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Fairy Phonograph Lamp Restoration
Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 7:20 pm
by Curt A
I have finally completed my Fairy Phonograph Lamp restoration and it works great. I have been working on it since last June and finally got the original motor back from the shop that completely rebuilt it. That was the issue that held everything up for so long. It's hard to find someone who has the knowledge and time to rebuild an unusual electric motor that was made specifically for this lamp. The project was a basket case of parts when I originally obtained it and had a broken arm that held the lamp portion. The restored pics are below.
Here is a link to the original pics:
http://open1234.wix.com/camps-site/twil ... phono-lamp
The AFTER pics are on this page as a link.
Check out our website for more stuff:
http://www.carolinaphonosociety.com
Re: Fairy Phonograph Lamp Restoration
Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 8:48 am
by alang
Looks awesome! Does it play reasonably well, considering the strange position of the tonearm?
What made you decide to use a Tiffany style shade instead of the fabric shade like in the catalog picture? Not trying to criticize, just want to understand, since you obviously had to make either from scratch...
Thanks for sharing
Andreas
Re: Fairy Phonograph Lamp Restoration
Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 3:33 am
by phonoman-antique
wow what a wonderful lamp.Good job restoring it.
Thank you for sharing.I also loved you website link.
Very well done.A treat.
Re: Fairy Phonograph Lamp Restoration
Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 8:17 am
by Curt A
Thanks for the positive comments and compliments:
It actually does play well... The reason the reproducer and tonearm are at a strange angle, is because I am using a Pathé reproducer on it, so it will play regular 78s, Pathé's, and Edison Diamond Disc records by just changing the angle and the needle.
I have seen three of these machines and restored two. All three came with different generic reproducers, which apparently could be rotated to play various different records. I came across a 1918 Pathé reproducer (same vintage as the machine) and it fit perfectly and looked like it was made for the tonearm, so I decided to use it. I also like the Pathé needle chuck. Because of its larger diaphragm, the sound is loud. Unbelievably the volume control, which looks like a butterfly carburetor control, works great.
The reproducer looks more at home in its Pathé record mode. I still have the original reproducer that came with the machine, but am not convinced that it is the original one from the factory. If anyone has any more information on what the factory reproducer looked like, I would appreciate it...
I chose to use a leaded glass shade instead of the typical silk shade, which I think makes it look less like something from a bordello...
Re: Fairy Phonograph Lamp Restoration
Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 8:24 am
by Curt A
The lamp literature indicated that it could be originally purchased with a shade similar to the silk one shown in the ad, or you could buy it without a shade and use your own. I have always liked Tiffany type shades anyway, so I thought if I ever ran across one that was 22" across and somewhat geometrical to fit the original style that I would go with it. Strangely, I ran across this one on eBay and I photoshopped it onto a pic of the lamp to get an idea of what it might look like before purchasing it. So, that's how it ended up with this shade...
Re: Fairy Phonograph Lamp Restoration
Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 8:33 am
by Curt A
Original Ad...