The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Mine are all set up ready to play, even those up on a high shelf which never get played. That way, if I do want to hear a cylinder or two, I can simply play them rather than having to set the machines up first.

Jim

My external horn machines are never covered with the exception of the machines for which I have not yet found appropriate room to display and play. So they remain carefully stored and covered until I free up some space. One of which is a class M that's been covered for 15 years mostly because I'm decidedly apprehensive about applying a power source to it to see if she'll run. Sounds crazy I know - but I'm concerned with the risk of damage to that lovely early motor. In any case, I agree with most everyone else here that the external horn machines should be uncovered and dusted once in a while. It's funny to say this but I recently decided to record a video to post on my YouTube channel of a machine I hadn't played (or dusted!) in probably 6 months. It had a lot of dust on it - more than I would have expected. After about 3 or 4 minutes with a dust cloth having a drop or two of Old English she was ready to go.

I do not have an external horn machine yet but when I do acquire one I would prefer to leave it set up and ready to play. That said, I live in a very old, very dusty house. I put a cover on anything that I have out that is valuable and has little crevices or holes that dust can work it's way into (including TV's, computers). I buy thin silk-like ladies scarves from discount clothing stores. They are cheap and available in many colors and patterns. Just pull it off and shake it out periodically or when visitors are coming.

Humm, well, opening and closing my Amberola 50 it is a very simple, straightforward matter, so closing it between use is no big deal. I keep an Edison Standard and a Columbia Q set up and ready to roll when I want to play them. And dusting them now and then is also no big deal and it is hard to imagine that leaving them open causes any real issue. I have a couple of seldom used Columbias, so they have their covers on with the horns beside them. One of them is a nonfunctioning AT, though, due to the dreaded pot metal disease.

Clay

Dust adds character... and a cob web really brings it home!

My only Edison outside horn machine is a Standard 2 min with a searchlight horn that's a head magnet..it's aways displayed fully asembled...no matter where it's placed I whack my head on it...my 2 min cyl collection is pretty sparce , so the Amberola 50 gets most of the playing time....a Victor-I , Victor-III and a Harvard make up the rest of the outside horn fleet,and all are played about equal

The horn of my Standard A hangs from a floor crane, so I only need to pull the rubber connector off the reproducer and close the lid. Keeps the dust off and making it ready to play only takes seconds. I don't play it as often as my disc machines, so that works for me.
Andreas

For me mostly covered with the horn attached on a crane ready for action. The only exceptions are where that's not possible, on a couple Firesides and a Columbia AO. On disc machines a record of little value to protect the felt or, in a few cases an extra pre cut new piece of felt placed over the original.

Of course my trusty Standard is set up all the time: mercy! How would I play cylinders while I make dinner most evenings? Now that I've upgraded to a Diamond B reproducer it's almost like having the artist in the dining room. Seriously, I play the silly thing (and the Diamond Disc) almost every day. The only time the lid goes on is before the cleaning lady arrives.
Jim

Lenoirstreetguy wrote:The only time the lid goes on is before the cleaning lady arrives.

Same here, I keep all of my cylinder machines set up most of the time. I throw the lids on every other Saturday to keep them from being lemon pledged

(Actually, I only keep Guardsman in the house...)