The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Congratulations! You don’t have to pay $1000+ for a Triumph! (*cough*ebay*cough*)

Which brings me to another question. Why can’t I find a Triumph that’s not $1000+ on eBay?

What’s the Columbia equivalent to the Triumph and is it any cheaper?

AmberolaAndy wrote:
What’s the Columbia equivalent to the Triumph and is it any cheaper?

Columbia's equivalent was the AO, followed by the BE. Both had 3-mainspring motors, although neither machine is the size of a Triumph. If you like nickel plating, floral decoration, and stylish cabinets (the AO was offered in two versions), you'll like either of these Columbias. Unfortunately, AOs tend to be a bit pricey for a nice example, but BEs occasionally turn up in the $500 range.

The BF is virtually identical to the BE except it is equipped with a 6-inch mandrel to accommodate Columbia's "Twentieth Century" cylinders. The BF was apparently more popular than the BE, as it seems to turn up far more often. The BG was a step above the BF, with a mahogany cabinet and completely nickel-plated upper works.

George P.

Here is just a preliminary dirt removal, just with water. The mandrel bearing is indeed toast. It should be fun trying to get it out of there. I've replaced them on Standards, but never on a Triumph.

Mike

You'll find a number of threads on this process on this forum. Sometimes it's very easy. Other times, it can be extraordinarily frustrating. Just DON'T be tempted to tap on the upper pulley - - that will only cause worse problems.

I can report that you can use a propane torch directly on the black painted stanchion that holds the swollen bearing. I never would have tried it, but I watched Wyatt do it, and the black paint was undamaged. Hopefully you won't need a torch, but...

Best of luck,
George

Good luck! The rest of that brown stuff should clear right away and you'll have a nice original finish on the bedplate.

What’s the Columbia equivalent to the Triumph and is it any cheaper?

I've always thought the Columbia BG was the direct competition with the Triumph.

Jerry B.

Okay, I am finally getting around to working on this machine.

The mandrel bearing is a nightmare. I have tried almost all the tricks except for acid and freezing. So the upper works is in the freezer now. I managed to carefully chip away at some of the exposed bearing with a small screwdriver. This worked for me once, but not this time. The mandrel shaft will not budge. A parts of the mandrel shaft has wrench marks, so I suspect that the prior owner was trying to free the bearing as well.

Here is the bed plate, after soap and water. Any suggestions as to how this can be cleaned further?


Thanks,
Mike

That yellow scrofulous look is actually the shellac clear-coat, not dirt. You will have to find a way to remove it. I've done it before on a minty 1904 Home but forgot how. Surely someone else will remember.

You can carefully use a razor blade to peel/scrape this dead shellac coat off. This dead or dried out shellac is very brittle and scrapes of easy.
You have to go slow and be careful not to scratch or gouge your black paint.

Larry Crandell

Before doing anything further, I'd suggest non-pumiced Goop/GoJo. Try letting it sit for an hour at first. Let it sit overnight if necessary.

Denatured alcohol will also remove the shellac. Use a plastic scraper/straight-edge rather than metal to scrape up the gooey shellac.

Good luck!

George P.