Columbia Grafonola restoration

[ciro7]

Your tone arm is made from pot metal that tends to swell with age.

I read that one of the changes they made to the 1915 model was switching from pot metal to chrome. Hopefully this is the case with mine, since it sounds like a major bullet to have dodged!

I have several Columbia Grafonolas and I can tell you for sure that this is incorrect. First of all, chrome plate would only be the finish, but it was not used until the 1930s on portable machines. Until then metal parts were usually nickel plated. Early Columbia tonearms were made from brass and then nickel plated, then at some point between 1910 and 1915 they started making the toneams and elbows from pot metal, also nickel plated. All my Grafonolas from the late teens to the mid 1920s have pot metal tonearms, tonearm bases and elbows. Depending on how they were stored they swell more or less. If it moves freely you are lucky. If not it should be repared.

Thanks for the correction! I guess I'll have to deal with the tonearm after all...

[Jerry B.]

If your tone arm moves side to side and up and down easily, you have no problems.

[ciro7]

Hello again, everyone! Thank you so much for all of your advice so far. Some updates on my project:

* I've decided not to strip the finish if I can possibly help it. After a good cleaning, it's revealed how gorgeous it is, and I think it just needs some good TLC. I've ordered some GoJo cleaner and am picking up some denatured alcohol at the hardware store tonight, and once the Howard Restor-a-Finish comes in (Mahogany was the only flavor they didn't have at the hardware store, can you believe it?), I can get to the tricky business of making the finish beautiful again.

* I ordered a copy of The Compleat Talking Machine and have been studiously geeking out over it since it delivered yesterday. It's definitely going to help when it comes to the motor, which is the part I'm most worried about.

* I found pre-cut turntable felt online, which saves me the epic hassle of trying to negotiate the rounded turntable edge. Thanks, internet!

On a lighter note - my cat spent Saturday perched on the Grafonola, and has been very displeased with me since I moved it to my project table. I'm definitely keeping an eye on my feline friend - no way is she jumping onto the final product!

More to come!

[De Soto Frank]

Looks like it already has the "Kitty seal of Approval"...

[alang]

Be careful, several of my mahogany machines have scratch marks from when the cats try to jump on them and slip off. Doesn't seem the be an issue with oak...
Andreas

[ciro7]

While waiting for supplies to trickle in on the wood front, I decided to start working on the metal surfaces. I've discovered, after cleaning, that some of the metal has this odd scratching to it - how would I go about fixing this?

I also discovered that while my tone arm seems to be fine so far, the elbow is another story. Photos below.

[De Soto Frank]

Be careful, several of my mahogany machines have scratch marks from when the cats try to jump on them and slip off. Doesn't seem the be an issue with oak...
Andreas

Yes... my mahogany VV-XVI from 1909 has suffered some scratches from kitty gymnastics ...

Shows-up a lot more on that "piano finish" on the mahogany than the oak...

[De Soto Frank]

While waiting for supplies to trickle in on the wood front, I decided to start working on the metal surfaces. I've discovered, after cleaning, that some of the metal has this odd scratching to it - how would I go about fixing this?

I also discovered that while my tone arm seems to be fine so far, the elbow is another story. Photos below.

Wow... that is an inventive, and probably old-school fix to the broken elbow.

I believe Ron Sitko has elbows.


I'd de-grease the broken job, and put it in the curio cabinet...


As for the "scratches" in the plated parts, like the speed dial, I'll leave it to others to suggest a method to clean these up... you won't be able to do much to fix the pitting / rusting, aside from a complete strip and re-plate, but you might be able to minimize the ugliness...

All-in-all, it looks like you have a nice machine !

[Curt A]

It's always good to have a cat scan before starting on a restoration project...

[Curt A]

The elbow may be able to be salvaged, if you can't find a replacement. You could use brass tubing of the same diameter as the original pot metal part that is broken. Just grind off the broken portion down to the solid part of the elbow. Then carefully ream out the center of the elbow to insert the brass tube section and cement it in with JB Weld. I know this works, since I made a replacement elbow for my Fairy Phonograph Lamp from a broken Columbia elbow using this technique and it held up fine.