Tinfoils 'R Us

[Victrolacollector]

Wow that is beautiful..congratulations on the find.

[TinfoilPhono]

Here's another Leppin & Masche, in a university museum in Strasbourg. There's more detail in this link.

It's the largest they offered, with 20cm mandrel. It also has a base with a drawer, and the left upright support for the main shaft has a quick-release lever to disengage the feedscrew. Definitely a more upscale version, but the basic details are identical.

[alang]

Congratulations Rene to another stunning and rare tinfoil! I can't get over how well it was preserved by the dirt cover.

Andreas

[Andersun]

Rene,
That is my favorite tinfoil in your lot. What a piece of art!

[MTPhono]

This is going to look GREAT on your 2016 Christmas card. Congratulations on yet another amazing find.

[US PHONO]

Is this what you mean by the attribution to Kuss

[TinfoilPhono]

That's one of the references I have. That drawing was printed in 1977, I think for CLPGS. It is obviously based on the photo published in the Italian book "Stereostory". I also have a xerox of a page from a British book showing the exact same picture but I don't know where that came from.

It isn't impossible that it is a different machine, perhaps actually made by Küss. Looking at the pictures very closely there are definite similarities between mine and that machine, but also some difference. E.g., the design of the spokes on the mandrel, the thickness of the support for the speaker, and the shape of the speaker itself. But the supports for the main shaft have the same shape, though a different screw (or is it an oiler -- can't tell). And of course they share the basic design of the unusual speaker support and hinge.

So far, anyway, I haven't heard of any surviving Küss catalogs. I'd love to see if there is one showing the phonograph. I suppose it's possible that Küss copied L&M, or vice versa. They are very, very similar.

[US PHONO]

Do you have the date on the Leppin & Masche catalog? Are the other machines also pictured? The catalog pic has some differences to yours, namely, the clips to open the supports to move the cylinder easily. The mouthpiece in metal. The catalog shows the reproducer support thin & solid wheras it was the same construction as yours. The model pictured would also have a flywheel with the wheel that had a more square outside rim as in the machine in the museum that you posted.

Did you find the machine in the US?

The quality of the manufacture is really impressive as the laquering on the brass stands the test of time exceptionally.

[TinfoilPhono]

That catalog is dated 1885. I wish I had a clearer copy. That is the only image of the phonograph, the other two sizes are not shown. That's pretty normal, the Kohl catalog doesn't show all sizes available either.

It's hard to tell but in looking closer I agree that the catalog image may actually show clips on the caps of the supports, allowing them to open up. Perhaps a later improvement? It's interesting, and very unusual, that the caps on mine are hinged at the back, not held with 2 screws as on every other machine I've seen with caps on the upright supports. It would be theoretically possible to unscrew them, raise up the hinged top, and move the mandrel. But if that were part of plan there would surely be knurled nuts to simply the process, not blued steel slotted screws. That's one improvement that would have been easy for L&M to make since the design already had hinges. I really need to find an earlier edition of the catalog.

The mouthpiece in the catalog appears thinner and less flared but it's hard to judge a detail like that from an engraving. To some extent there's artistic interpretation so I focus mainly on the details like the speaker support, shape of the supports for the main shaft, casting at the rear, set screws with lock nuts on each side of the speaker hinge, design of the molding of the edge of the base, A-shaped stylus spring mounted with 2 screws (I've never seen anything like that on any other tinfoil), the thin block of wood between the base and the bottom of the speaker support, etc. All those add up.

The flywheel may have been a later add-on by the first (or subsequent) owner. The one catalog I've seen does not include a flywheel. But, an interesting detail: the screw for the crank handle is gold-lacquered like the rest of the machine. Also interesting, it is not a slotted screw. There are two tiny holes on either side of the post in the center for a custom tool to fit into to loosen or tighten. Definitely high class.

The L&M in Strasbourg has a small flywheel with a groove, it looks like it might have been intended to connect by a belt to a steady power source such as steam. Adding a flywheel would have been a very simple upgrade.

There are always some mysteries with these!

This one came from Germany, where it spent its entire life.

[US PHONO]

There are two tiny holes on either side of the post in the center for a custom tool to fit into to loosen or tighten

Could you please explain this. The post holding the mouthpiece?