The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

So I got my 2nd style Q out to play, I was touching the columbia label area of the bedplate it turned silver and I rubbed it lightly and it rubbed off.

I replaced it with one if Gregg's decals back in February and coated it with lacquer. I don't understand this phenomenon.

Today, I stripped it down, repainted it black. I ordered another set of decals.

I have noticed when the decal begins flaking due to the finish being worn. There is always a white area that appear when parts of the decal flake off. I don't know what this is exactly but my educated guess would be it was the backing of the decal from when it was originally applied.\\

-Steve

It's too bad they don't make varnish transfer decals anymore as those don't have issues like that. Sometimes I don't think the water transfer decals bite into the lacquer like they should. I usually add more thinner to the first coat or two I spray over the decal to get it to burn into the lacquer under it. I did have one fly off a phonograph lid this summer when I started to give it a first topcoat. That was a first one on me! I was glad I had an extra decal on hand and would have been really aggravated if it had been an expensive one. Someday, someone will remove the piano hinge on the lid and wonder why part of a Panatrope decal is under there....