While I'm at it...

[winsleydale]

I don't think I'm going that far, lol... But it would be cool.

[tinovanderzwan]

i've been tinkering with a trashed up hmv 102 it was just a stack of planks with a horn arm and reproducer
maybe a idea to cover/glue cloth onto a internal horn it did wonders for the hmv i also replaced the gaskets with silicone ones it now can play those rare european hi fi 78s of the very late 50s like archiv, deutsche grammophon, telefunken and siemens with no damage to the record and without distortions
i put a vid up on my facebook page (tino van der zwan facebook) if you want to check it out

i also re-covered the case with real calfs leather


tino

[Curt A]

How about developing a relatively cheap electronic cylinder player. I am aware of the ones that are out there, but the prices are insane... Something you could use to play wax, indestructible and amberol cylinders with no damage. The key to this would be low price. Maybe recycling motors from copy machines, printers, etc. and putting them to another better use and using either available needle cartridges or cheaply available laser readers, like those found in cd and dvd players. I know that there are people capable of making these, but very few are doing it.

[winsleydale]

I've gotten several pointers about doing cylinder machines. The gramophone speaks to me in that it's easy to really make it artful, but if I was going to do something purely for money, it would be a cylinder player.

Of course, the future holds the answer; I am doing nothing at the moment.

[De Soto Frank]

If building your own case for a phonograph is more what you're up to, sure - why not ?

There's plenty of guts out there, salvaged from dead machines...


As for a machine with maple woodwork, that would be pretty.

It's not a common furniture wood during the Talking Machine era.


When my wife and I were house hunting, I remember looking at one house in Scranton's Hill Section, which was built around 1900, and more or less in the Queen Anne style, but was suffering from severe neglect, although it had been inhabited right-up until it was put on the market.

What floored me about the house was the trim-wood on the first floor: combination of curly and bird's-eye maple. Even the Pocket doors.

Sadly, the rest of the property was in such a state of neglect, that I do not think it was worth saving. Certainly not worth the asking price. My wife practically ran-out screaming.


Any way, do plenty of planning and sketching-out on paper before you start making sawdust.

[ambrola]

I made 50 Herzog cabinets some years back. I had the right people in the furniture business to help me. But it still was a daunting task. I had to make the cylinder tubes and caps myself, and it about drove me crazy. But I got them done and sold out in a week. Here is one that Raphael has on his site for sale. After I got the correct veneer, the cost of making them were no longer viable.

herzogme.jpg (122.98 KiB) Viewed 941 times

[winsleydale]

Wow, it looks like you did a fantastic job.

[Retrograde]

The last time I saw one of Amberola's cabinets was about 10 years ago when a friend of mine bought one of the last ones for sale at Union. Really a pretty nicely made cabinet.

[Victrolacollector]

There are some good valid points here.

Honestly I was thinking about marketing new oak table model machines, make my cabinets, design a motor and tone arm etc. However, the cost would outweigh the price one could get.

I even thought about designing a new motor that would universally work in most machines, it would be a powerful 2-4 spring motor. Again, very costly and how would I even get it to work with all motor boards.

I think concentrating on making a better reproducer or even a nice lateral or vertical adapter would be more probable. I think collectors would love a nice adapter on there machine that would not be hard on records. So many of these adapters are just floppy pipes.

[Victrolacollector]

How about developing a relatively cheap electronic cylinder player. I am aware of the ones that are out there, but the prices are insane... Something you could use to play wax, indestructible and amberol cylinders with no damage. The key to this would be low price. Maybe recycling motors from copy machines, printers, etc. and putting them to another better use and using either available needle cartridges or cheaply available laser readers, like those found in cd and dvd players. I know that there are people capable of making these, but very few are doing it.

Curt:

I think that would be a good seller if it were reasonably priced, maybe something on a Columbia Q prototype with a electric motor and arm.

Jerry