The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I recently purchased a "basket case" Edison Home Model B from Ebay (at least, I believe it was a Model B, in life). I am reasonably mechanical, having worked successfully on antique toy trains, R/C helicopters, an antique car, etc. I thought it better to learn to work on a phonograph in poor condition, than to damage a good one, if and when it needed repair. I have a Standard D in pretty good shape but, other than lubricating it, changing the belt, and repairing the broken wooden case, I have no experience with these machines.

He serial number is H215074, if that helps.

The carriage was broken, the output shaft for the large pulley is bent, the pulley shattered, etc. Part of the damage is due to the USPS, unfortunately.

I picked up a slightly different carriage from Ebay (I was able to remove the carriage rod fairly easily) and have ordered the pulley. I don't know if I can straighten the output shaft but will give it a shot (get to test the new dial indicator).

I have a question regarding the mandrel bearing: The ends of the mandrel shaft are pointed/tapered at each end. If I open the end gate, the mandrel shaft drops down (there does not seem to be an actual bearing in the bed plate casting). I can believe that there is no bearing on the mandrel shaft where it passed through the boss on the casting (my Standard D has a bearing here, but does not have an end gate-the mandrel is cantilevered).

Should there be a bearing in the bed plate casting to support the mandrel? Is this normal?


Thank you all in advance!

Your Home is indeed a Model B, and it should be in a cabinet with the "Edison" script decal on the front panel.

You're also correct in presuming there is no bearing in the central boss of a Home B. The mainshaft is supported at each end as you described. Everything sounds normal (including the damage in transit! ).

Good luck!

George P.

George P.

Thank you very much, sir!

I am going to see if the motor runs in the next few days (the crank I have does not fit this machine, so I will be ordering a repro this week.

Sorry to hear about the shipping damage. You should be able to straighten the bent shaft without removing it. I've done it before by using a small nut driver that just fits over the shaft. Work in very small steps and check your work often. You probably won't get it absolutely straight but it should be close enough to work well.

As far as the crank, I would shop around for an original before buying a reproduction. These are common machines and parts are easy to find. Try such people as Ron Sitko or George Vollema.

Jim

The case is now repaired, structurally (thank heaven for thick CA). Someone else had, apparently, tried to glue it together without success (or decent glue) in the past and botched the fit of the parts). It will need cosmetic work to get it looking decent, but it will suffice for the moment, until I can get the mechanics working.

A new pulley is on the way, as is a replacement spring (the one in the machine is broken).

Is the carriage and 2/4 mechanism for the Triumph the same as the one for the Home? I was thinking that, as long as I have it apart, I might as well upgrade it to 2/4 if I can get the parts. It seems I am able to find the Triumph parts easier than the Home parts, at the moment.

Thank you all for your responses and assistance.