XVIII Questions-Can it be saved?

[mattrx]

Today the front doors got lightly sanded with 300 & 600 grit sand paper, then polished off with 0000 steel wool, and then waxed and reinstalled. I cannot think of anything else I can do to the finish. The parts from George V came in this week, and the speed control bezel/glass, the bolts, and the needle cup block were installed (and are correct for the machine). For now, I am finished with the machine and wanted to post the last of the pictures. I still need to fabricate the rear panel and get a gold needle cup, but neither of those require any further requests or advice, so this should be the last post.

Thank you to everyone who offered advice and provided parts. This experience taught me a lot and would not have been possible without the help of forum members.

[FloridaClay]

Again just amazing. You are a miracle worker! And you now have a wonderful machine for your collection.

Hearty congratulations!

Clay

[alang]

That is a real beauty. Congratulations. You can really be proud of it. Now that's a phonograph to display and tell an amazing story. Thanks for taking us on the ride.
Andreas

[Player-Tone]

Beautiful!!

You did a great job with it. The VV-XVIII is my favorite cabinet style phonograph, I am happy to see one saved from the dumps.

[Jerry B.]

Mattrx, When you move your XVIII, does it have the same feel as an undamaged cabinet? Is it fairly rigid? Jerry

[mattrx]

Jerry,

It feels very solid. The casters are no longer completely round, so it wobbles because of those. There is no creaking at all, and if you rotate the casters so that a round portion is down, then it sits level, and cranks nicely with no creaking or wobbling. All major structural areas were glued with gorilla glue, and all horizontal pieces were glued with wood glue, or gorilla glue, depending on the joint. I also removed all the "L" braces, filled the holes, and replaced the screws tightly. I may get a new set of casters for it eventually, to solve the wobble as it is moved.

The breaks were almost completely along the joint lines, and therefore linear and easy to glue. I did drill small holes in legs and sides and placed pegs before gluing. I think this strengthened the joints. The sides are joined to the legs via a tongue and groove joint, and the breaks happened where the tongue was sheared off. The pegs replaced some of the structural integrity.

Thanks,

Matt

[Brad]

Matt,

Great job. You saved a rare machine and one that will live for generations to come. Thanks for sharing. Now enjoy showing off your machine.

[Jerry B.]

It's nothing less than a wonderful job. Jerry Blais

[phonogfp]

That XVIII came a long, long way! Congratulations - very well done!

George P.

[mattrx]

Thanks a lot, Jerry and George P. That means a lot. I was hoping to make it at least acceptable, but I think it is a little past that. It will never be perfect, but it is better than I thought I could do. Again, without the advice and help of forum members, this machine would be in the dump (at least the parts that wouldn't sell). I am happy with it, and feel a little more confident now.