What is wrong about this machine

[Steve]

No, I don't think it's simply the case that there are holes to fill in that aesthetically spoil a machine. Some years ago I bought a very smart red leather HMV 101 portable and discovered it had a single worm hole in it after I'd got it home. I treated the hole as a precaution and went ahead cleaning and waxing the case until the machine looked fabulous. One day I came home to find TWO new worm holes in the case which had holed through the freshly cleaned leather covering. In order to re-treat the new holes and the first one I had to apply a solution that stained the leather. I was not pleased I can tell you. Anyway I repeated the process and filled the holes and recleaned the case.

One year later another hole appeared! This time the worm was found literally hanging outside the hole. I burnt the dead insect in a fire! Having now stained the leather AGAIN with the woodworm treatment I elected to paint the whole of the case with the solution, at the suggestion of this boards's RichardH. Now the leather was uniformly stained and simply a slightly darker colour all over. Four years passed by without any more problems until one day I was shocked to see yet another hole appear.

The moral of the story is that some species can live up to FIVE years after they are discovered. Until that time has expired worm holes may appear in anything previously invaded and treated. My advice would be to leave anything with worm holes well alone, unless it is very very very rare and you can't live without it. The problem is some little parasite might also not be able to live without it!

[Steve]

On a different note I have discovered that both of the machines mentioned in this thread were from the collection of one M. Lacrouts in France. The collection of over 200 machines was sold on Sunday 20th May 2012 by Chartres Auctioneers. The original listing and results can be found at:

Original catalogue of items - http://www.interencheres.com/medi...e/c ... 200001.pdf

The full sale results in pdf are here:

http://www.ivoire-france.com/fichiersIm ... E_1088.pdf

[TinfoilPhono]

Rene, if you have it back, can you please make some detailed images of the case, including the unpolished underside. I would like to know which type of mahagony was used.

Here you go. The finish looks lighter in the pictures than real life; I took them in a very bright room.

[Steve]

That 'Trademark' machine of Rene's (well, a Style No. 5 to be more precise) is absolutely stunning down to the unmolested screw heads on the underside of the base! The colour is gorgeous, the plating amazing and original, the felt intact and not a sniff of a repro part anywhere. Note how even the spring casing has all its nickel plating intact.

I have never before encountered such a great original machine. No one who calls themselves a dealer in the UK has ever sold such a rare honest and spectacularly untouched machine as this. Congratulations on a fine piece.

[gramophone78]

I don't know Rene.....to me it looks like it could be a nicely aged Chinese copy...... . No, in truth it has to be one of the best preserved specimens around in mahogany. You can always display it for awhile at my museum .

[TinfoilPhono]

It may be immodest of me to agree so eagerly but yes, this one really is exceptional. I already had a mahogany Trademark when I ran into this one in Paris in 2010, but I couldn't pass this one up as an upgrade. It's just such an eye-popping original.

As I mentioned earlier, I only got this back this morning after about 9 months in a museum exhibit. I have often seen various added supports on exhibits, especially here in San Francisco for seismic protection. Sometimes such supports are pretty rudimentary, others more elaborate. When I unpacked the machines this morning (what an unbelievable packing job they did!) I found they inadvertently left one protective support attached to the tonearm of this Trademark. This is the first time I've seen a custom support up close. Wow.... I am impressed.

It's very strong metal, with brackets neatly soldered in place. The inner surfaces are lined with cork and leather to prevent scuffing the wood. The outside is meticulous painted with wood grain finish (the picture below doesn't do this justice -- it's very intricate)to match the tonearm and the end is painted silver to blend with the nickel of the tonearm support. Very, very discreet. This one piece clearly took a long time and a lot of effort, and it's only one of many special pieces used for the displays. It certainly is a reassuring example of the lengths they went to in order to protect the artifacts they were entrusted with.

This is the second time I have loaned items to them. I will not hesitate to let them borrow my rarest and most fragile pieces in the future. It's a treat dealing with professionals of this level.

[kirtley2012]

You can always display it for awhile at my museum .

yes display it.........permanently

anyways rene, beautiful machine, the cleanest one i have ever seen!
Alex

[Steve]

Rene, those last pictures you added, were so good I was wondering if it was possible to see the machine in all its glory with the horn on top? The lighting in the original posted picture was not as good to view the machine in as the last 2 or 3 you posted. Many thanks

Steve

[Starkton]

Rene, if you have it back, can you please make some detailed images of the case, including the unpolished underside. I would like to know which type of mahagony was used.

Here you go. The finish looks lighter in the pictures than real life; I took them in a very bright room.

Congratulations, a fabulous machine and worth every penny. The case is tropical American mahagony. Keep it from sunlight and too dry conditions.

[Brad]

A bit curious about the wood worm issue. We don't see that often in the States, at least I haven't. Do run into the occasional termite damage, as I did recently with a Credenza.

Be that as it may, is this just an aesthetic issue for some? The small holes don’t appear, at least on the surface, to have affected structural integrity. Or for those of you who are familiar with such an issue, are the suface holes often a sign of far worse underneath?

I would think that the infestation, if still active, could be safely addressed with a bit of fumigation. The small holes to me are just part of its history and give it a bit of character (assuming there is not major hidden damage).

Clay

Worms in furniture grade wood are common with timber that has laid on the ground before being harvested. Fortunately, the resolution is part of the process of readying the wood for consumption: Drying in a kiln. The prolonged heat is very effective in killing any insects.

I would believe that a few days in an oven at around 150 degrees would be effective.

Having said that, I don't know if such an exposure would have a negative effect on the finish. I wouldn't believe it would, but I don't know for sure. Perhaps others can weigh in.