough, not just in terms of the striping and corner designs, but the black enamel itself. If anyone thinks this machine would look awful or just weird with a redone bedplate and the original banner, do tell. (I will still keep the banner, but may reconsider redoing the bedplate.) If I do decide to redo the bedplate, how should I handle the enamel? I know I can by a complete water-transfer set for decals, but I don't believe they include the striping around the reproducer carriage; is there anything I can do for that? Is there someone out there who does these for other collectors? Any other tips/opinions? Thanks!

[Governor Flyball]

I do not believe the bed plate is enamelled. It is covered in a tinted shellac.

The machine is 120 years old. It is in good shape despite the many years. It is an antique and should be treated as such especially something that is wonderfully original as this machine.

To me it would be a sin to refinish it. It is,an antique and is only original once. If I were to find a machine to refinish, it would have to be a basket case machine for which there was no other choice. But not this machine.