Two VV-XI's off Craigslist

[Oceangoer1]

The shop owner was interesting, was he not?

Why yes that was me! I ran up to that store so fast because I usually never see any machines on Craigslist in Memphis (that I can get for cheap). The owner of the store was very interesting indeed! I know exactly what you are talking about! And did you also see that they had numerous floor model radios in the back? A nice Philco, and several others with the tubes still in the back. They also had one more cabinet buried under some things, it still had the motor and it looked like a Sonora (possibly Nocturne or something similar), but when I asked if I could see it, the owner told me it was a Philco that wasn't like the Victrola's that I bought...hmmmm...really? I think any Philco phonograph would look very different from a floor model, acoustic, hand-crank, wooden phonograph. I would have loved to at least look at it! And its so nice to know another collector in the area! I will keep everyone updated on the restoration process!

And a big thanks to everyone on this forum for awesome advice and support in the restoration process! You guys are the best!

[Phonofreak]

Those are the machines to get when you are starting out. The cost is low and you can practice restoration techniques with out going into a lot of money. If you don't have the great book, The Complete Talking Machine by Eric Riess, I strongly suggest you buy it. You can get it from phonograph dealers, book store, ebay,or Amazon. Good luck with your machines.
Harvey Kravitz

[Oceangoer1]

Ok, so bad news! The black XI is actually covered in a thick coat of LATEX PAINT Does anyone know how I can begin to remove the paint without damaging the finish underneath? I have seen posts about things such as Goof-Off and Goo-Gone, but would it be safe to use those on large areas?

[winsleydale]

Ahh, that's the worst!

[mattrx]

I can't help with the paint, but if you need some veneer or parts, let me know. I may have what you need.
Matt

[De Soto Frank]

Ok, so bad news! The black XI is actually covered in a thick coat of LATEX PAINT Does anyone know how I can begin to remove the paint without damaging the finish underneath? I have seen posts about things such as Goof-Off and Goo-Gone, but would it be safe to use those on large areas?

Hopefully the person who applied the latex did NOT do good surface prep, and slopped it on over old wax and dirt, and therefore, the paint will release with the right techniques...

I will let others suggest as to just which technique that might be ?

Good luck !

[De Soto Frank]

Just me being my experimental self, but I feel like if it were me, I might be willing to fix up even the one that's missing so much veneer - but I would re-veneer it in curly maple, just because. I'm not saying you should, but with the opportunity so evident, I would. I'd stain it a nice, rich golden color and give it a piano finish.

Basically, I would make it match a Kentucky rifle. Like this:

fusil.jpg

Is that bad? Be honest, I want to know before I actually do something like that someday.

Trouble is, not ALL wood surfaces of a Victrola cabinet are veneered... there are some exposed cabinet pieces that are solid wood, such as: the corner pilasters; the rim at the top of the cabinet; the perimeter rails around the inside of the playing area, that support the motor board; and perhaps even the ogee perimeter pieces of the domed-lid (?)... you'd need to re-make those in your new wood of choice to get everything to match...

I think I would enjoy seeing a talking machine cabinet in maple, but it's pretty difficult to make a Victrola cabinet anything other than what it started-out as....

[Oceangoer1]

Good News!!! I am in the process of removing all of the black latex paint from the better XI and I have tried several methods in spot tests (acetone, Goof-Off, Goo-Gone, vinegar, lemon oil and steel wool) but I have finally found something that works and pretty fast I might say! Murphy's Oil Soap (the kind I have is made for floor's. Its called Squirt and Mop). For some reason, it almost dissolves the paint, but leaves the underlying stain. I also used steel wool and even my hands, covered with nitrile gloves, to work the Oil Soap into the paint. It makes an ugly brown soup that just slides around the wood, but in about 20 minutes I have gotten most if not all of the paint off one side of the cabinet. The original shellac was probably sanded off before the "person" who put the paint on, or I might have even taken it off with all my scrubbing. Oh well! At least I have something I can work with, and I'll get to learn how to use shellac! The motor is about to be on its way to the Victrola Doctor to be serviced, so thats also a plus!

Connor

[outune]

Looking great Connor! Can't wait to see the final project. Someone who posted earlier alluded to the fact that the "artist" who painted it may not have prepared it correctly- That works to your advantage. Painting over a good coat of varnish makes the paint easier to remove because the paint doesn't adhere as well as to properly prepared wood. Keep up the good work. Keep us posted!

Brad Abell

[FloridaClay]

From the pictures the finish now looks quite nice. If it were mine, I would probably just put something like Howard's Feed-N-Wax on it and call it a day.

Clay