Featured Phonograph № 71 - Victor Victrola 8-35

[Uncle Vanya]

It's gorgeous. You can't know how much I want one of those machines. As the swan song of the full size Victrola they certainly went out in a blaze of glory. I prefer the American model to the Canadian one.

Jim

The 8-35 is a reasonably correct Regency cabinet style. The florid flourishes applied to the export model (the 8-36, is it not?)
are unattractive to my eye, although they seem to work pretty well on the smaller Canadian machine which shares this horn (the 8-10).

I've yet a couple of 8035 machines, but would dearly love to find one of the narrower 8-10 export models. The other Canadian machine
which shares this excellent horn (a rather plain doorless thing, a 5-65 or some other such odd number, I cannot quite recall the correct
model) would also be appreciated.

[redson]

Hi, I am about to acquire an 8-35 that needs some love. Did you refinish the cabinet or is that original? What did you use to clean it up? Also, am going to be missing 3 books, any idea on how to find them? I would guess they are nearly impossible to find. Thanks!
Gary

[Ampico66]

On keeping original stuff with the machines...

The best thing to get with a machine isn't a collection of records, but the history about the original owner. I have the original home addresses of 2 of my machines. I am the second family to own 4 of my machines, which were sold by either the great-nieces or sons of the original owners. It's neat to know Elsie Bryant bought my Victrola X spider leg in 1912, loved opera, and paid the extra for the Improved Concert Reproducer. It's also a bit distressing to think her great-nephew had it in the garage and dumped it on Craigslist for $100. He couldn't care less.

I bought a real ugly beater of a Victrola 80, but it was full of some really knockout jazz records, including a King Oliver. I kept the records and sold the machine. The only records I kept with a machine were those that came with a common, low-end Brunswick with the Ultona. It had 10 original Brunswick records and their 10 original sleeves. The new owner of that machine got the collection of Hawaiian records and other awful sounds the Brunswick jobber couldn't sell. My Victor Revere (which Bob Ault confirms *wasn't* stolen property) was full of vinyl 33s and a mouse nest. Not worth saving.

Damon
St. Louis, MO

[OrthoSean]

Hi, I am about to acquire an 8-35 that needs some love. Did you refinish the cabinet or is that original? What did you use to clean it up? Also, am going to be missing 3 books, any idea on how to find them? I would guess they are nearly impossible to find. Thanks!
Gary

Hi Gary,

It's original. All I did was clean the cabinet up with some (NON-pumice) GoJo and several soft cloths and some patience. I apply the stuff, rub gently with my hands in the direction of the grain, let it sit for 5 minutes or so and wipe it off with a soft cotton cloth (or lots of paper towels). Repeat the process until your cloth (or paper towels) come out "clean", in other words, no more filth showing up as you wipe it off. I like to let the cabinet dry for a day or so between applications of the stuff to avoid a tacky finish. You can also use 0000 steel wool of necessary but be very careful or you'll start removing finish. After it's clean to my satisfaction, I follow up with a coat or two of Howard's Feed 'N' Wax.

Those albums aren't easy to find, usually they're falling apart when you do find them. I have some extras, but I'm keeping them just in case. I also don't suggest storing records in them, they're just too brittle, even if they are nice and tight as most of mine were that came with this machine, I removed the records and have them someplace else. They do turn up on ebay now and then, keep your eyes open, but expect to shell out at least $20 per album, that's what I've seen them bring (and more).

Good luck and congrats, I really enjoy my 8-35!
Sean

[Tmahan72]

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing