Interesting Desk-Style 'Phonomotor' on CL, North of Boston

[Cody K]

Here's one of those interesting desk-style phonographs in which the turntable and tone arm swing out on one end, with the horn on the other end. I was considering buying it myself until I did a little research and realized that it has an electric, not spring-driven, motor. The cabinet looks to be very nicely designed in the Queen Anne style, and in decent condition, with the added nicety of a protective glass top. The seller hasn't set a price, as she mostly only wants it to go to someone who'll appreciate it. I explained to her that I don't have the skills needed to restore an electric motor, and offered to post it here for her where someone who does might see it. The picture of the motor is one that I borrowed from a current listing for another Phonomotor -- the motor only, in this case -- on eBay. Neither item is mine, obviously.

https://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/atq/d ... 28632.html

[VanEpsFan1914]

Wow, what a find!

Cody K, always nice to see what the Forum can dig up on a quiet afternoon. Just minding my business here and boom, cool off-brand discovery.

Now about that vintage motor...

You might should have bought it. I've worked on electric fans from the 1910s and '20s (weird what bored guys get into) AND a 1929-1930 Grigsby phonograph motor, and they're super simple. Usually all you need to do is take that big black canister off (the motor itself) and there will be two parts inside.

That's it. Two parts, and one of them doesn't even move.

The spindle in the middle is called the Rotor, and the big coil around the outside, the Stator.

Clean them with denatured alcohol so you don't strip the lacquer insulation off the coils. It's nitrocellulose lacquer. Pretty tough stuff. Then clean the bearings. Polish 'em up good.

Clean the governor assembly like you would an old wind-up Victrola motor.

Put it back together, without breaking the red fiberboard washers and make sure all the parts are where you got them from.

Take out the oilers--they're just like the ones on your Model T Ford's joints, or on a commonly found steam traction engine. (Just picking here at us technophiles.) Clean them out, wash the wicks in kerosene/some good solvent, put it back together, fill them up with oil. Let it soak, fill them again.

Put it back together and then tune the reproducer to its best & seal the horn, because with no troubles of cranking the thing, you can listen to records almost non-stop.

It's super-neat to find, and I hope someone gets it soon!

Charles F.

[emerson]

I was just got off ebay and signed on to The Forum--- believe I might of seen a motor like that on ebay, have to go back and do a double check. Just went back to Ebay and it looks like it is the motor mounted on a Victor Victrola motorboard ? item # 264289681005

[Cody K]

Charles, thank you for that information. I hadn't realized that the motor was that simple. Still, my interest is pretty much restricted to non-electric stuff. That, and the fact that I'm restoring a long-neglected 1840 house that takes up most of my time and energy, made me decide against it. What you've shared does seem to make it even more likely that someone will be able to bring this machine back to life.

Emerson, yes, that's the motor that I used a picture of above, as I mentioned. I probably should have included a link in the first place, to avoid confusion: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Phonomotor-Pho ... Swf4BcuVAG