The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Dear Forumites:

I am a museum technician at a small history museum in rural Colorado. We recently became aware of a set of Dictaphone recording, shaving, and transcribing machines in our collection. I believe the recorder is a model 10x. These were used in our county courthouse.

However, in addition to the 3 machines and a box of wax cylinders and boxes the donor had also included some 13 parts that look like black metal tubes with a slit detail on one end and threading on the other. The donor did not know much about the machines and wasn't able to indicate the purpose of the tubes.

I'm trying to find out if the metal tubes are part of our machines or associated with this type of dictation.

Any help anyone could provide in identifying the tubes would be much appreciated.

Attached are two photos showing one of the items in question.

Could you post pictures of the rest of the machines. I have not seen any part like that on the machines although it is similar to a speaking tube part.

Sent you a PM.

That looks like a candlestick telephone shaft.

Yes, that certainly appears to be the shaft of a Western Electric desk stand telephone. If the shafts are of Japanned brass ey belong to either a 20AL manual or 51AL machine switching stand, if of Parkerized steel it came from a 40AL unit.

Hmmm --- if it turns out to be part of the telephone it is both interesting but bizarre that we have 13 of them, but none of the other parts of the phones. Ah, the joys of museums!

AMuseumTech wrote:Hmmm --- if it turns out to be part of the telephone it is both interesting but bizarre that we have 13 of them, but none of the other parts of the phones. Ah, the joys of museums!

Here's the brass version for sale on ebay --

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Two-Brass-Weste ... 339217ee13

-- looks to be a near exact match.

Joe

Thanks so much! That is indeed what my parts are.

Perhaps the Dictaphone was used in a telephone company office...