Craigslist - Edison Home, two-piece bell, and amberols

[SonnyPhono]

I was ten minutes away from it! Congrats John...looking forward to pictures.

[JohnM]

We are taking portraits at the Kentucky State Fair, working 10-14 hours a day, and staying with my mother-in-law (since we're in our hometown) who has no Internet. I plan on sleeping in tomorrow to recover from the weekend and today's pre-dawn mad dash to Columbus and back. Looks like it may be Wednesday before I manage to get any pictures up.

[JohnM]

We are now in Illinois in a motel with internet, so at long last, here are the photos. I never did take any more before I shipped off the various pieces to repairmen, so what you are seeing is what I quickly took of the machine -- as received -- on the bed of my truck in the gas station parking lot in Columbus when the deal went down.

The machine went to Vollema, the horn to Gfell, the elbow (for regraining) and crane parts to be 'Farmerized', and the reproducer and carriage to Medved. I am excited to get it all put together again! The biggest hold up is the horn bell resto. Don is backed up and said it likely wouldn't be ready by November when we come off the road. My luck it will be ready in January when we go back on the road again for four months.

Since it came from a hot attic, the finish is a bit dry and small areas of finish have lifted and flaked off which I will address in November if not sooner. The appearance of the case improved markedly once I simply cleaned it when I got it home. The decal is perfect and the woodgrain on the front panel is pretty. The pin striping in 98%. The motor ran very quietly. I don't believe this machine saw much use.

Someone tried to beat the reproducer out of the carriage at some time with a punch or a screwdriver -- the marks are visible in the photo. When it comes back from Steve, all will be well in it's world. What looks like a light-colored chip on the inside of the horn bell near the collar must be sunlight or something, as there are no chips in the horn -- it has simply failed to greater and lesser degrees along the glue lines. Note: when contemplating horn repair work by Don, it is much simpler for him (and less expensive for you) if the horn has not been reglued or otherwise dinked with by anyone else. Don will take this horn completely apart, lay it up on a form and reglue it at every seam. Regluing only one seam will lead to failure of original glue lines due to wood movement, so 'ungluing' seams repaired with a modern adhesive in order to properly disassemble and reglue a horn is a royal PITA for Don and expensive for you. Just sayin'.

[OrthoSean]

That's just great, John! Can't wait to see it when it's all finished!

Sean

[gramophone78]

John,congrats on being close enough to get it.I'm just sorry it wasn't a Berliner........

[Swing Band Heaven]

Congrats on aquiring that Home. I have the same model - although mine is currently without a horn. Mine is awaiting some work on the motor. It is very very sluggish. What I can't work out is whether the whole thing needs taking apart and cleaning and the re-oiling or whether I have a weak spring? Any thoughts on this anyone or is it a case that either or both is likely to be the problem.

[JohnM]

Congrats on aquiring that Home. I have the same model - although mine is currently without a horn. Mine is awaiting some work on the motor. It is very very sluggish. What I can't work out is whether the whole thing needs taking apart and cleaning and the re-oiling or whether I have a weak spring? Any thoughts on this anyone or is it a case that either or both is likely to be the problem.

Thanks, SBH! I bought my first Home E in 1971 when I was 14 at a farm auction outside of Elizabethtown, Kentucky for $52. There was actually a bullet hole through the sheet metal of the cygnet horn! It was a good and reliable player and I had it into college.

Regarding your sluggish machine, it is difficult to diagnose problems without being able to examine the patient, but broadly speaking, keep in mind that these are machines first and foremost and should be maintained like one. Any old phonograph that has never been serviced should be, and by that I mean disasembled, cleaned, reassembled, lubricated, and regulated. Have you tried slipping the belt from the pulley to see how the motor runs with no load? The problem you describe could be as simple as a bad or mis-tracking belt, or as complicated as a weak spring. Send it to a competent service person if you aren't mechanically inclined.

[Swing Band Heaven]

John,
thanks for your advice. After exchaging pms with another member of this board I think I have narrowed the problem down. The top works seems to be the problem and are very stiff and so I am going to investigate this further. The motor runs fine when the belt is removed - so I think that the spring is probably ok. I really like my "home" and all I need to do now is find a suitable horn for it.

[Kirkwood]

I, too, have one of these nice Home phonographs with the Model O reproducer. I eventually sold off all of the other Edison cylinder players in favor of this one machine. Mine did not have the rear-mounted crane and cygnet horn, but seems to have always had the earlier Home horn with it, and the front-mounted horn bracket. Of note, when I started to service mine, the metal bushing that the mandrel rotates within had swollen up and caused this part to bind. Perhaps that is what is causing the troubles for SBH. I was able to chip the old bushing out---it was an alloy of lead, I think, called Babbitt metal. In its day, it was soft and strong enough to support the mandrel and enable it to spin freely. I got a modern replacement bushing, like a metal collar with small rollers in it, that worked pretty well. But. I think it makes for somewhat noisier operation, and I haven't been 100% pleased with it for that reason. When a cylinder is playing, it isn't noticeable, and I have enjoyed that Home quite a lot over the years. Nowadays, maybe somebody has a better bushing out there---any ideas??

[JohnM]

Oilite bearings which are oil-impregnated bronze alloy are excellent replacements.