The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Does anyone have experience re-chroming a mandrel? I have 2 that need it.

Re-nickeling, yes, but chrome plating was not in use yet at the time these machines were produced. You can buy nickel plating kits, which should give acceptable results if you properly prep and polish the mandrels first. Otherwise, I see people sending things to a place called Nashville Plating a lot.

Eric Reiss also has a section on home plating in his Compleat Talking Machine, if you have the resources to put together the equipment and supplies.

Bill

My advice would be to send it to be done professionally. To do it yourself you need to get the remaining nickel (not chrome!) off, and the bare metal must be polished to a mirror finish, or the new plating will emphasise any tiny remaining scratches. Very difficult to do!

I have used both Nashville Plating http://www.nashvilleplatingservice.com/ and Victrola Repair Service http://victrolarepairservice.com/

Either can give you an antiqued nickel finish and do a decent job. Of the two I lean a little more toward Victrola Repair Service. They know more about how phonograph parts age and leave just enough imperfections, at least in my experience. Neither is cheap though. You may want to experiments yourself. If it does not turn out well you can always send it away.

Clay

Does anyone know how the mandrel comes off the feed screw?

Amberola wrote:Does anyone know how the mandrel comes off the feed screw?

It's pressed on. You don't need to remove it. The mandrel and feedscrew/mainshaft are removable as a single unit. Just remove the upper pulley and you can then CAREFULLY move the feedscrew through the stanchion.

George P.

phonogfp wrote:

Amberola wrote:Does anyone know how the mandrel comes off the feed screw?

It's pressed on. You don't need to remove it. The mandrel and feedscrew/mainshaft are removable as a single unit. Just remove the upper pulley and you can then CAREFULLY move the feedscrew through the stanchion.

George P.

Thanks George,
I talked with Rod and he said to send it with the feed screw on it. I am going to get the nickel off and send it to him.

After some work on the brush, then polishing, this mandrel looks like new. What I thought was brass coming
through was rust?

BEFORE AFTER

One o' them fancy, grooved mandrels...