The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

When did Edison start using that sating nickel finish like you see on the Edisonic machines on the Chippendale machines and the other one's like the W-19 et. I saw a Chippendale like that a few weeks ago and I know it has to be a late machine and was kind of curious about when that metal finish was introduced. I like that finish really well, but it just seemed odd to see it on that model as I've always seen those with the gold finish of course. Thanks now.

When you say Chippendale machines, do you mean a C-250, or a C-19? To the best of my knowledge, the parts were were a gold wash, not nickel.
Harvey Kravitz

I'm not sure I know what you mean by a "satin nickel" finish in this case. The lower end Diamond Disc machines mostly had a chrome-like shiny nickel finish; the higher-end ones were mostly gold-plated. The later Edisonics, AFAIK, used a sort of "gun metal" finish, a sort of brownish-gold color. Is that what you are referring to?

The brownish nickel finish. Maybe they called is oxidized bronze or oxidized nickel, but I saw it on a late C-19 and was just kind of curious about it. The guy wanted to sell it to me but couldn't find the reproducer, which is not a big deal, but I told him I'd go back over and look at it after he found it. I have a Schubert Edisonic and it has the same finish on the hardware. And this C-19 also does not have a speed control knob, it has the later motor where that was eliminated.

I own a W-19 myself, and I can say that the finish is a gunmetal type application, sometimes with oxidized rings, depending on what machine you have.