The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Maybe a Trojan horsephone with a gramo concealed inside...

Curt A wrote:Maybe a Trojan horsephone with a gramo concealed inside...

Remember the one they did a while back that looked like a sheep?

No, let's get this thread on track again--I'd love to see Wes K's homemade cabinet model.

When I was a boy, I loved to make my own record players... And one day I bought...
Heavens! That WAS my first 78!!! I had completely forgotten it! I don't know how I get one 78, I do remember perfectly which one was it! (gone long time ago). I made a gramophone to play it. I must have been 15 then... I made a soundbox out from one of the small car tyres that came with a Meccano. It was some like 1.5" tyre, thick rubber. I stapled a cardboard diaphragm to it, then made the needlebar using wire from a mum's hair clip, which I cut and shaped with tweezers. The joint at the center of diaphragm was sealed with hard sealing wax, and I added a screw cylinder at the free end to attach a needle. The fulcrum was a simple one: the needlebar stapled to the tyre border. Another tyre with a transparent plastic cover (stapled) was put on top of the diaphragm as a cover, then stapled all together.
Then I made a cardboard elbow and a 10"horn, so the tyre soundbox fit tightly at the elbow end. Then added a cardan joint and axis support to the horn with more Meccano parts (I still keep that horn support in my tool box) which could be then attached to a record player. It worked! I must repeat that design, improving the seal of the diaphragm on the rubber tyre soundbox... I didn't know then that it had to be airtight... Ho, ho, ho....! I'll make it again, improved, of course. With the years I started to enlarge the horn, adding more cardboard , until I got something as a 35" long conical horn... It sounded great, especially when I found a Columbia no 15 authentic soundbox in an old record shop, and attached it to my horn, instead of my crude soundbox.... Mother complained about me playing record that sounded so loud by the house!

I think it's great to hear about interest in the hobby that started as youngsters... what imagination. Apparently phonographs inspired a lot of thought and a desire to actually have one...
I know my interest in them started in my teens or earlier - I always liked those big horns and hoped I would have one someday.

Onee of my first machines in 2009 was made with an old orange crate and Mandell parts. (at the time I thought it was a legit machine. Shows you how much I knew then.) I parted it out last year. The homemade horn wasn’t large enough anyway. I’ll try and find a picture of it.

What on earth are 'Mandell parts'?

Inigo wrote:What on earth are 'Mandell parts'?

I actually meant Mandel with one l. Yeah I actually decided to read the thread more thoroughly, I guess this isn’t a thread about handyman cased machines with parts sourced from uprights.

I have had a go at making my own one in various ways. This one is a very simple linear tracking one with an electric turntable of my own design as well. Initially in the video I use a commercial sound box - but later on use one of my own making also

https://youtu.be/g9GjUZ0LV1I

I've currently building my own 3D printed sound boxes - but love all aspects of gramophone design and making (and buying and fixing real ones too!)

Thanks

Andy, that's me the ignorant! I googled for Mandell and saw nothing familiar with gramophones. Now I typed Mandel, and an off-brand for gramophones appeared! One never ceases learning with you, marvelous people!

AmberolaAndy wrote:Onee of my first machines in 2009 was made with an old orange crate and Mandell parts. (at the time I thought it was a legit machine. Shows you how much I knew then.) I parted it out last year. The homemade horn wasn’t large enough anyway. I’ll try and find a picture of it.

All homemade phonographs are neat--please put a picture up if you get a chance!

Mandel phonographs can be very nice when they turn up, but the parts aren't super easy to find. I bet whoever got the parts was happy to find them.