VV-XI horn assembly question

[welshfield]

Regarding my earlier posts of the empty cabinet I bought for a VV-XI. I now have all the parts, but one question. In assembling the cast iron horn to the wooden grille, did the factory use any kind of sealant to seal in lost air at the junction? There is a slight gap and I am interested in learning from you all whether or not this gap will matter in the sound reproduction or whether I should just ignore it. If it was sealed, what modern product should I use? Also is there a gasket between the upper portion of the cast iron horn and its junction with the tone arm bracket? (That makes two questions (!))

By the way, thanks to all you who offered me parts. As I replied to each of you, I am most likely to be unable to attend the Union show to meet any of you to pick up those parts. However, I was able to assemble all I needed from great eBay finds. The motor and board and tone arm and reproducer came from a guy who was parting out a machine with a truly ruined cabinet, which relieves my conscience. Unfortunately the horn and grille appear to have come from a hacker who was disassembling a perfectly good machine for profit, so my conscience is not so clear on those parts. mea culpa.

[estott]

I've never seen any sealer between the cast iron horn and the wood portion, or a gasket at the throat. Victor was not very concerned with making things air tight until the Orthophonic era. I doubt that the gap would make much difference, but if you want to seal it just use silicone sealant, the kind you use to fill gaps in the bathroom. Blotting paper makes a good gasket for places such as the horn throat.

[Henry]

As the owner of a VV-XI (#370333), model G (made in 1917), I can answer for mine. There is definitely some kind of sealer factory-applied at the junction of the cast iron and wooden components; a bead of this sealer can be seen around the whole perimeter of the joint, and not too neatly applied, I might add. It is the same color as the paint on the cast iron, which I would describe (using railroad terminology) as "tuscan red," a/k/a/ "boxcar red." This substance dents with a fingernail, and it appears to be wax, probably beeswax (my guess). At the taper tube joint with the horn there doesn't appear to be any sealant, at least none that is visible, but whether there is something underneath or between the parts I can't say; disconnecting things is the only way to find out, and I'm not going to do that! However, if I were going to apply sealant I would be inclined to use clear silicone, which I believe others here have used to seal joints and cracks in their orthophonic horns.

[Vintage Music Co]

Indeed, all the Victor horns I've come across have a dark brown wax/tarish compound that I've been enable to determine. When ness., I use brown rope caulk: cheap, clean & easy to use.

[phonojim]

I have seen what looks like some kind of sealer between the iron and wood sections os the horn, but never anything between the iron section and the cabinet. If the screws are tight, there probably won't be enough leakage to bother with anyway, considering the amount of built-in leakage in the tonearm.

Jim

[welshfield]

Thank you all for your help with this project. I assembled the machine yesterday, and again --for the first time in how many years?-- it sang and did so wonderfully. In fact, the soundbox, even with case-hard gaskets, sounds so good that I am reluctant to touch it. How can that be? Loud, wonderfully clear. (I did put a new back flange on it.)

This one sounds (and looks, with its light non-oak finish) so good that it will now be a permanent addition to my modest collection. My collection is scattered throughout the house as part of the furniture, not gathered into one showroom. So I need to find wall space for this new addition. Fortunately I live in a sprawling old farmhouse so no one is overly aware of phonographs in any one place. (More or less !)

By the way, contrary to my initial comments in my post, the second seller of parts was not gutting a machine. These were parts he purchased separately, so my conscience is again clear. (Maybe this is why the machhine sounds so good.)

Thanks again. I am so pleased.

John

[Jerry B.]

I've had a few pre-Orthophonic Victor horns apart and I agree with a previous post that Victor used a colored wax for the joint sealer. Jerry