The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Good luck with this and keep us posted please.
It looks like something you should be able to do with a bit of time an a lot of patience!

The most difficult part to repair will be that top but you could easily do the repair work and then re-veneer
it (with quality veneer). The veneer on the top looks like it can be trimmed to avoid the rosettes in the
four corners.

CarlosV wrote: The tonearm adapter in particular cannot be fixed, it is broken pot metal.

Hate to prove you wrong but......... (sorry about sideways photo, I'm forced to use my phone!)

Go for it Kirtley,

The lessons you will learn, both the technical, and the time/economic side of the equation, will be worth far more than the machine and time/money you will invest. And in the end, you will have something that few ever will.

A little hint that has paid me big dividends over the years: I use every project I tackle to justify the purchase of a tool or two. Over time you will amass a good collection of tools that will last a lifetime.

Good luck and post pictures.

ive been having no luck finding a motor for this machine!, it has sat under my bed neglected and unused for months now!

out of interest, what do you think i will get for it by parting it out?, i want to save for one of my dream guitars, which is about $1000-$1500 so i need to sell what i can!

kirtley2012 wrote:ive been having no luck finding a motor for this machine!, it has sat under my bed neglected and unused for months now!

out of interest, what do you think i will get for it by parting it out?, i want to save for one of my dream guitars, which is about $1000-$1500 so i need to sell what i can!

Padawan, years it is you must wait.

Rather than chucking away your work at this point, if you have a horn & elbow why not reinstall the Garard motor. It is the one piece that is the least visible. You could make it playable and visually attractive, if not completely correct.

estott wrote:Rather than chucking away your work at this point, if you have a horn & elbow why not reinstall the Garard motor. It is the one piece that is the least visible. You could make it playable and visually attractive, if not completely correct.

thats the thing though, i dont have a horn, or elbow and i cant even afford one for this machine, thats why i was going to cut my losses and part it out, i havent done much work to it anyways.....

Kirtley do you know Marie Claude Steger in Paris? She has everything, and knows even more. She is very kind and informative. She doesn't speak English but I have met with her and a translator before. She takes kindly to enthusiasts as well. Its well worth a trip to visit her. You also end up in the antique district of Paris, which is generally exciting.

Well I have been resisting the urge to part it out, still no luck finding a motor, but Im getting somewhere, very slowly!.

I have found a photo of the motor that would have originally been in this machine although I have still not found a spare I do now know what motor I do need. this is the repair I did on the broken pot metal, made of two 1p coins superglued to the pot metal and then filed to shape It is not pretty but it does work!

Hey, the repair doesn't look bad Kirtley. And if it will hold, more power to you.

Wonder if there might be some stashes of parts for these in France somewhere.

Clay