The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi Fran:

I really like this console and see that you have brought this one back. How did you remedy the mold or mildew and the smell? Just wondering in case I run into the problem of mold or mildew.

I love those LP sleeves. To keep my regular Edison Sleeves nice, I slide them into one of those 10" poly record sleeves, it protects them nice.

Lately, I have been playing Edisons for the past month or two on my Edison B-19, especially since I got the Edisonic, and then the rebuilt standard reproducer back from Steve Medved. I used to really favor Victor over Edison, but its a tough call....By winter I will probably be back to playing cylinders and Victrola's LOL, its back and forth for me.

Again, a nice machine, Happy Listening.

Jerry P.

Fran,

Spectacular work!

That grille cloth replacement was really clever. With the original material/color being impossible to locate, your resourcefulness was impressive. It looks original to me.

Congratulations - -

George P.

You do very nice work Fran....not a lot, but nice... .

PeterF wrote:That looks unbelievably good, Fran! Always nice to see machines that are seemingly too far gone to rescue be brought back to life.

Congrats!

Thank you, Peter! The finish isn't perfect, but boy the doors really pull it together! I couldn't be happier.

Victrolacollector wrote:Hi Fran:

I really like this console and see that you have brought this one back. How did you remedy the mold or mildew and the smell? Just wondering in case I run into the problem of mold or mildew.

I love those LP sleeves. To keep my regular Edison Sleeves nice, I slide them into one of those 10" poly record sleeves, it protects them nice.

Lately, I have been playing Edisons for the past month or two on my Edison B-19, especially since I got the Edisonic, and then the rebuilt standard reproducer back from Steve Medved. I used to really favor Victor over Edison, but its a tough call....By winter I will probably be back to playing cylinders and Victrola's LOL, its back and forth for me.

Again, a nice machine, Happy Listening.

Jerry P.

Thanks Jerry!

I used GOOP for the initial cleaning, then I applied "orange oil" just to try and nourish the wood back to life. After a couple of months I wasn't happy with the oiled finish because it dried out and dulled, so I applied an archaic Minwax product I had kicking around: "Wood Sheen" oil based rubbing oil and stain in Windsor Oak shade. They don't make this product anymore, unfortunately, but it was a near perfect match to the existing "Trafalgar Brown" finish.

Unfortunately, when I went to apply it to the door frames this morning, the old, brittle, plastic bottle literally crumbled in my hand when I squeezed it...what a disaster! Stain all over my hands and workbench!

Too bad, it's irreplaceable as it was an oil based product. They currently sell a water-based version, but I doubt it works as well or as easily as the older stuff did.

At any rate, I've had no real trouble with the mold odor coming off the cabinet any longer.

phonogfp wrote:Fran,

Spectacular work!

That grille cloth replacement was really clever. With the original material/color being impossible to locate, your resourcefulness was impressive. It looks original to me.

Congratulations - -

George P.

Thank you for the kind words George! Once the cloth was in the doors and on the machine, it looks better than I had expected.

I managed to get 4 sections of material out of the yard I bought, too, so now I have 2 extras I can sell if anyone shows an interest in restoring their own 1-C. And, of course, I can order more material as needed for anyone needing to replace theirs in the other Long Playing Consoles.

I have "swatches" left out of my yard that I can send to anyone interested in my reproduction cloth, for the cost of an envelope and postage (PM me if you're interested).

Best to all,
Fran

Great job, Fran!

Really impressive job on the cloth, too! Isn't the Edisonic pattern very similar if not the same? I seem to recall folks having a tough time finding anything close...

Sean

Fran,

Great job!

Having seen the machine in person before you picked it up, I know how rough it looked when you got it. It has certainly seen a lot of improvement now, and looks great. I am glad you were able to save it!

The cloth you made up turned out very well. It looks wonderful, and I think it really improves the look of the machine.

Congratulations!

OrthoSean wrote:Great job, Fran!

Really impressive job on the cloth, too! Isn't the Edisonic pattern very similar if not the same? I seem to recall folks having a tough time finding anything close...

Sean

Thanks Sean!

As it turns out, the two seem to be different variations of the same pattern, or theme if you will.

I thought for a long time they were identical, and then I thought one was the "reverse" side of the other. But when I took a closer look at them both, I realized the LP cloth was a slightly different weave pattern out of a single color thread, and the Edisonic cloth almost (to my eyes) looks like two separate colors of thread were blended for the pattern. The LP weave seems to have been much "tighter", also.

If they were both made of silk (as some have supposed) this might account for the the variation of refracted light, I assume -- I really know very little about these "textile" things.

It's funny how difficult it is examining these two cloths because of lighting. Different light frequencies (and different viewing angles) yield very different images because of refraction caused by the weave.

I'm going to try and duplicate the Edisonic cloth in the same manner as I did for my 1-C, and see how it works out. There's a lot of trial and error involved on my part in trying to get a similar pattern effect used with a modern weave without compromising the true original color because of the different available types of thread, weave, and colors blended together to recreate the original pattern and color; if that makes any sense. Holy run-on sentence Batman!

Of course, in the end there's always compromise to some extent.

I'll keep everyone up to date when (if) I've succeeded. Theoretically, I might be able to duplicate many other patterns and colors, too, but like I said, capturing a precise image with its "true" color is incredibly difficult.

Best,
Fran

NateO wrote:Fran,

Great job!

Having seen the machine in person before you picked it up, I know how rough it looked when you got it. It has certainly seen a lot of improvement now, and looks great. I am glad you were able to save it!

The cloth you made up turned out very well. It looks wonderful, and I think it really improves the look of the machine.

Congratulations!

Thank you, Nate! It's funny to think you were at the estate sale! You would've liked my son and his wife, I think.

Best,
Fran

I am sure it sounds just as great as it looks! Fantastic!
Allen

A Ford 1 wrote:I am sure it sounds just as great as it looks! Fantastic!
Allen

Thank you Allen!

What began as a quest for the Long Playing gear transmission, actually wound up being something much greater, I think.

I really like this little guy. It's different in so many ways to my other DD Phonos. Diminutive and compact; the smallest available horn with a sound trap door AND a mute ball.

Yet, with a double-spring motor, it can play records many times longer than anything else produced at the time. Except that the selections were anachronistic, and apparently most people thought they sucked.

It's an "odd duck" just like me.

Best,
Fran