Phonograph Items We Have Broken

[paradroid1793]

Not me, but my father once broke a blank by holding it with a metal rod to try and heat it.

When I came home, he offered to buy me 3 blanks as reimbursement.

Not all bad things are what they seem. , plus I still have the box, which is pristine.

[Jerry B.]

OK, this thread brings back some guilt and a moment of sheer terror...

A few years ago I bought a really really nice original Victor V with a spearpoint horn. I try not to keep duplicates and I also had a Victor V with a spearpoint horn. I agonized over which one to keep. My first Victor V was purchased over fifty years ago. It had a very amateurish gold paint job and was missing the horn. I gave it nothing but love and my very first major refinishing effort. Over the years I've displayed it with several horns. After agonizing for some time I decided to sell the better of the two machines.

I advertised it here in the Trader section of the TMF and sold the machine. I agreed to deliver it to the old Union show, several months away, and received a small deposit. I carefully packed the machine to be placed in my cargo trailer and not touched until it was unloaded in the Union parking lot. I am careful and consistent with my packing but there is a difference between packing an item to be commercially shipped and another for personal delivery.

A short time passed and I had the opportunity to buy a second style VTLA. Who can turn down a VTLA, even one that needed a bit of gluing? The gluing could be accomplished by removing the lid, applying some glue, placing a piece of plywood on the Victrola, and adding weight on top. For weight I sat two tubs containing phono items for Union, and placing the Victor V which was in a carton surrounded by a blanket.

DeeDee and I had some errands, got in her car, and I pressed the button to bring the garage door down. I watched in horror as the bar attached to the inside of the garage door swept the Victor V onto the cement floor. I raced to the carton and opened it. To my horror one corner absorbed to impact and was and was shattered.

I really try to take care of our phono treasures. I immediately returned the buyers deposit saying the machine was damaged. My next step was to take the machine to a local repairman that is amazing. While it was in his possession I received a call from another collector looking for a Victor V with a wood horn. I replied that I had one and confessed to being the person that did the damage. He next asked if I had taken a photo of the damage. My immediate thought was why would I want a photo to commemorate my stupidity? I agreed to send photos when I retrieved the machine. The repairman did a flawless repair. I took photos of all four corners and sent them to potential buyer. He replied that he would buy the machine. I replied that I was driving to California and I insisted that he inspect the machine before buying. He personally inspected the corners and could not tell which one was repaired and he bought the machine. It was a major repair that will be lost to history.

True confession of a phono nerd, Jerry B.

[JerryVan]

Many years ago, I attempted to sell an off brand, (Strand), floor model phonograph at a family garage sale. The sale was at my Aunt's home, so I needed to use my trailer to get it there and back again, since it didn't sell. For trip home, which was only 1 mile, I didn't think I needed to tie the phonograph down. After all, it was a "lowboy" style cabinet, so a lower center of gravity. WRONG. The very first turn I made, the machine flipped over the edge of the trailer and slid down the street on its lid. Yes, it was off-brand, in a less than desirable cabinet style, but its condition was absolutely flawless... until. I repaired and refinished the lid and eventually it did get sold, so at least my stupidity didn't completely finish it off.

[phonograph guy3435]

I mean ive probably done some damage to my Columbia floating reproducer by dropping it onto the mandrel ( very early ownership ) but lucky me it hadn't sustained any damage. i also bought a entirely mold covered cylinder ( before i knew what it looked like and when i had only owned blue amberols and indestructibles). it was a very common gold molded cylinder and i sort of wanted to see what would happen if i dropped it from about a foot. long story short its in two pieces.

[wrichard]

Not me but I found these outside a shop near me. No tone arm or soundbox sadly

[paradroid1793]

One time I also slightly tossed a 7" pre-1905 Columbia on the table and it cracked into 2. The label kept it together and I glued it. Still very audible.

[Homestead]

Recently while restoring my triple cracked Mahogany Opera horn after having reglued all the pieces back together I laid it over on the work table.....I watched in horror as it rolled in an arc off the table and broke again on the floor. Ultimately it was successfully restored.

[AmberolaAndy]

Last year I broke the leg to my VV-111 while I was moving it to my current location, I was pushing it on it's casters (bad idea) and I hit a bump in the carpet and SNAP! The kicker is, I removed all the hardware in that machine to make sure that DIDN'T happen! Well the Gorilla Glue is still holding thankfully!