The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I picked this horn up at an auction this past Saturday. It's cosmetically challenged. It appears to be either copper or brass with possibly a high copper content. Or maybe just brass that toned a coppery color. Very dirty. This along with an early front-mount Columbia AH (just the motor and case--motor runs) and a few other things all came out of the same auction. The consignor was a dealer/packrat who accumulated a lot of "stuff" over the years, most of it in bad shape. There had been a fire and everything is covered with soot. I've been de-sooting the AH.

Coming back to the horn, is it possible to say anything specific about this horn? It's obviously for a cylinder machine, but given its overall shape and composition (brass, I guess) can we say it's an early one, a late one, or even a repro? Maybe it's just a horn. Oh well.

Hi,
Not much can be said.

1. A common horn.
2. It is brass.
3. if it is 24" long that would be a popular size with current collectors.

John

I would guess it was made in the early 20th century perhaps on either side of 1905. They key word is "guess".

Jerry B.

What does the hanger ring look like?

As per request, here is a closeup of the hook.

Question: Is it OK to polish this horn? I really don't like polished brass, but this horn has some verdigris that will only come off with a light polish.

It's perfectly fine to polish it.

So I decided to polish. I thought people might like to see the current status. Still needs work, but I wanted to show the still unpolished inside versus whats been done to the outside. I was first just using 0000 steel wool with a little oil for a lubricant. Then I tried some copper polisher, a liquid. Finally I used some chemistry and mixed vinegar (a weak acid) with some salt and flour to make a paste that would react with the oxidized surface. You can see how dark and coppery-looking the inside still is. A pleasant coppery color that had it been uniform I would have left the horn alone. Anyway, I hope people enjoy seeing these things. I know I like very much seeing what other people find and do. It's a kind of vicarious experience.

Vinegar and salt is a good basic cleaner for brass.

Eric Reiss has also recommended lemon juice as a good way to remove that brownish oxidation: one can then go on to some of the proprietary brass polishes, and finally something like "Nev-R-Dull" to bring out a high finish.

Bill