The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

One thing that has not been mentioned is the environmental conditions any particular machine has been exposed to over the last 120 or so years. Two machines from the same days greening process could look entirely different today even if they've had reasonably good care but used if different parts of the country with different environmental conditions. It might be as simple as one sat in the sun and the other away from UV light. Just a thought...

Jerry B.

Thanks, everyone. Here are some more pictures of both machines. The first one is of the two lids; the green one is in the foreground. Then There are some closeup pictures of the green case, followed by the other case. I hope this helps you all continue to formulate theories. I will say that the lid of the not-green machine does appear to have some faint green on the outside, though as you can see, there is none on the inside. Again, I can say for certain that these machines are all original, each having been in the same family since purchased new; and that the non-green machine's serial number is about 50,000 less than the green one's. Any theories/explanations?

I see traces of green on the inside of the bottom "not green" lid. Looking at the extreme right of the bedplate frame of the "green" machine, an exposed wear mark is reddish that looks like the finish of the "not green" machine. I'd say that what you are seeing is the extreme difference between what we see today as a green oak finish. Staining intensity always varies in the finish process to one extent or other. Start with a light green oak finish, combine that with 120 years of UV light fading, pollutants, cleaners, Howard's Restore-a-finish (?) etc., and some machines will go that reddish color.

Hi Everyone,

In the past month I've bought three Edison Home cylinder phonographs (model A, long case) and have been working on them. One I've left alone (bought from Doug Olds) as it plays well and looks fine with its original pinstriping. Another (serial no. H116714--left the factory in Nov. 1904) had its motor, etc. in good working condition, but its cabinet was a MESS. Some owner had covered the original green oak to make it look golden oak--and then literally slatered the whole with shellac (bulbous drips everywhere), including the top works (ruining the original pinstriping). I felt I had no choice but to strip everything, top and bottom, and then restain and varnish.

Attached are three photos of the results. I came up with a restoration for the original green oak that satisfies me. I used a hobby green paint that soaked well into the wood, followed by multiple applications of Restor-a-Finish Dark Mahogany. In one of the photos I had cracked the lid so that you can see the original green oak stain on the inside of the cabinet--and it is pretty vibrant--so I feel it was appropriate to go with the same vibrancy for the outside. I also lavished attention on this cabinet as its quarter sawn oak is so lovely.

With the pinstriping I tried the decals from Greg (believe his name is) but they are tricky. I then tried .07 mm gold pens but it was very hard not to leave botches. So I went with automotive pinstripes that are wider than the original but not horribly so--and they really do bring the whole unit to life.

The banner decal is from Eduardo in Peru. It tore a little bit on the far left side when applied (the E in Edison) and perhaps someday I will remove it and try another--but I wanted to finish off the project for the time being.

I'm enjoying playing it. I find that the Home model As are rugged and the single springs can tolerate a decent amount of cranking. This is a machine I look forward to showing off to people. Not light to carry, but at least lighter than a Triumph!

Mindy P.

Your green formula looks good in the top and bottom pics... A very presentable outcome.

Curt A wrote: Wed Jun 19, 2024 8:53 pm Your green formula looks good in the top and bottom pics... A very presentable outcome.

Thank you, Curt!

Just a bit more about my formula. I mis-spoke when I typed Dark Mahogany Restore-a-Finish when I meant Dark OAK. The green stain ("water based creative juice") is from a 4 oz. squeeze bottle from "Crafty Colors Wood Stain"--their "Mountain Greenery" color. "Small batch mixed in New Hamshire," the label also proclaims. I conveniently obtained both via Ebay.