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Do any of you have a Cheney catalog around? I picked up this Cheney machine yesterday with a really fancy and HUGE cabinet. I'm just wondering if this was a "period" model or not. The dataplate doesn't have the usual "style E, F, G" like they usually do. This may very well be the DIRTIEST machine I've ever picked up, but the finish is intact and nice looking, so I'll be giving this a thorough cleaning, but no refinishing...

Thanks for your help!

Sean

Hey Sean,

Unfortunately I don't have a Cheney catalogue but you can obviously see it was a higher end machine in the line. I'm sure it would clean up pretty nicely even with just some kotton Klenser.

BTW, I do like your garage in the background. That totally cluttered look and apparent lack of any sort of automobile ever having been there bears a striking resemblance to my garage in the below post

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... f=2&t=2882

Um, yea, Bruce. I haven't had a car in the garage in over 10 years. The challenge has now become just being able to navigate through it on foot without tripping over something. I'm sort of embarassed by it, but then, none of the stuff is really junk. Mostly projects, several jukeboxes, a Credenza, an Actuelle and a pile of other machines and parts. I also have a workshop equally as full. You wouldn't believe that I've actually gotten rid of a lot recently. This was one of five machines I picked up and I just HAD to grab it because of the cabinet. I was mistaken about model designations, the Cheney instructions on the Nipperhead site shows styles "3, 4, 5" etc and mentions art models but nothing further. Kotton Kleanser will be all this thing needs I'm pretty sure. I also got what looks like an art cased Aeolian Vocalion in an equally large and fancy cabinet, I have yet to pick that one up (no more room in the car).

Sean

BTW, Bruce, your garage looks empty compared to mine! I'm jealous!

Sean

OrthoSean wrote:Um, yea, Bruce. I haven't had a car in the garage in over 10 years. The challenge has now become just being able to navigate through it on foot without tripping over something. I'm sort of embarassed by it, but then, none of the stuff is really junk. Mostly projects, several jukeboxes, a Credenza, an Actuelle and a pile of other machines and parts. I also have a workshop equally as full. You wouldn't believe that I've actually gotten rid of a lot recently. This was one of five machines I picked up and I just HAD to grab it because of the cabinet. I was mistaken about model designations, the Cheney instructions on the Nipperhead site shows styles "3, 4, 5" etc and mentions art models but nothing further. Kotton Kleanser will be all this thing needs I'm pretty sure. I also got what looks like an art cased Aeolian Vocalion in an equally large and fancy cabinet, I have yet to pick that one up (no more room in the car).

Sean

do you have any images at all of the aeolian? or any more information about it? I haven't seen many of the more upscale versions, and didn't realize there were many. I have one, and I think you may have seen it when you were at the house a year or two ago... if you remember it, is yours anything like it?

and that's a nice cheney. my only gripe with those machines is the fiber gear on the turntable spindle... if it's shot, you're in trouble. but if it's running well, as was the one I used to have (I think you know about that one), then it should run quite silently as I remember.

Sean, of course "none of the stuff is really junk". Nor is it in my case. My wife has some junk in there though!

At one time I had quite a few big floor models including an art model Cheney council, about the same width as a wide gothic victrola but ~ 5ft tall. Unfortunately I sold them all before I moved to Europe. I don't have pictures here but perhaps if someone posts some Cheney catalogue pics for you I might get lucky and see it.

Hey Brian,

no, I didn't snap any pics of it while I was there, but this one isn't quite like yours, this is more gothic-y looking. It's equally filthy and it will likely need a lot of cleaning up, but for $50 (same for the Cheney), I just couldn't leave them there.

So, the Cheney has a fiber gear? This one is wound up all the way, the motor will not run at all and the speed control linkage to the motor is missing. I'm wondering if this has anything to do with that fiber gear or what. I wasn't afraid since I've at least got a working Cheney to compare things to. I'd imagine George V. will have the parts I need when I figure out what's wrong to begin with.

Sean

OrthoSean wrote:Hey Brian,

no, I didn't snap any pics of it while I was there, but this one isn't quite like yours, this is more gothic-y looking. It's equally filthy and it will likely need a lot of cleaning up, but for $50 (same for the Cheney), I just couldn't leave them there.

So, the Cheney has a fiber gear? This one is wound up all the way, the motor will not run at all and the speed control linkage to the motor is missing. I'm wondering if this has anything to do with that fiber gear or what. I wasn't afraid since I've at least got a working Cheney to compare things to. I'd imagine George V. will have the parts I need when I figure out what's wrong to begin with.

Sean

if you've got a place for parts, and I imagine vollema is a good one, then you should be all right. I just remember finding a nice one before, but with the same problem... everything in the motor was frozen - and when I had someone do the work to rebuild it, I was told it was because of that fiber gear, for which he had no replacement. I know there are some external horn columbias that also had fiber gears on the spindle, and I thought that at some point someone was making reproductions/replacements. still though, you should be able to pick up an original replacement from a parts motor if yours has any issues... my sources at the time just didn't have any, and I didn't have the energy to look... besides, in waiting, I ended up finding a much nicer one in oak, although that one now complements someone else's collection, or at the very least his garage.

brianu wrote:I ended up finding a much nicer one in oak, although that one now complements someone else's collection, or at the very least his garage.

Haha, no, that oak Cheney is in my office, which has been turned into a nice little "machine room"!

The garage has mostly projects in it and a few machines I have for resale, but with the market being the way it is, they're probably going to just stay there for awhile...

I know, Bruce, none of it's junk! Well, there are two refrigerators in there that might be, since they don't play music, but one of them does a great job keeping the keg cold!

By the way, Brian, how to you get a motor like this apart if it's seized up and wound all the way without the spring barrels and everything else "zinging"? I can see it now....

Sean

Sean, a Cheney catalog went off on Ebay recently (I was outbid) but I found the ad- your machine is the Georgian: BTW- the seller posted images of ALL the pages and if anyone is interested I can post them here.