HMV 103 restoration, opinions wanted

[nostalgia]

Thank you again for all suggestions, advices and comments.

Henry, mixing yellow wood glue with Durham's Wood Putty, is something I will keep on my mind, for minor wood repair, excellent idea.

Curt, I agree with you, finding a donor cabinet and cut out the broken area, use a wood chisel etc is absolutely recommended for bigger jobs, like the broken part close to the hinge on this HMV 103. It will also make the area solid, so one can drill in it, which is needed to fasten the hinge. It will be on my list of future jobs when a donor cabinet is found. And about the reproducer, I did not really know that this early soundbox/reproducer no 4 is worth $200 USD...Thank you also for your positive comment about the Pathé portable in another thread, trying to avoid hijacking the forum, I did not reply to your comment there. I also like this Pathé portable, it has a nice cover, and also is in excellent condition and plays like a charm. Obviously the former owners have cherished it a lot ! And no rule without exception, I am collecting HMV and Columbia portables only, but this was the exception ( and in all honesty, there may be more exceptions in the future).

JerryVan, Alang, AZ and VanEpsfan, thank you for your (positive) comments and suggestions, they are all much appreciated.


This thread was opened to possibly be an inspiration for everyone wanting to save a gramophone, and possibly also for those who are a bit afraid to start such a project. I also wanted to show that a cabinet not always need to be stripped to be saved. When a school teacher like myself, with no previous background in woodwork or craftsmanship am able to do such a job, most of us are, really. It is more a matter of dedication and commitment, lots of patience (!), interest in learning, and also not being too afraid of trying or failing. Myself I started my restoration works last summer with some cheap portables that came into my hand, portables I could work on without being afraid of ruining them. Later on I have slowly moved on to wooden cabinets, and lately also a wooden horn. Skill comes with practice, and as Curt also said in his post, I learned A LOT while bringing a piece of junk back from the dead!