The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello and thank you for allowing me into your community.

A bit about myself.
I was a member of a talking machine forum some 15 years (or so) ago... I think it was called the old time music machine forum or something like that. I remember a discussion about horn bees (Bees making nests in phonograph horns in barns) as I was looking for my first phonograph.

Anyway that forum has long gone and here I am.
I originally bought my Victor from a local dealer for a fair price, and it had the main springs replaced which I appreciated. I used it so much that I had to replace the governor springs. That also gave me a chance to disassemble the spring motor and really give it a good detailed cleaning. I had also rebuilt my Victor sound box back then with a new semi-soft gasket and brake pad. Sounds fantastic.

The phonograph may sit for months on end without use, and so I usually wind the dual spring motor about 18 turns and let it wind down without playing a record a few times. That seems to get the grease moving again on the main springs. The purpose is to work out the thumps before actually playing a record. I guess that's normal.

If the phonograph sits for months I will lubricate the spring motor before I use it. I put a drop of 3-n-1 oil on the tip of a screwdriver and apply it to the governor bushings, mainspring and ratchet bearings and the turntable shaft bushings. There is usually some grease oozed out of the mainspring containers and I'll wipe some of it onto the turntable shaft helix gear.

The mainspring grease is black, like it has a lot of graphite content. Is it alright to use it this way on the turntable helix? The part where the mainspring output gear contacts the turntable shaft. I also put a bit on the governor gear.

I had made this funny phonograph video a long time ago, which I'd like to share:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvQTqhYy0ho

Who knows maybe I'll make another one someday.

Generally speaking, does anyone know if today's modern cabinet shops are capable of reproducing (or fixing) crazed shellac finishes?

Everyone loves pics, so here are a few of my beloved VV-XI as it is today:
Thank you for viewing my first post here.

Thanks for your post. The VV-XI has the classic "Victrola" good looks that other companies tried to copy. It is a machine of substance that's not too big or too small. Jerry Blais

Did you know Pat McFadden?

My first machine was a Victrola XI, which my dad and I bought at an auction in the '60s for $12... It still plays great and is one of my favorite machines.

Check your messages - I sent you a PM.

I liked your video... very creative.

Thanks for the replies and kind words. The name Pat McFadden sounds vaguely familiar.

Your mahogany XI is identical to mine, serial #370333G. Congratulations!

Stevefury wrote:...Generally speaking, does anyone know if today's modern cabinet shops are capable of reproducing (or fixing) crazed shellac finishes?
...

Welcome from another newbie! If you have lots of time and elbow grease to spare, you can clean up a crazed finish with a product called Black Wax. It's made by a company called Pacific Engineering, quite sensibly located in, er, Connecticut.

The mfr. explains that it's not the finish that's alligatored, it's the layers and layers of cooking fumes, cigarette smoke, furniture polish, and whatnot that have piled up on top of the original finish over the course of decades. Black Wax is a wax polish that contains rotten stone to cut the accumulated crud off the surface. I redid an Edisonic Schubert with it--a LOT of work and no. 0000 steel wool, and the job ended up running through maybe 4 tins of the stuff, but in the end I had the satisfaction of knowing that I'd preserved the original finish in glowing condition.

Here's a link: http://www.pewaxes.com/blackwax/blackwax.htm

Stevefury, I remember you from the OTVMMB. I happen to have saved a copy of your iron record video over 10 years ago (the file saved date is 4/24/2004). IIRC, You had a few other videos in that same style (one of a 2 spring Victrola motor?). Neat stuff.

Great video, nice machine too, it's thumping? That shouldn't be happening even if it sat a year. I have many Victor machines, I don't get to play them all as much as I would like and many sit for years, but I repack the springs on every machine I own, there is never any thump and bump. It could be that not enough grease was used when the springs were last cleaned, or replaced. I have seen a tendency to spare the grease when some people repack a spring, and at least one guy who didn't bother to clean out all the old crud before slapping in new grease. Pull the spring drum, open it, clean it out or add more grease.