The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

dutchman wrote:Bought this B19 years ago in pieces, veneer falling off, grill missing, hinge section split and missing.
Put new veneer on the top, rest was stripped and re-stained, dings/dents were fixed with my burn-in kit. Sprayed
with shellac base coat and final with lacquer both aniline dye tinted. It has really gotten hard obtaining 1/16 inch wood backed
veneer. The machine is actually darker than the photo - my camera is junk..

At any rate your machine definitely looks restorable and well worth the effort.
Bill K

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Very nice job! Beautiful B-19.

donniej wrote:It runs great, has a low serial number, and while the woodwork looks beat, it's structurally sound. The grill is completely shot but ironically the fabric is in very good condition.
It appears a previous owner painted it white, and another stripped it. There are some pretty significant gouges in the lid.
What would you do to make this machie more presentable?
Thank you.

Edison B-19 are nice machines for the small apartments and living spaces.

And there's no other way to play Edison Discs on a picnic without breaking your back! (I don't include the A/B/C-60 & 80 - which are awfully heavy anyway.)

George P.

George, you "could" play Diamond Discs on a Stewart machine with the right stylus and it wouldn't be hard to carry...

Curt A wrote:George, you "could" play Diamond Discs on a Stewart machine with the right stylus and it wouldn't be hard to carry...

Good idea...and then you wouldn't need to lug those heavy Diamond Discs back home either! Just drop them into a trash can on your way back to the car!

George P.

Now you have to find the nice red gumwood record storage cabinet for your B-19 when you get done restoring it !!

It took some work but it's now almost completely sanded (the outside anyway). It's really surprising that all the damage sanded out! This is some really thick wood!!
Any advice on staining it to match the inside and sealing it would be appreciated. This is the first time I've refinished wood.

I refinished my B-19 with maple stain. It matches the inside perfectly. I forget if yours is natural or rouge... if it's rouge you can use red mahogany stain.

phonogfp wrote:And there's no other way to play Edison Discs on a picnic without breaking your back! (I don't include the A/B/C-60 & 80 - which are awfully heavy anyway.)

George P.

Here's a combination that won't put you up!
Bob

My best advice is to forget what color the manufacturer claims the stain is and let your eyes do the matching. If I recall correctly you have a "before" photo of the inside of the case showing it to be a darker red mahogany type finish. Whatever color it ends up being, I'd be matching to the inside color as it was the most protected.

Before touching stain to your case, I'd recommend buying a couple of small pieces of alder or birch at Home Depot for some practice staining/finishing. This will give you a feel for the process and a preview of how the stain will react with the wood. I'd recommend shellac as an appropriate finish. It requires a bit more work, but is actually quite forgiving. Good luck and keep us posted.

Martin