Victorla XI Marie Antoinette Edition

[Couch Potato]

Okay so I have had this for close to 2 years. It is missing one part and that is the lid it came with everything else for $50. Heck most of us would probably pay that for the reproducer and knobs,etc so that's how I took on this white elephant.

I don't know about other parts of our fine country but there seems to be a fondness in North Texas of people buying such things and putting them in the back of a pick up truck in the upright orientation facing foward so that the lid can be peeled off by the gentle zephers and left to skid at 70 mph accross a six lane freeway (umm toll road((asuming the traffic is moving at all))thus meeting an untimely demise. I own a Beetle so this cautionary tale is not from personal experience but from reading craisglist for the past five years and admiring seller's crazy descriptions. That is pretty much why this otherwise nice fummed oak Vitrola XI has no lid. The seller told me that's why there is no lid on this one!!

Now you say there's a lid in that there picture? Yes that is the only lid I have found in two years. It goes on an earlier XI so is not really correct but I guess would do. Also the inside of lid matches great. Unfortunately the outside someone had stripped and polyurethaned. Darn that stuff even when it is removed is still there as it won't take a stain so I don't seem to have any hope of making it match. Perhaps I should try fuming in a bag with amonia to see if that will help?

None of us like parting out a machine but at what point do you throw up your hands? Perhaps it is time for me to take the parts off and put the wood at the curb? Maybe I would feel better if I take the wood to Goodwill where they will probably put it at the curb on my behalf and thus reduce my guilt?

I already have two nice XI's in my home so even if I fix this one up it won't go in my house it will be sold off as a full machine (probably for someone else to part out I suspect?).

Opinions?

[Tpapp54321]

It's funny that you bring this up because I am in a very similar situation with a columbia vivatonal 650 with the bottom half copped off, finish and veneer in really bad shape and the reproducer is now junked so I also am wondering do I just grab the parts and toss it to the curb? I completely understand what you mean because it's horrible when you have to tear up a machine that's survived almost 100 years and it would be great to fix it up and have it last many more. In my case im probably going to have to break mine up but yours might be salvageable, I'm sure that if you get that lid to look half decent there's someone out there who will enjoy it might it be a a young collector like me or someone who just loves old music. I say keep it
-Tom

[Henry]

The Marie Antoinette model was definitely a special order item, not listed in Victor catalogs

[brianu]

that doesn't really look like fumed oak, unless the color in your photo is off.

[martinola]

Couch Potato,

You are in the lonely place that all collectors find themselves in from time to time. The main issue here is that you are moving on from this machine one way or another. You could pass the project along to somebody else... You could part it out...

OR

If you want to develop your skills in finishing (including matching color), then this is the perfect project. On a machine like this, you really have nothing to lose. Much better to practice on a cheap XI rather than a XVIII or some other more valuable machine. In this way you gain an education as well as potentially saving an otherwise nice entry-level machine for somebody else. You'll have plenty of advice from us here if you need it. (I certainly will give you more than you will want. )

Anyway, good luck with your decision.

Martin

[Couch Potato]

Well your right, I should probably do some more sanding and stripping of the lid. Over the past year when I have fixed up a couple of external horn victor cabinets I have had good luck making replacement corner columns match by first fuming the newly made columns with household ammonia then stainng and applying shellac and get a very good match to the rest of my cabient. Can't hurt to fume that lid and see if it will darken to somthing approaching the rest of the machine.

I also like the idea of finding a beginning collector and make them a great deal once I have it done.

[JerryVan]

That's not fumed oak.

[phonojim]

Please post a picture of the inside one of the doors. Usually one can look at the underside of the lid, but...

Jim

[Couch Potato]

Okay finally took picture of the inside of the door. Gosh dark when I go and come from work so it had to wait until yesterday for sunlight. The surface of this seems almost like wood that has been just stained, or fumed, and then perhaps given a light coat of something. It does not look tampered with at all. Did the Victor factor perhaps fume cabinets and then apply a variety final finishes once fumed? Maybe light waxing of some kind or even a light coat of shellac or even varnish?

I don't know if it is fumed or not. Always see much debate on this site regarding fumed oak, golden oak, one thing that perhaps throws us off is oak machines that clearly don't have thick layers of shellac but more understated satin type finishes.

If it is/were fumed oak what would Victor have done after fuming the cabinet? Would that be it? Final assembly and shipment to dealer? Or did something go on top after fuming?

[52089]

You probably want to review this thread which has pictures of a genuine fumed oak Victrola.

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... k&start=20