The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

jamiegramo wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 1:53 pm

Curt A wrote: Sat Mar 06, 2021 7:27 pm I think a 1951 Humber is a desirable car... but we don't find or see a Humber in the USA, all we see are Hummers.
2003-hummer-h2-on-ebay.jpg

An interesting comment. I don’t know much about old cars but I assumed that an American motor car of the same age would be much more superior and rated to a British one.

I have always liked British cars... Back in the mid 1970s I had a client in Michigan who had a large metal building filled with British cars - a number of three wheel Morgans, an Alvis roadster, a Bond three wheel car and many others. It was an astounding collection of mostly three wheel cars that he imported from Britain and wherever he traveled...

The phonograph looks as if it has a reasonable mandrel, combination gearing and a complete and salvageable reproducer. Much depends on whether the moving parts are coated with ancient oil and grease, which may have protected them from rust even if it has itself turned into glue.

I think the Humber is probably quite scarce; only small cars, such as the once ubiquitous Austin A30 and Morris Minor, sold in relatively large numbers in post-war Britain. There seem to be very few old cars on the roads here nowadays; even the later Minors (built until 1971) have disappeared, whereas only a few years ago one could expect to see an example almost every week. I suppose this may be because of the lack of any acceptable replacement for the old lead additives in fuel; I have been out of touch with the classic-car movement for many years (I used to drive Rover P4s from the late 1950s), but I remember many warnings against running old cars on lead-free petrol (gas) because this would result in rapid wear to the valves.

Oliver Mundy.

I know a fríend in London who's a performer, and owns a beautiful P4 which was completely overhauled by the Rover factory, as a special payment to him for a series of performances in a company celebration or something. So it is now like new!
He's also a record collector, mainly operatic 78s and pathés... but I don't believe he's in the forum.

Inigo wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 9:24 am I know a fríend in London who's a performer, and owns a beautiful P4 which was completely overhauled by the Rover factory, as a special payment to him for a series of performances in a company celebration or something. So it is now like new!
He's also a record collector, mainly operatic 78s and pathés... but I don't believe he's in the forum.

Obviously a man of taste and discernment!

No kidding? Which episode? I have to watch just out of morbid curiosity.

Yes, it's the British Repair Shop, comes up on my NetFlix.

Cheers!

Some more excavations from this site:

I wonder if any of those could actually be cleaned? That was an awful place to store anything more delicate than, say, a large anchor.

VanEpsFan1914 wrote: Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:29 am I wonder if any of those could actually be cleaned? That was an awful place to store anything more delicate than, say, a large anchor.

I’m wondering the same. I will try and let them dry out and then examine them. It seems like the surface wax is actually pealing on some so I think they are probably for the trash.

Dischoard wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 2:59 pm No kidding? Which episode? I have to watch just out of morbid curiosity.

Yes, it's the British Repair Shop, comes up on my NetFlix.

Cheers!

It’s quite distressing so I hope you’ve got a strong constitution.

Here’s a thread with links:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=47819

Cheers, Jamie

jamiegramo wrote: Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:40 am

VanEpsFan1914 wrote: Fri Mar 12, 2021 9:29 am I wonder if any of those could actually be cleaned? That was an awful place to store anything more delicate than, say, a large anchor.

I’m wondering the same. I will try and let them dry out and then examine them. It seems like the surface wax is actually pealing on some so I think they are probably for the trash.

Thankfully, I believe that is not surface wax. Those are the remnants of the cardboard cases that the cylinders were stored in. There might be a hope that they're playable, but I don't know if you'll get any sound out of them other than surface noise. Still worth a try, though.