Before and After - 1914 Victor VV-IV Berliner

[hearsedriver]

Heres one that I picked up cheap because of the condition and a few missing parts. Its missing the crank, one door knob, and the top hinges. I am in the process of modifying a crank that will work until I can find an original. So, here is what I had to do to this one. First, my goal was to keep it as original as possible while still protecting the finish and integrity of the machine. I started with a disassembly, cleaning, and lubrication of the motor. It is running great. The spindle was bent so, I straightened it as well as the platter, which had a pretty good wobble to it. I cleaned the original platter felt with Spray & Wash and hot water and it turned out decent. Some stains (I call it character) are present. I did some light polishing on the nickle parts, mainly to remove rust. The cabinet finish was flaking as shown so, I tried to re-flow it with alcohol with very little luck. It did even up the color though so, I brushed 2 thin coats of shellac, followed by 0000 steel wool, and finally, a coat of paste wax. Im actually pleased with the way the finish turned out. I was surprised to see a number of changes between this one and my 1916 VV-IV. Different motor and tone arm mainly. No prop rod for the motor board too. Well, here are the before and after pictures. Enjoy!

[Curt A]

Very nice... worthwhile resto.

[flashpanblue]

You did a great job! What a difference.
Pete

[hearsedriver]

I appreciate it! I really enjoy working on these IV's. They dont take up much room on the bench and are fairly easy to work on. Of course, there is the frozen bolt or 2 to deal with. Im goling to search for a really late one next. One that has a metal horn. Im curious about the differnce in sound/volume.

[CharliePhono]

Great job, HD. What did you use to clean and reattach the turntable felt?

[hearsedriver]

Great job, HD. What did you use to clean and reattach the turntable felt?

I just sprayed it with Spray & wash, let it soak for 20 minutes, and rinsed with hot water in the sink. I did it with the felt still attached to the platter.I set the platter upside down for the night and peeled the felt off the next morning. After cleaning the platter, I sprayed it with 3M Super 77 Multipurpose adhesive. Let that dry for about 5 minutes and then attach the felt. really pretty simple.

[CharliePhono]

Great job, HD. What did you use to clean and reattach the turntable felt?

I just sprayed it with Spray & wash, let it soak for 20 minutes, and rinsed with hot water in the sink. I did it with the felt still attached to the platter.I set the platter upside down for the night and peeled the felt off the next morning. After cleaning the platter, I sprayed it with 3M Super 77 Multipurpose adhesive. Let that dry for about 5 minutes and then attach the felt. really pretty simple.

Great, thanks!

[Phonofreak]

It's looking good. Once you get the missing parts, you'll have a very nice machine. I love those little VV IV's. Prices are very reasonable, and a lot of bang for the buck.
Harvey Kravitz

[martinola]

That came out nice! Your experiment paid off!

Martin

[Oceangoer1]

I like how the finish turned out. It still looks aged, which is a good thing! Sometimes when the cabinets are refinished (like a lot of mahogany phonographs), it looks too light, or just looks kind of fake.

-Connor