What's this?

[epigramophone]

Any idea who made this extraordinary machine and when?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151908746661? ... EBIDX%3AIT

[CarlosV]

This is a German machine, made in the Black Forest. There are several variants of it, like cuckoo clocks. It was made in 20's. Every now and then one of these shows up, but it is rare to find a complete one. Most lack pieces, which could be redone by skilled woodworkers, however there is no good reference for how these should look like. The case in point is this one for sale, lacking a spinning wheel and part of the fence. The fence could be redone, but who knows how the wheel should look like? Other models I have seen did not have such wheel, but had other unique adornments.

These machines are great to look at, they were well made with skill and attention to details. I almost bought one two years ago, but considerations of space and the fact that it would be more a nice-looking curio than a working gramophone led me to pass it.

[Benjamin_L]

It's cute though.

[fran604g]

I have to admit; if there were one of these very close near to me, and not a lot of $$$, I'd buy it to go alongside the family heirloom Black Forest Cuckoo we own.

Not everyone's "Cup o' Tea", I'm sure.

Fran

[De Soto Frank]

Ach du Lieber, und Heilige Himmel !

[Cody K]

You guys call yourselves knowledgeable? I think not. Anyone can see that this machine is serious business, the exceptionally rare product of Hansel und Gretel gmbh, inventors of the phonograph in 1876 (coincidentally the year after Edison's legendary skiing trip to Zurich, where H&G were completing their research, and where they all may have met in a cafe, over coffee). I will leave the connection as an exercise for the reader.

While the metal parts were made from platinum, pot metals, and other common alloys of the period, it's a little-known fact that the cabinets for these were made from imported Austrian gingerbread sanded and finished with twelve coats of shellac made from the formula infamously stolen from Eldridge Johnson's bedstand drawer that night in 1921. Consequently, many of these machines were eaten during the Weimar years, and few survive.

I think we can all doff our hats to this historic machine and agree that, should we be fortunate enough to run across one "in the wild", it would be unfair to the historic record to buy it and eat it.

Amen.

[Cody K]

Well, I guess somebody's gotta post actual, unretouched photographs of this masterpiece of the baker's art. I'd feel awful bad if the Eternal Internet™ missed it because of mE!

Ya gotta admit...it's memorable. And I always say, anything memorable deserves to be remembered, it's only fair.

[fran604g]

One would think the artisan that built this could have used the water-wheel to power the motor.

Fran

[CarlosV]

Now you have the complete product, being offered by Guido Severijns
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXTREME-RARE-BL ... 6016.l4276