My Royal Talking Machine - before and after

[alang]

Just finished my Royal Talking Machine. I think it turned out quite nicely, even though the motor is quite noisy and the turntable has a bit of a wobble. One of the brass gears lost a few teeths, probably when the governor exploded at some point in the past (I think). That may also be the reason for the wobble.
One problem I had was with the gaskets for the Concert Grand reproducer, since they are not being made anymore. Fortunately I found that regular Columbia gaskets worked as well, you only had to double them up to make them thicker.
Lucky that I found the correct black and gold peacock horn on eBay.
I decided to use red turntable felt, I think it fits better to the black and gold horn than the usual green. I don't know what the original color would have been, just thought red looks quite Royal.

Before:

After:

[Phonofreak]

Nice machine. You did a great job restoring it. It's hard to believe that is the same machine. I have the same machines as yours, but the speed controller is on the top of the cabinet instead of the side. I used standard white rubber tubing for the reproducer. Mine also has a Columbia decal on it. Columbia made different versions of this machine. The Royal had a plate in the front that said Royal. The one with a plain case like yours is an Oxford, sold by Sears. The one I have is a late BWT model. I love and collect these oddball Columbia machines. They are way too cool.
Harvey Kravitz

[schweg]

Nice job on the restoration. The horn looks great with that machine. I agree that the red felt also looks good.

Steve S

[alang]

Thanks for the nice comments.
Phonofreak: Ok, so this is an Oxford Talking Machine sold by Sears? Do you know more about when it was made etc? Do you have any more information or ephemera like manuals, catalogs etc?
Thanks
Andreas

[Jerry B.]

Thanks for sharing with us. Your restoration looks very nice and I have always liked that style of horn. I bought one many years ago at Union and have enjoyed it ever since. Thanks, Jerry Blais

[Sidewinder]

Congratulations, wonderful transformation job! Wish I had that type of skill! 2 left hands.

Wobble and motor noise are all part of the fun!

[Phonofreak]

Hi Andreas,
I remember seeing this machine in a 1915 Sears catalog some years back. Unfortunately, I can't remember who it belonged to. Some of these machines have a paper label on the bottom, like a Victor. It could have been made from 1912 - 1915. My machine has a label on the bottom from 1914. Also, it had a part of a Columbia profile decal in front of the cabinet. I saw my machine in the Phonophan website some years back. There isn't to much information on these odd ball machines, I'm sorry to say.
Harvey Kravitz

[alang]

Harvey,
I guess I'll have to look for a 1915 Sears catalog. My machine did not have a bottom at all, so no label. It has the Columbia oiling instructions on the inside, that's all. Also no sign of a decal. The only picture of exactly my machine that I've seen so far is in the Talking Machine Compendium, but it has the Royal Talking Machine plate on the front.
I searched in Robert Baumbach's book and several Columbia catalogs but could not find anything close. Especially the tiny one spring motor seems to be very different from the usually well built Columbia motors. It looks more like from a Standard or Symphony with the triangular shape and the three posts. Only difference is my motor has the governor vertical while those have it horizontal.
If anyone has any information, catalog, manual, or anything else I would really appreciate it.
Thanks
Andreas

[antique1973]

Great job on the restoration Andreas! It kind of reminds me of my Vic III when I first
rescued it. Great horn too, love the style. Thank for sharing.

[Norfolkguy]

Your restored Columbia is awesome! I've always had Victors and an Edison till' I bought the Columbia c-2 from Matt. Now I'm hooked on Columbia machines! This forum is simply the best!