Why do you do what you do?

[Confettihead]

Great looking stove Brandon, I plan to restore an old Chambers stove some day.

[m0xiemama]

Wow Brandon! How cool. I have always wanted an old stove and your car is sick.

[TinfoilPhono]

-How old are you?
63

-What other objects to you like to restore and enjoy?
My full-time job is restoring antique Hamilton watches. I am incredibly lucky to work in something I truly love. Every day I have the thrill of taking an ugly, non-working wreck and turning it into a gleaming, like-new vintage timepiece keeping beautiful time. There's nothing more gratifying than restoring an heirloom.

I collect phonographs, watches, fans, telephones, slot machines, early photographs, and a lot of other things. I have diverse interests.

-What artistic endeavors do you entertain?
I'm a wet-plate collodion photographer (19th century process to make ambrotypes and tintypes).

-Why do you love phonographs or the other interests that you have?
I've been collecting phonographs for over 51 years. I can't explain why I love them so much, but they are obviously a permanent part of my life and I can't imagine not being passionate about them. For me, in everything I collect, the history behind the artifact is more important than the artifact itself. I live to do research.

[CarGuyZM10]

I just turned 22 last month.

I haven't done a full cosmetic restoration on anything yet, just mechanical. Usually, it's Lionel Trains. A few weeks ago though, I picked up a 1940 GE tube radio which I plan on going through mechanically. One day, I want to restore a car (preferably a Model A or a Mustang).

I am not really artistic. I do some modeling on my O gauge train layout though, but nothing fancy or anywhere near scale (very 1950's style layout).

I love:
Phonographs/old radios because I love to see technology at work. None of these chips that don't do anything, but tubes that warm up and buzz, and gears that move. Also, I was drawn in by the music.

Trains. Same reason as the phonographs, the mechanics of it. It is something to relax and watch, and to tinker with.

Cars. Who doesn't like cars? lol. I have been going to car shows with my grandfather since I was in a car seat! Now, we show his two 1965 Mustangs

[Swing Band Heaven]

-How old are you?
43

-What other objects to you like to restore and enjoy?
Creating digital transfers from the 78's and cleaning these up to see just how good they can really sound. It really is quite amazing how good a 78 can sound (particulalry compared to some of the "professional" CD sets out there!) Other things I enjoy include most items that are old - newspapers, post cards, household electrical items - to me they all provide a fasinating insight in to how things used to be.


-What artistic endeavors do you entertain?
Not any really..



-Why do you love phonographs or the other interests that you have?
Have collected phonographs since about 1978. I still have the first one I ever bought with my pocket money whilst my parents looked on frowning at me wasting my money on such an item.. Have had the fasination ever since I discovered my fathers Edison fireside phonograph and 60 accompanying records. My collecting has taken a back step over the past 2 years after we moved from the UK to New Zealand. Even after 2 years some of my machines remain packed up together with many records. My modern record deck stayed quiet for 18 months and I've only just picked up the hobby again recently. My attention has been focussed on the move and our new life here, and back in January we purchased a house here and sorting it out (and in particular the garden) is proving to be very time consuming. Below is a photo - the black area in the foreground is a very small part of garden which currently is just covered in bark with only 3 scrappy conifer trees in it. It measures 8 metres deep by 35metres long - so being creative with that kind of area on a budget is a challenge!

[m0xiemama]

That is a lovely home. Those huge windows are great. New Zealand is on my list of places I just have to visit.

[Swing Band Heaven]

Thank you. It really is a lovely country. You should come and check out the beaches - they are fantastic. Here is our local beach on a busy day...

[Valecnik]

I have way more interests than time.

1) family and kids ages 8 & 6
2) phonographs a.k.a. gramophones & music recorded before 1930
3) carpets, Afghan, Turkmen, tribal
4) weight driven long case clocks circa 1840 - 1920
5) antique lighting, oil, Aladdin, early electric, gas
5) gardening, outdoors, camping, travel

After 1) above which consumes most of my free time, 2)phonographs, consumes the majority of what's left.

I'm not a car collector, mainly due to space issues, but our two 1.9L and 1.4L diesel Skodas are getting old enough that if we don't trade up soon, I'll become a car collector by default.

[John Svensson]

a) 52
b) Other interests and restoration projects? A fondness for items remembered as a child and all "archaic technology", so I have a couple operating restored anthracite coal stoves for winter use, wood stove, re-purposed industrial lighting fixtures, a couple of Wm. Sessions' clocks, etc. restored bamboo fly rods for several years, odd OO scale model railroad equipment....it's all over the map really.
c) Artistic?...dabble at the guitar, I wouldn't call it art though.
d) Why phonos? It's about the sound for me, recalled 1940's era 78s being played at my gandparent's as a kid...sort of re-connected with that medium here in the past few years. It's an adjunct to my other fondness for "the next dimension" in sight and sound, hence I collect 1970's era quadraphonic equipment and recordings (and "modern" 5.1 channel high-rez recordings) and can barely look at a "flat photo" after having discovered stereoviews! <overly dramatic...> but I enjoy taking stereo photos on film, using a 1910 era 4x5 camera <what woman can resist a guy wearing a black focusing hood?>, even tried my hand at daguerrotypes. My mother was a small scale opera singer <late 40's> so I was exposed to the genre at any early age and can appreciate everything from Galli Curci to Bumble Bee Slim and The Georgia Strutters.

[HisMastersVoice]

Great looking stove Brandon, I plan to restore an old Chambers stove some day.

Thanks! It took many months, but it turned out great. My favorite feature on this one is the griddle. Some day I'd like to upgrade to a Wedgewood or a Chambers. The funny thing is, this stove was originally from a house that got torn down one street over from where I live, so it would almost be sad to get rid of it.

Maybe I'll just put a stove in the basement too