Today's Estate Sale Find: Fancy Columbia Model 200 / De Luxe

[Oceangoer1]

Good news! The rancid smell is almost gone. I believe it was a combination of mold, rodent urine, and dirt.

I scrubbed the inside unfinished parts with vinegar and a scrubbing pad, and came up with a black goo. I believe that was the mold in some places. After airing that out, I hit the insides with Lysol (one of the flowery smelling ones) It hopefully will kill whatever mold was growing in there. Then I vacuumed the remaining dust out. There was also a piece of deteriorating carpet/padding for the record boxes, and that seemed to be a main source of the nasty smell. I may go back over the inside of the cabinet with mineral spirits to get the remaining grease/dirt out.

The cabinet is cleaning up very well, and after all the pieces are cleaned with Goop, they will get a wipe over with Howard's Dark Oak, and then I will post some pictures.

Also other good news, I have found every part that I need except the louvre rod/mechanism. A very kind and helpful fellow collector happened to have everything I needed! (Almost makes me wonder if these aren't the parts that were gutted from this very machine!)

-Connor

[De Soto Frank]

Connor,

This is a bit late, but schedule and daylight finally cooperated, and I grabbed a bunch of photos and measurements from my 200.

Will download and post later today.




Frank

[De Soto Frank]

Back panel:

18-7/16" w x 13-⅞" h x 5/16" thick

Exterior faced with walnut burl veneer in two pieces, ⅓ - ⅔. (Lower fixed panel veneered same way, but not matched to upper panel. Seams line-up.)

Interior faced with straight walnut

Panel appears to be ply construction, veneer - core - veneer.

Bottom retaining lip applied to inner face of panel: 16-31/32 " l x 31/32" w x 9/32" thick, solid wood (walnut ?).

[De Soto Frank]

inside of cabinet

[De Soto Frank]

Tone Leaves mechanism

[De Soto Frank]

Inside of horn -please pardon the dust.

[De Soto Frank]

Playing Deck

[De Soto Frank]

First style cast elbow, with retaining screw.

[Oceangoer1]

Many thanks to Frank for those detailed pictures! They will help me reassemble the machine when all the parts arrive.

Here is the cabinet as it stands today after Goop and Howard's Restore a Finish in Dark Oak. Record boxes and louvres are still getting a mold treatment and a cleaning. There are a couple chunks out of some of the feet, and there are some missing parts to the carvings. Some areas of loose veneer, but I will work on those after it comes inside.

All of the parts are on the way, and will be installed in the cabinet soon.

-Connor

[De Soto Frank]

That is a stunner of a cabinet !


I'm looking forward to seeing it completed !