The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Well done Alastair---looks terrific ! No need to do any more really but, if you want to, I think a paper final finish might look more attractive than paint ? How soon until we are able to hear the acoustic results ?

Thank you Alex and Graham for your suggestions that it would be better to use "finishing papers" on the horn. I have looked out the papers that Frank kindly gave me three years ago, and I think I have enough to paper the outside of the horn. I was always going to paint the inside anyway.
Now, as I have seen many Davey machines and Ginn machines over the years of all sizes except the "All Range". I have noticed different ways of how the paper was cut, torn or otherwise. My own machine is painted light cream and it is a very late model with no address plaque, and I could not work out if the paper was applied in long, thin,(about 3 or 4 inches wide), or if the paper was some sort of rough triangle shape. Can some of you suggest anything. I know the horn is not for an Expert or EMG, and I cannot make out in the black and white picture of the Balmain machine how the outer finish was applied, if applied. Somewhere I read that a mathematical formula can be used to work out the best shape of paper to be applied to horns of different shapes, but I feel that would be possibly going too far!
Your suggestions SIRS!

I've taken a couple of pictures of my 1935 Expert Junior horn. The larger end of the horn has been covered with overlapping truncated triangular sections. The outside and inside have been treated slightly differently. On the outside the edges have been torn and the pieces are a little wider (~16cm wide at the open end and about 50 cm long, and about half the width at the narrow end). On the inside, the edges are straight cut and the strips are a little narrower (~12cm * ~50cm).

Wow! Hurrah for Alastair!
We're impatiently expecting a video of it at work!

Hello physicist-I am most grateful to you for the photographs of your very nice horn Your description of the shape and sizes are very helpful. Your horn looks in very good order, and I imagine the machine plays well.
I conversed with Andy today, as he had just finished a Mk 9 horn, and had made a really impressive job on it. Also Alex has been busy with his EMG, and has also produced a fine result.
Papering the horn will be a dicey business for me, as Frank supplied me with a grained effect paper, and matching that up will be a bit of a trial. I am putting on an image of this particular finishing paper, thin, but embossed. I have enough.
to paper the outside only. I was going to paint the inside with sheen finish, but Graham has warned me against this for a certain
reason.
Inigo-my dear chap, being an old codger!!-I would not know how to place a video of the horn playing, sadly. I am hoping before long to rig up some apparatus for me, with the aid of someone else, to try the horn out. Fingers crossed in advance!

Yesterday, I finished coating the outside of the "Neo-Balmain2 horn with the finishing paper. I looks reasonable, not great, but reasonable! I had a quite a job in matching up the paper design in places, but it is acceptable if you do not look too closely!
Andy gave me a link to a site that does handmade marbled papers, but I found none of the colour I needed. Alex has also been helpful, and gave me a link to "decopatch and decopage" papers-hundreds of designs. I have chosen a sample piece, as I require the inside to be a similar colour, particularly where the inside paper meets the outside paper at the rim. After the horn is completely finished, we, my wife and I, will move on to sort the gramophone cabinet, motor and ancillaries. Once that has been sorted, on to the "gliding" mechanism which Mr Tuddenham has sent me some interesting designs of, and will build the basics for me when we are ready for that.

That horn is looking very good - those external papers really finish it off nicely. Bet that horn weighs a bit mind you. Can't wait to see the next step in the process of creating the Balmain.

Well done Alastair---it looks wonderful and I love the quality finish which, to me, is reminiscent of top class leather and luxuriance. A great achievement which will surely give you inspiration and sustain you whilst designing and building "the other half" ! Mr Balmain would be flattered.

Congratulations, Alastair! the horn looks great in its leather-look finish. The other half, as Graham says, of putting together motor, plinth, rails etc will be easy compared to the horn!

Fascinating and impressive project, and it really takes an artist to do this kind of work ! Thanks for sharing the progress, and the process. And....Congratulations:)