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Just acquired a very nice looking Edison Home model B cylinder phonograph with 2/4 minute adaptor. Looks like the cabinet has been refinished and has a new decal. Needs a little work, though. The handle is not correct, but I think I can find one for it. It only plays in 2 minute mode, stops dead in 4 minute mode. Pretty sure I can fix that.

Has a nice 11 panel Edison Home horn with what looks like a new crane, plus model H reproducer. Also came with 41 cylinders, 37 were playable and 12 went into my personal collection.

And ain't it pretty!

Cliff

CDBPDX wrote: It only plays in 2 minute mode, stops dead in 4 minute mode. Pretty sure I can fix that.


Cliff

The whole motor, or just the feedscrew?

Bill

Lucius1958 wrote:

CDBPDX wrote: It only plays in 2 minute mode, stops dead in 4 minute mode. Pretty sure I can fix that.


Cliff

The whole motor, or just the feedscrew?

Bill

Everything stops, locks up. It plays strong in 2 minute mode. My first thought is the screw shaft that drives the half-nut/carriage is somehow stuck to the mandrel shaft, or it could be the 'clutch' gear is misaligned. It seems to be very common for these adaptor kits to be improperly installed, to where it plays only 2 minute or only 4 minute, but not both. I'll have to disassemble it to see what the trouble is.

It has a rubber belt, not leather. I likely won't change that.

The folks I bought it from said they bought it several years ago at the Expo antique show (in Portland, OR) and it had been rebuilt at that time. Don't know if it ever played 4 minute cylinders or not. Could have gunked up over the years...

Anyway, now I have an excuse to tinker with it. That's a plus.

Cliff

Took apart the mandrel assembly. The threaded sleeve that slides over the mandrel shaft was extremely gunked up as I suspected. Cleaned that all up and reassembled and it played great the first time. YeeHaa!

Here is a YouTube video of the phonograph:

https://youtu.be/mJi4BdchyVI

Enjoy!

This machine has the banner decal. Looking around on the internet I see a Home serial number 24xxxx with the later Edison decal. The serial number on this one is 337487. When did the decal get switched? I'm beginning to think this may not be the correct decal for this machine... Is it likely a machine with this serial number could have left the factory with a banner decal?

Cliff

That decal is definitely a Repro... The database shows that somewhere around Serial Number #212933 the transition fully took affect from the Banner Decal to the Edison Decal. Your Machine was made around 1906 and definitely came with an "Edison" Script Decal originally.

George P. may be able to narrow down a more correct month when the machine left the Factory. The database says May 1906, but I would not trust that Month/Date necessarily as George may have more accurate info.

Also, What makes you think that the handle is not correct..??? It sure looks correct. Do you think that its a Repro by looking at the end of the handle?

)

Tony K.

CDBPDX wrote:This machine has the banner decal. Looking around on the internet I see a Home serial number 24xxxx with the later Edison decal. The serial number on this one is 337487. When did the decal get switched? I'm beginning to think this may not be the correct decal for this machine... Is it likely a machine with this serial number could have left the factory with a banner decal?

Cliff

Your Home left the factory sometime after May 1908 (when the known sales figures end), so it originally had a later script decal.

George P.

This machine is SN 337487. It must be very late in the production of the model B. Any idea what is the highest serial number for a model B??

Regarding the banner decal, I'm OK with it, even if it is incorrect.


Cliff

CDBPDX wrote:This machine is SN 337487. It must be very late in the production of the model B. Any idea what is the highest serial number for a model B??

Yes, it's a very late production B. According to Martin Kauper's research, there's only one known with a higher number: 342483.

George P.