The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Last night, I bought a Brunswick 207 off Craigslist for $100 (complete with a bunch of 78s and Diamond Disks inside). There are some minor cosmetic issues, as seen in the pictures below. They show the damage a bit more than you notice looking at it.

That is grill cloth hanging out




Some white paint




This cup stain is what bothers me the most. Whatever spilled down the back cleaned right off, but this is more stubborn






The big problem right now is the motor. I cannot seem to get it to maintain speed. It speeds up, slows down, speeds up, stops, and just will not maintain speed. Does this mean I should take the motor apart and completely clean it? Any help appreciated.

In playing with it a little more, I think i may have found the problem...or it found me. The governor fell out! I think if it was loose, that certainly could cause this problem. Now for the new question. How do I get the brass bearings (or whatever they are at each end of the governor) to stay in place?

There should be a set screw for each of the governor bearings.

George P.

Yes, they're the 2 large round headed screws visable at either end of the governor in the picture below. (click to enlarge).
I can see one of yours is present in your motor photo above, so check the screw at the other end is still there too.

Thanks guys! I feel like a little bit of an idiot right now for not realizing that the screw might hold it in place. lol. I just looked and they are both there. Hopefully that fixes it. It's a good looking machine, and I would love to have it be reliable.

And be honest, how do you think I did on the price?

CarGuyZM10 wrote:And be honest, how do you think I did on the price?

You did very well on the price, especially if the Ultona arm and reproducer are in good shape. It would be worth more than that just for parts.

Looks like it mostly just needs a good clean up as to the outside, maybe with a mild refinish of some sort on the top and grille cloth replacement. Personally, unless it is running smoothly and quietly, I like a motor overhaul when I pick up a machine so it will be good to go for years to come, and replacement of dried out reproducer gaskets.

Keep us posted on your progress. It should make a very handsome machine.

Clay

FloridaClay wrote:

CarGuyZM10 wrote:And be honest, how do you think I did on the price?

You did very well on the price, especially if the Ultona arm and reproducer are in good shape. It would be worth more than that just for parts.

Looks like it mostly just needs a good clean up as to the outside, maybe with a mild refinish of some sort on the top and grille cloth replacement. Personally, unless it is running smoothly and quietly, I like a motor overhaul when I pick up a machine so it will be good to go for years to come, and replacement of dried out reproducer gaskets.

Keep us posted on your progress. It should make a very handsome machine.

Clay

Thanks, the arm and reproducer are in great shape, but they could probably stand a cleaning, as they seem slightly tarnished. But it sounds great, so I don't plan to touch it.

The case I might buy some sort of finish restore product (any suggestions?), but I don't know if I will refinish it. Like I said, the flash brought out more damage than you normally see, and the stain on top is hard to notice where I have it, so I think I will keep it original as long as I can.

As for the motor, I probably will overhaul it this winter. Right now though, I am in the middle of student teaching, so free time is at a premium. Between this, and the fact that I LOATHE having things that do not work, especially things I just bought, I am trying to get it working to hold me over until then. Right now it is just governor adjustment. I think just a small slide and I should have it.

I will post a video when I get a chance of it playing.

I think I got it now

That Howard'd Restor-a-finish works pretty well. I think it says it is good for those white rings if you apply it with 0000 steel wool. It did this to the top of my VV 4-3:
I ended up stripping it because the grooves were just too deep but it was pretty impressive.