A blue HMV model 99

[nostalgia]

Since we have ( at least for now) lost many photos on the forum, I upload photos of this blue HMV 99, that I was more than lucky to get hold of two days ago. I drove out 300 kms to get it. Originally, it was sold to another man, but the man never turned up, and I left my phone number with the seller, and two days after initially getting in touch, an sms showed up on my phone saying: " It's yours if you still want it". I drove out immediately to get it. It is flimsy, it is small and a budget model with the 16 soundbox, but the heck..it is a blue 99 !

The fittings are rusty, and oh so cheaply made, but I will carefully restore it as good as I can.
I can upload more photos later, if you want to see the motor etc.
And yes, the record album is missing...

[epigramophone]

The weak point of the 99 is the thin pot metal casting on which the tonearm is mounted. It is easily damaged and impossible to repair. I speak from experience.
HMV always wanted a slice of the cheap portable market, but the 99 was poorly designed and poor value.
For the same money, better portables were available from Decca and several smaller makers.

[Phono48]

The arm socket has a small hole in it, through which access is gained to small screws when the arm is revolved. If one of those screws works loose and scrapes against the side of the groove in the base, it will eventually wear away the groove until it becomes so thin, the base shatters. Been there and done that! So while the socket is still in good order, it's a good idea to remove the arm by removing the two screws, cleaning and greasing the groove in the socket and also the ball-shaped end of the arm. Then replace the arm in the base, and insert the two screws, tightening them to the point where they just clear the sides of the groove, but in far enough to hold the arm with no appreciable "sloppiness".
As said above, once those bases shatter, they are impossible to repair, so as they say "Prevention is better than cure".

Barry

[Phono48]

The weak point of the 99 is the thin pot metal casting on which the tonearm is mounted. It is easily damaged and impossible to repair. I speak from experience.

Feel free to laugh at this suggestion, but would it be possible (if you have the broken pieces) to superglue them back together, (just to make it whole), and then have a copy made by laser printing?

Barry

[nostalgia]

I know the tone arm socket is the very weak point of the 99. I already have a black 99 with that problem, and I showed it here in a thread a year ago or so. At that time I had some ideas on how to possiblly fix it, by using the kind of "UV glue" that we see on Youtube etc, but I was not able to do it, mainly because I could not make a mold to hold the glue in place.

I would not have bought this blue 99 if the same socket was broken ( well, maybe not,,).

Barry, I was having the same idea this morning, since I have the part unbroken on this machine, if it could be possibly to 3d print it?
One month ago a man showed me a switch made for some Tandberg stereo equipment, and the switch that always broke on the reel player, was printed on a 3d printer.

And thank you for explaining in detail how to disassemble the tone arm, I did it a year ago on this black 99, but repetition in word is a glory !

[Oedipus]

The first 99 I owned had a broken socket. I glued it together with Araldite, and it was fine. (I don't think Superglue existed then, but in any case I think Araldite is stronger.) Similar treatment often also works on the backs of 5A and late No 4 soundboxes.