The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Stephen_Madara wrote:Does the horn fit securely into the elbow looks like the horn is drooping a bit. it is common with mahogany horns.

I will have to have a new metal end put on the horn. It has one on it but it's loose and there is no pin that fits in the elbow.

I was about to say that I, also, just got my first wooden-horned machine (Edison Triumph with Music Master oak cygnet), after about 40 years of collecting. But - I just realized that ALL of my early machines had wood horns. My Brunswick, Victrola, Pathé, Sonora, etc etc - most of the internal-horned models had wooden horns. One of my most pleasant-to-hear machines is a dopey little Sonora console, so tiny that I carried it upstairs myself. There's no scientific reason for it so sound so well, but it BLASTS good acoustic band records without distortion, and so loudly that I can hardly stay in the same room.

phonogal wrote:

Stephen_Madara wrote:Does the horn fit securely into the elbow looks like the horn is drooping a bit. it is common with mahogany horns.

I will have to have a new metal end put on the horn. It has one on it but it's loose and there is no pin that fits in the elbow.

It would be best for you to contact Don Gfell who does excellent horn repairs and can put a new end on that for you. his website is www.edisonman.com or 419-499-3093 . I highly recommend his work.......Steve

The metal horn end is loose from the horn but appears to be the original. How were these orginally attached? I see a replacement sleeve that has an inside sleeve to it. There isn't one on mine.

The horn end was an outside cup and an inside cup. The outside cup has an extended lip that curves over and back into the narrow wood end of the horn. The inside cup has a bead around the inside diameter of its narrow end. In the old days, there had to be a press or special curved pliers to "pinch down" the outside cups longer lip that captures the inside cup bead. Primitive for sure but very effective since each shape is a cone and the wood horn could never come out of the metal end (even though people pound the daylights out of many metal ends on wood horns over the years.)

Below is an image from Bountifulantiques (no affiliation) who currently sells this product on ebay. John

Thanks, John. The outside cup is there with the stamped pat date but the inside cup is missing. The rolled edge of the outside cup is a little worse for wear though. Maybe some how it can be salvaged. Jan