The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello everyone. I recently purchased a Silvertone Portable at auction, and the leather case is dirty. I was wondering what you guys recommend to clean up cases like this?

Also, out of curiosity, does anyone carry parts for a Silvertone Portable? Thanks!

try using standard furniture or leather polish for the case, i do

as for the parts, george vollema

http://www.victroladoctor.com/

The standard for cleaning leather is saddle soap. Use it first, then apply neatsfoot oil. These items are sold at outdoor stores (LLBean, Cabela, etc.) and some hardware stores.

paste type shoe polish of the appropriate color can help hide scratches.
(BTW, it's probably not real leather on your portable)

Retrograde wrote:paste type shoe polish of the appropriate color can help hide scratches.
(BTW, it's probably not real leather on your portable)

Good point. Leathercloth is the usual case covering, with real leather reserved for de luxe versions.

If the leathercloth is dirty, I apply a car upholstery cleaner such as Decosol neat, leave for a couple of minutes and then wipe off with a damp sponge. I then dry it off with an OLD towel, not one from the bathroom!

Black leathercloth can be revived with shoe polish, but I only use shoe polish on other colours as a last resort because of the difficulty in acheiving a good match.