The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello,

I bought an Edison Home phonograph a few months back and inside the case was this possible phonograph horn bit. It looks like it may be part of some phonograph horn but I can't identify it. Perhaps an early Amberola? On the other hand it could be a random bit of scrap metal. There is a metal ring on one end that it is threaded on the inside. It also has some sort of tiger print on it, looks like bronze and black. I was hoping somebody could point me in the right direction as to whether this is from a phonograph or not.

That appears to be a horn connector for an Amberola 1A, 1B, or III. It mounts on a stanchion with the reproducer mounted on the other side. Your connector goes to a larger "elbow" that then connects to the actual horn.

Thank you for the info. I see where it would go now. I am a bit curious as to why it was inside a Home phonograph case.

Yes, and although it may seem like a fragment and not worth having, this part could be useful for folks restoring any of the models listed above. The finish is intentionally styled to be as you see it, and can be ruined by attempts to clean or polish it. The finish has various names, of varying accuracy, but was used on household hardware and light fixtures and miscellaneous metalware in the early part of the 20th century.

I have one of these stray necks myself, actually. Don't need it, I just like it.

So please don't discard it or try to clean it. Perhaps you'd like to keep it as an interesting object, or pass it along to another phonograph person.

Yes, save that part. I restored an Amberola 1-A a couple of years ago and needed that part. I ended up locating one and paid a fair price for it. Jerry Blais

For those curious... Edison called the finish "Oxidized Bronze" Finish...or at least that's what it said in the Edison Period Catalogs.


The finish is similar to "Case Colored" Finish... which is also very similar to the "Case Colored Hardening" finish used on Late 19th Century firearms such as Rifles, Shotguns and Handguns. It is a very expensive, time consuming process to create. That is why Edison only had the finish on his finest machines. These were very Expensive and Popular finishes of the period.

)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer