New amberola 30 project

[dzavracky]

Veneer question:

I need to replace the vendor on the lid top and the crank side. But I find the veneer to be really ugly lol on both side panels, so would it be acceptable to replace both sides? Plus it doesn’t even really look like oak

I also made a paper amberola 30 horn cause I have nothing better to do It’s not done but here’s a pic



Also the machine is spinning WAY too slow. Are the governor springs too weak? If I speed it up the weights hit the casting

[NEFaurora]

No way dude. I've easily repaired Veneer way worse than that.

Don't remove your current veneer, You'll actually de-value your machine. Just repair it. It's easy on yours from what I see, It's a lot less work too. Basically, You get some old Amberola 30 Veneer and a sharp as heck X-acto knife and go to town. You'll literally be shocked at your own results. Just cut and add the old veneer...and when you are done, either stain, or re-shellac...

You can get old Amberola 30 Veneer from George Vollema....or others on this board.. It looks like you don't need much either... Just repair it... Trust me on this one. The one side looks like it does not even need veneer repair, just a mild shellacking! You're going way overboard here.

Show a pic of the Amberola 30 Top lid Veneer damage... It may not be bad...and if it is...You could just easily get another better lid off of ebay or from someone here on the board, or that would be the only veneer panel that I would replace if its bad.

)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

[JerryVan]

Slow running issue. Your governor springs are bent out of shape. The way they're looking at rest would be how they should look when running at max speed. Maybe they can be coaxed back into shape without breakage, but new ones may be in order.

[dzavracky]

okay.... I will just repair the veneer I have. How do I get in touch with George?

I don't have a picture of the lid right now, I will put one later.

I have gone over the finish twice with 0000 steel wool and GOJO. Should I leave this as is, or strip and refinish? I am not sure that putting a coat of shellac on the existing finish would look very good?


Jerry, how do I bend the govenor weights back? And if they break where do I get new ones? Also the screws are really stuck and I don't want to mess them up.... How do I get those out without ruining the heads?

[VanEpsFan1914]

Tricks for that finish--and it did clean up way better than I thought it would.

Clean with GoJo non-pumice and then use denatured alcohol to remove the old finish. The stain will remain but you'll get it cleared up from the old. Smooth everything with a bit of fine (400 or finer) sandpaper just to get the nicks & dings out. I have used Citri-Strip but don't take my word for gospel on this; I only mess with finishes on machines long gone beyond a simple cleaning.

Honestly, a product you might like is Howard's Restor-A-Finish. Some people hate it, other people love it--I personally think it works better on nitro lacquer pieces such as post-1925 phonos and tube radios. But it may be nice.

You put your new amber shellac on (thinned with some alcohol because just brushing it on right out of the can is not going to look nice) and then you have a finish. You could also get spray shellac (amber) and try that out.

Definitely new springs on the governor--Ron Sitko has them I am sure. He has everything else. You can take out the old ones with a fine screwdriver that actually fits the whole slot in the head, penetrating oil, and a steady hand. The old oil turns into glue, and if that's mixed with rust it is like Loc-Tite adhesive.

[JerryVan]

okay.... I will just repair the veneer I have. How do I get in touch with George?

I don't have a picture of the lid right now, I will put one later.

I have gone over the finish twice with 0000 steel wool and GOJO. Should I leave this as is, or strip and refinish? I am not sure that putting a coat of shellac on the existing finish would look very good?


Jerry, how do I bend the govenor weights back? And if they break where do I get new ones? Also the screws are really stuck and I don't want to mess them up.... How do I get those out without ruining the heads?

A set of GOOD jeweler's screw drivers is a wise investment for any governor or reproducer work. You're wise in seeing the danger of messing up the screw heads!

Ron Sitko should have springs. With your fingers, you could try gently pushing down on the springs at their ends, near where the screws are. Try a little, see if there's improvement, try a little more, etc. Yes, the springs may just break, but they're no good the way there are anyway.

BUT, before you do that, does the governor function at all? Meaning, does the friction plate slide freely on the shaft? Try grabbing the worm part of the shaft on one end, while pulling on the friction plate at the other end. Does the friction plate slide on the shaft and pull the weights down? If the plate is stuck on the shaft, (not uncommon), then you have a different issue. In that case, you need to remove the springs and gently heat the shaft up to soften and free up any dried lube "gluing" the friction plate to the shaft. Once apart, clean and oil the shaft/friction plate so it slides freely & reassemble. Once done, your governor may yet work as it should.

[dzavracky]

okay.... I will just repair the veneer I have. How do I get in touch with George?

I don't have a picture of the lid right now, I will put one later.

I have gone over the finish twice with 0000 steel wool and GOJO. Should I leave this as is, or strip and refinish? I am not sure that putting a coat of shellac on the existing finish would look very good?


Jerry, how do I bend the govenor weights back? And if they break where do I get new ones? Also the screws are really stuck and I don't want to mess them up.... How do I get those out without ruining the heads?

A set of GOOD jeweler's screw drivers is a wise investment for any governor or reproducer work. You're wise in seeing the danger of messing up the screw heads!

Ron Sitko should have springs. With your fingers, you could try gently pushing down on the springs at their ends, near where the screws are. Try a little, see if there's improvement, try a little more, etc. Yes, the springs may just break, but they're no good the way there are anyway.

BUT, before you do that, does the governor function at all? Meaning, does the friction plate slide freely on the shaft? Try grabbing the worm part of the shaft on one end, while pulling on the friction plate at the other end. Does the friction plate slide on the shaft and pull the weights down? If the plate is stuck on the shaft, (not uncommon), then you have a different issue. In that case, you need to remove the springs and gently heat the shaft up to soften and free up any dried lube "gluing" the friction plate to the shaft. Once apart, clean and oil the shaft/friction plate so it slides freely & reassemble. Once done, your governor may yet work as it should.

I have a set of jewelers screw drives. And yes I cleaned and oiled the governor as best as I could and it works. It slides freely on the shaft. The only issue is how far the weights spread out. As of tomorrow around 4 I’ll be done with finals , so I’ll spend the evening with the governor!

[dzavracky]

Tricks for that finish--and it did clean up way better than I thought it would.

Clean with GoJo non-pumice and then use denatured alcohol to remove the old finish. The stain will remain but you'll get it cleared up from the old. Smooth everything with a bit of fine (400 or finer) sandpaper just to get the nicks & dings out. I have used Citri-Strip but don't take my word for gospel on this; I only mess with finishes on machines long gone beyond a simple cleaning.

Honestly, a product you might like is Howard's Restor-A-Finish. Some people hate it, other people love it--I personally think it works better on nitro lacquer pieces such as post-1925 phonos and tube radios. But it may be nice.

You put your new amber shellac on (thinned with some alcohol because just brushing it on right out of the can is not going to look nice) and then you have a finish. You could also get spray shellac (amber) and try that out.

Definitely new springs on the governor--Ron Sitko has them I am sure. He has everything else. You can take out the old ones with a fine screwdriver that actually fits the whole slot in the head, penetrating oil, and a steady hand. The old oil turns into glue, and if that's mixed with rust it is like Loc-Tite adhesive.

I’ll do the Gojo and denatured alcohol. I have also used citristrip with good results but you have do it at least twice

[cheryla]

Great work

[EdiBrunsVic]

It is great being able to follow your progress! PM sent too....