My Edison B80 tabletop disc phonograph

[pughphonos]

It's awesome, Mindy; congratulations on a good machine and I love the customization with the Columbia grill. It's probably one of the few times I've read a post and thought it would be nice to have a B-80.

The alcohol fix on the belt is impressive.

Thank you! As long as the motor is fundamentally sound, any B80 can be rescued (even if the spring barrel is frozen with 110 years worth of gunk--and the other problems are even more quickly solvable in most cases).

Its has virtues over the standard Diamond Disc machines. The latter have the heavy iron motorboards that are hard to remove (with their large horns dangling below). If you leave their motorboards in place, you have to get at the motor and other elements by reaching into tight and hard-to-see recesses that are tucked behind the large horns. The interior of the B80, on the other hand, can be easily and totally accessed (top down) within seconds by removing the thin wood panels that surround the turntable. Sure, the cabinet is massive, but that gives you lots of interior space for easy access and navigation--and the smaller B80 horns contribute to the extra space.

In your repairs you won't want for company as lots of other owners have posted their work and finished products to YouTube.

I do not think I'll be out to buy a B-80 because I am trying to deal with a lot of collecting stuff. Trying to pare down the herd here, but dumpster-diving the other day scored me one of those old-time Kirby vacuum cleaners. No idea why I decided to crawl in after it--always wanted a Kirby but I do have a good old Oreck I'm trying to get working first. It is flood-damaged but it runs nicely; might try fixing it up & painting an old car with the spray-gun attachment if I decide to throw caution, and a pint or two of machine enamel, to the four winds.

My A-200 is at least nice about one thing--You can oil it without taking the motor board out at all, if you use the oiling tubes, and you can work at the back of the motor by dropping the hatch in the back (using the foldaway brass handle provided to open it.) And it also has the take-away wooden strips near the motorboard to get in there and work on it. I think I may have done all right by waiting for a long time before I bought an Edison Disc phonograph. I did not know the B-80 was set up this way too, or that this was not "normal" on an Edison. It's pretty easy to work on but it also does not need worked on very often--thankfully, most of these early machines do seem dead reliable, unless it's my Home Model B, which is reliably dead.

Love that contrast between dead reliable and reliably dead. Goodness yes, cylinder machines can be very touchy.

I learn things all the time on the TMF. Never knew that the A200 innards can be accessed through a drop-down rear panel. Yet another delightful feature of an early Diamond Disc machine. Attached is a photo I pulled from online.

[fran604g]

Fantastic "rescue" Mindy, congratulations for a job well done! Nice to "see" you here, again. Admittedly I've been virtually inactive for quite some time myself. The last couple of years I've plunged myself into phonograph-unrelated historical research and our many gardens here have kept me busier than a cowboy in a whorehouse!

Best regards my friend,
Fran

[pughphonos]

Fantastic "rescue" Mindy, congratulations for a job well done! Nice to "see" you here, again. Admittedly I've been virtually inactive for quite some time myself. The last couple of years I've plunged myself into phonograph-unrelated historical research and our many gardens here have kept me busier than a cowboy in a whorehouse!

Best regards my friend,
Fran

Hey Fran -- my friend as well! Please excuse the delayed response as in the past week I've devoted pretty much every spare moment to stripping and varnishing my B-80 cabinet. I left the original stain and it's got the lovely mahogany look again. Once I reassemble it I will post new pictures on this string--probably no later than Wednesday.

I tried the "restore a finish" approach to several of my items but I guess my finishes have been too far gone to revitalize doing that alone.

"Phonograph-unrelated historical reseach" -- I can only guess: genealogy? That's my other big hobby. But if you're researching on the academic path, let us all know. I also do that, but on the university dime--and I'm not published nearly enough as I should be.

You're a wonderful addition to any interest you pursue. Thanks for touching base!

Mindy

[pughphonos]

Hi Ken and all fans of the Edison B80 model,

After the initial work I did on the example I purchased from Ken last summer (SM 16667; documented at the beginning of this string) I decided to try harder and teach myself (with the invalable assistance of YouTube) how to strip, strain, and coat. I had really not done any of that before and it took half a year to learn. Most if not all of you know the drill: you have to buy your first sanders; you have to research stains; types of brushes (foam vs. conventional); and (hardest of all) you have to decide between a host of natural (shellac, etc.) and artificial coats (oil-based polyurethane, water-based polycrylic, etc.).

Several false starts; tried shellac (didn't like), polyurethane took too long to dry and didn't settle evenly. Finally settled on polycrylic applied with foam brushes (the most forgiving method).

Watched every YouTube video on the B80 I could find. Brad Hurt (the "Dyslexic Genius) loves the B80 too and provided tons of great info. He also said that his was originally stained Sedona Red and he said you can tell the original stain by looking on the underside, where it should appear without coating. Mine was the same. My goodness, when I got it, it sure looked like a dark mahogany: but I guess the original coat can REALLY get dark over a century. So I decided to go with Sedona Red and love it!!!

I initiallly put a Columbia grill on it (missing original grill when I got it) but a few days ago was finally able to find an original grill and spent a pretty penny to get it. I also got in touch with George Vollema and was able to buy his last set of mahogany feet.

So she's all done, except for a replacement Edison decal. I've dealt with Eduardo in Peru over the years (three purchases); two got lost in transit. I then tried someone in the U.S. but theirs was crappy and fell apart before I could apply it. So now I'm awaiting delivery of another, this time from South Korea.

I will post a YouTube video in the days ahead to show that it indeed does play! But the photos first.

The B80 demands attention, but it is such a COOL machine and I'm even more enthusiastic about the model than I was last summer.

Mindy

[Phono-Phan]

WOW What a transformation. You can be very proud of your work. I am glad it all was worth the effort.

[pughphonos]

WOW What a transformation. You can be very proud of your work. I am glad it all was worth the effort.

Thanks Ken. It was worth it on many levels. Really gratifying to bring it back.

[alang]

That is quite a transformation! I can only imagine how many hours of work went into that. I imagine that you learned a lot throughout the process. Things like that are a labor of love that can never be measured in $$, so all my complete transformations are my babies now that I would only part with last. Congratulations!

Andreas

[pughphonos]

That is quite a transformation! I can only imagine how many hours of work went into that. I imagine that you learned a lot throughout the process. Things like that are a labor of love that can never be measured in $$, so all my complete transformations are my babies now that I would only part with last. Congratulations!

Andreas

Thanks, Andreas. Very well put. I couldn't even begin trying to tally up the hours. Part of me would feel guilty about other projects (mainly archival: organizing personal photos and writings) that I shold have prioritized, I suppose--but restoring an old phonograph is such a joy. Yes, also: I will hang onto that to the end.

[Lah Ca]

Lovely job!

Thanks again for sharing this project!

[audiophile102]

Mindy, your work on the B80 cabinet is first rate. Your WD40 motor tune up took the real risk out of removing and reinstalling the spring which I hope I never have to do again for my A250. I hope to wrangle an invite so I can bring my rebuilt reproducers down to Homewood for a comparison. The figure 6 and the true tone are far superior to an original Edison diaphragm, but which is better? We have a lot of catching up to do.