Just When You Think You've Seen It All...

[Phono48]

I've found that attempts to "educate" sellers of things that are clearly wrong tends to wind up with nasty responses from them, sadly.

Indeed! I recently informed the seller of a portable HMV 101 machine that it did not, as stated, play LPs and 45s. I carefully worded it as gently and politely as possible, and got back a very nasty reply, basically telling me to mind my own business. Never again!

[victorIIvictor]

The mandrel, at least, looks to have come from a Busy **carpenter** Bee machine.

[phonogfp]

Judging by the end plate which looks heavily pitted before plating perhaps someone was only trying to restore something totally derelect rather than bin it and perhaps the current owner is unaware of its history , you could enlighten them instead of just criticise ! Maybe the restorer just wanted to play some cylinders on an attractive machine !

If the "restorer" just wanted to play some cylinders on an attractive machine, he didn't really need to drill those holes in the mandrel, did he? My policy is usually to live and let live, but destroying all or part of a talking machine crosses the line in my world.

George P.

[howardpgh]

Isn't a Busy Bee mandrel a different size than a Columbia or Edison mandrel?
Perhaps this mandrel was made up so the machine could fit "normal" cylinders.

[phonogfp]

Isn't a Busy Bee mandrel a different size than a Columbia or Edison mandrel?
Perhaps this mandrel was made up so the machine could fit "normal" cylinders.

I hope it's a made-up mandrel. Everything else could be overlooked in that case.

George P.