The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

If you have some Nevr-Dull sitting around, you can try that on your red paint. IF it works, it would still take a lot of elbow grease, but the slowness of the process makes it quite controllable. I was once able to remove a layer of still-unknown brown substance from a morning glory horn and the original painted flowers underneath emerged undamaged. That horn probably took about 6 hours of rubbing, but it was worth it.

Good luck!

George P.

Another issue you may want to consider before using a great deal of time trying to remove the red paint is, determine why the horn was re-painted in the first place. Based on your pics, I would bet there is some major original paint loss under there (very common with this horn). Perhaps some corroded areas also hidden..??.

Stripping the horn and applying new (flat) mustard yellow paint with some red accents along with a Gregg Cline decal may be the best option.

You could also keep your eye's open for a horn on Ebay. They do turn up.

You could also try Mineral Spirit, if it is able to remove the red paint, depending on what kind of paint it is. It should not harm any original enamel, but still be careful and try an inconspicuous spot first..

Good luck
Andreas

To Gramophone78: I think you hit the nail on the head. Why was it painted red in the first place unless perhaps the original paint had deteriorated? Paint doesn't always adhere well to a metal surface. I won't do anything yet. First I want to get the machine working; the red paint shouldn't affect that. But Jerry had said just go and strip it. I suspect in the long run, he's right.

New pics. The motor runs although the governor is noisy. The crank escutcheon needs to be replaced. Judging by other Vic O examples, it looks as if Victor used the same escutcheon for many years. You can see the new backboard in place. I had to tap a screw hole in the backboard to take the original wood screw. Maple can be rather brittle, so first I drilled a small diameter hole, then gradually increased the bit size. Now all four original wood screws secure the base to the frame. The base is made of three boards, one of which was separating, as you can see in earlier pics. The gap has been closed up. Eventually the motorboard will be glued (I will use hide glue) to the frame.

What I'd like to do next is attach the bracket to the back, but I do not have the original wood screws. I'd like to know exactly how the bracket was attached. If someone could tell me, that would be great.

Looks like you've done a very nice job on the back panel.

jboger wrote: What I'd like to do next is attach the bracket to the back, but I do not have the original wood screws. I'd like to know exactly how the bracket was attached. If someone could tell me, that would be great.

Nice work on the new case back. The wood screws on mine are 13/16" long and looks to be a size #12 round head with a black or blued finish. The bracket is fastened directly to the back of the case with the wood screws.

Best Regards, Larry

Larry: That is exactly the information I need. In principle, I could reattach the bracket and play the machine today, but I want to locate screws as similar as possible to those you've illustrated. I went to Home Depot the other day. It seems about the only type of screw available today has a Phillips head. But I will poke around on the internet to see what's available. And thanks for the picture of the screw. When I locate a pair of screws I will mount the bracket and reassemble the darn thing and play it before I tackle the horn or matching the backboard with the rest of the machine. At that point I will upload some new pics.

10 minutes later: Just poked around on the internet and found I can find stainless steel screws very much like yours. Still, want to check a local hardware store.

jboger:
You've made great progress and I look forward to seeing the completion. I'm glad the subject of appropriate screws came up because I too don't care for the look of the modern zinc plated stuff. I did a little poking about and found this company that makes unplated fasteners for antiques. They even have a page devoted to screws for phonographs. Here's the link:

http://www.blacksmithbolt.com/store/p/1 ... Oxide.aspx

Hope this helps.

Martin

Regarding modern plated screws, when I must use them, I heat them up red-hot with a torch. That will remove the plating, and it's sometimes enough to achieve the desired finish.

George P.