The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The two most common problems with the universal motors I have seen are open resistors in the resistance box in the rear of the machine and hardened grease in the motor. Unless the motor was run to death the brushes usually have more than enough length to play in most of our lifetimes.

I did find one motor someone broke off one of the power pins inside the motor connector.


Right now I have an XVIII and 120 with universal motors waiting to be restored in the shop.

Chuck

Brad,

Congrats on an amazing find.

Garret

Congratulations on finding this. It now has a good home. I know the feeling of finding a C Walnut in the wild. I have a question. In your first post you call this a VV-XVIII Does the tag say this or VE-XVIII. Again, congatulations. And if you get a chance, can we see the top of the lid. Just curious on the damage.

Hi- Sorry for the delay in answering questions. I was out of town a few days.

1) Yes- VE-XVIII
2) The lid damage is due to a water leak that occurred above the machine. The owner had to replace the flooring , so I'm surprised the damage to the machine isn't greater than it is. Mostly, the water lifted the finish, so it feels rough and dried out now. There is also some discoloration (darkened) and a strange whitish area. I tried to show the damage in photos. There are also the veneer chips, but they won't be bad to fix once a matching veneer is found.

I am very open to finish suggestions. I haven't looked into the motor yet-- I hope to get it on the bench this week and see what I can determine. A couple of forum members have given me names of some gentlemen who are well-versed in the Universal Motor, so I will be reaching out to them if/when I run into something i can't figure out-- which is highly likely

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and information regarding this new find. I'm anxious to get started on it-- just have to find the time.

Brad Abell

Despite the damage, it is beautiful! Congrats on such a wonderful find! This just proves that great machines are still lurking about in barns and such!

Since this is an important and in all other ways gorgeous machine, might be worth your while to remove the lid and ship it off to a professional for veneer repair. A good professional restorer would do the kind of work that would give you a return on the extra small investment this would require. I have a very skilled restorer I use just outside of NYC--does work for high end antique dealers and collectors in NYC. If you would like you may PM me for the contact info. You could email him the images to see what he could do and get an estimate before committing. A proper and subtle restoration will add value to the machine and keep it a treasure for the next generation...

I wholly agree about professional wood restoration. I have been in touch with a gentleman in the DC area that has done work for the Smithsonian. He's just 30 minutes from me. He will see the machine in person later this week and give me his assessment (meaning price!) Priority for me is to keep the original finish on the main body of the machine, and blend any repairs to match original.

I agree, this is a machine that needs to have the work done well. I am taking pictures as I go.... I just haven't gone too far yet.

Tomorrow, I put the motor on the bench and see what it looks like. A few forum members have already been helpful with tips on any motor challenges I encounter.

I'll update when there's something new.

Brad Abell

Fortunate that you were the one that found this fantastic machine. Sounds like it has a fantastic caretaker! Look forward to seeing the end result (good work takes time of course).