The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

A friend has lucked into a very fine walnut bombe Victor Upright.. Its a bit crazed but nothing serious.. He wants to bring back as much of the original look as possible. I have always used the Kotten Klenser product. An antique dealer, phonograph collector first introduced me to it in the late 50's.. Now I see a lot of people using Howards Restore A finish.. I purchased a can today to see what the effects are.. I know what to expect from the Kotten Kelenser product, it wipes away a lot of dirt, helps to remove white rings or spots and usually leaves the cabinet ready to wax after a decent dry time.. I used it last on my Columbia 800 which I just got the reproducer back for.. (Thats another story).. The finish on the Columbia was pretty rough and I used steel wood pads to rub it down. In some places it left it dulled and whitish looking.. I think most of that is due the basement storage it was subjected to for years out here in damp country.. I intend to sand it down lightly and then coat it with new shellac. He doesn't have that ability so I need something reasonably easy..

Which product have you had the most luck with and any down sides to either?

As to the Columbia it sounded pretty weak when I got it going yesterday.. Today I removed the Grill for the first time and found quite a bit of the old sealant of the wood horn parts either hanging loose or on the bottom of the cabinet.. I suspect when I get that all sealed properly it will then produce a much fuller tone..

Larry

This is a subject that has had some heated discussions on the forums. I've heard of using everything from Danish Oil, Kotten Kelenser, Howard's, GoJo non-pumice, to mayonnaise!

A walnut bombe Victor upright? Photos please!

WE have had great luck with Kramer's antique improver.

This is available at most antique malls in a display area.


This is an all natural product that cleans without harming original shellac and feeds oils back into the wood.

Let us know if you have tried KRAMER'S?

ALL THE BEST,

DAVID & lERRIA

Good luck with your Columbia Viva Tonal 800. They are great machines. I own two, an 800 walnut, and an 810 mahogany with an olive green paint decoration. The 800 has a manual shut off mechanism, while the 810 does not. That is probably because the 810 was early production and the 800 later? Since the competition product, the Credenza, had an automatic shut off for Victor records with an eccentric groove, Columbia 810 purchasers probably demanded one too, although theirs was manually set.

Marc.

Kramer's Antique Improver.
Costs a bit more, yet worth every penny!

I actually mix it 1:1 with Howard's Beeswax Feed and Wax Wood Preserver. In 45 years, this is the best solution that I have came up with.