The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Clean the gold finished parts with Ammonia. It can strip off the old clear coat and freshen up the plate.

Sounds like a wonderful project that will keep you out of trouble (except with the Mrs.) for some time.

As Estott has suggested, the gold trim might be better than you think. When I bought my A250 (from where it had sat in a storage unit for decades), the gold looked almost as bad. When I cleaned it with ammonia I found that it had apparently been coated at the factory with a clear shellac or some such. The ammonia took that off in a flash without harming the gold and it was beautiful underneath.

Clay

Great find, and good job rescuing it.

Might I add, I absolutely love the station wagon!

Well I'll be honest with you all, I'm not a wood worker. Cleaning, greasing, adjusting, minor repairs, reproducer rebuilding, turntable felt, gov tweaking, stuff like that is within my reach. BUT this cabinet is really really in bad shape. I just read in my Edison Diamond Disc history book last night that this cabinet was offered from the factory painted in white. I have never ever seen an Edison DD painted in white from the factory. It makes me think. Has anyone every seen a factory painted white Edison DD? This one is a plain-jane Hepplewhite cabinet, model H-19.

I've seen an example at the Edison site in a fancy finish with a canework grille, but I think few of them made it to the sales rooms.

This is a good machine to tinker with, but I agree - the money you'd pay to thoroughly restore that case would buy you a better machine. I don't think it would be a historical loss to modify this one, or paint it, so long as you don't damage the mechanical bits.

And if you look in the book written by George L. Frow, this model, the H-19 Hepplewhite, was available from the West Orange factory painted white. I personally have never seen a white cabinet Diamond Disc machine, unless someone did a slosh job back in the 1970's. I was tinkering with this idea but would prefer to see a photograph of an original H-19 factory painted in white. And even though Frow's books states this option, were any actually produced in a white finish? Were there any added decorations? Was the inside also done in white or left unfinished? Many questions before proceding with this "painting" idea.

But, I've seen them in dark brown mahoganny, and, I have one in oak.
I'm missing wood pieces, and, it's a bit of a mess. Someone "borrowed" the reproducer from it. I found a ratty looking one on ebay last year.
I got it, and, it's perffect! I polished it with silver polish, and, the gold is like new.
These machines play great. Especially for what they are.
They weren't the most expensive of the line, but, play amazingly well.

You can't keep a good Edison down.
I have a model B Stnadard cyl. player that I found in Orlando four years back.
It was a barn find. It was originally two min.
I've since restored it.
The dealer I bought it from had it fully wound, couldn't get it to run.
It was highly rusted.
I played with it at the dealer's table a bit, and, slowly, the thing squeked to life. Mortor started running, and, it still has original drive belt.
By Cracky!
I got it home, oiled it, and, put a reproduer, and, a record on.
It actually played a record!
Well, it's fully restored now, and, I love the machine.
You'll love yours, I guarantee it.
Someone had painted yours brown.
Who knows what's underneath?
Great find, says I.
Bill Cahill

This is a testament to how you can build things to last.
So unlike the junk they turn out today.

I just bought a complete Edison DD shipping crate, complete. It is stamped H-19 Fumed Oak. So now I am looking for an oak Hepplewhite in good condition to go with the crate.