The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Congratulations on acquiring your early Home. Its serial number indicates that it left the factory in November 1897.

And what a nice surprise to find the badged crank inside!

Here's an article that appeared many years ago (the old black & white days!) in the APS magazine on the "Suitcase" Homes. It will tell you more than I was going to type here...! As mentioned in the article, very early Homes like yours can be found with either 2-screw or 1-screw reproducer clips - - or even Class M-type 2-screw reproducer clamps. These different types are sprinkled among serial numbers in 1897 - early 1898.

This is also the earliest instance I've seen of the 3rd style top casting!

Congratulations again - -

George P.

MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE TIME TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING. haha dont be like me and brake the casting and the mandrel. Its been a haunting/expensive mistake!

dzavracky wrote:MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE TIME TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING. haha dont be like me and brake the casting and the mandrel. Its been a haunting/expensive mistake!

Fear not, it's apart safely, I did have to tap the carriage rod part of the way and the pulley on the mandrel shaft was really frozen on, but I managed to coax it all apart, one small part of the mandrel pulley did break off along the lip, though i think that was a result of whatever dropped on it to dent the mandrel, that has been reattached now though

How I'm going to fix the dented mandrel I haven't quite figured out yet

Why fix it? It’s just a dent, so unless it somehow prevents a cylinder from being properly placed on the mandrel, just leave it. You can rotate it to the other side so it doesn’t show when in static display, and it won’t show during use.

Please don’t polish the brass, just clean it if necessary. 120 years of patina!

It's a severe dent, a few dents really spread out over about 2 inches and it's deformed the mandrel enough so a cylinder will no longer fit so it is certainly needing repair

How did you unfreeze the mandrel?

That was why I broke my casting. Granted it was my first restoration and I didn’t know what I was doing. So yes a hammer was involved But in the end I just took a drill and closed the chuck around the broken part of the mandrel. One it started spinning I just gently pushed it back and forth. I took the drill off and it just came right out! It didn’t seem like the correct method but hey it worked

But I would like to know if there is a “correct” way to go about it.

I'm looking at the rusty parts and I have a question. How would you clean the feedscrew and nut and preserve the fine threads.

howardpgh wrote:I'm looking at the rusty parts and I have a question. How would you clean the feedscrew and nut and preserve the fine threads.

I used a mild rust remover and brass wire brush, the rust was only fine on the feedscrew luckily and seems to have survived, the nut is long gone along with the rest of the carriage

phonogfp wrote:Congratulations on acquiring your early Home. Its serial number indicates that it left the factory in November 1897.

And what a nice surprise to find the badged crank inside!

Here's an article that appeared many years ago (the old black & white days!) in the APS magazine on the "Suitcase" Homes. It will tell you more than I was going to type here...! As mentioned in the article, very early Homes like yours can be found with either 2-screw or 1-screw reproducer clips - - or even Class M-type 2-screw reproducer clamps. These different types are sprinkled among serial numbers in 1897 - early 1898.

This is also the earliest instance I've seen of the 3rd style top casting!

Congratulations again - -

George P.

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Very interesting read, great to know it's so early, so I can essentially fit any type of the carriage and it would be period correct?, would this have originally had a standard speaker or an automatic reproducer?

You're welcome - - I hope it helps.

The Standard Speaker wasn't "replaced" by the Automatic until February 1899. Up until then, and until stock ran out, the customer had a choice of the Standard Speaker or the Automatic. I'd suggest the Automatic!

As for carriage, any type of Home carriage that has clips would be appropriate.

George P.