The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I recently picked up this group and have never seen a nickel bell horn like this. I've seen all black and black and brass. Appreciate any info.

The bell on the horn is Zinc. The paint has a tendency to flake off. I think the paint flaked off and the owner polished up the bell. The horn should be all black with a gold stripe on the crimp joint of the bell and body. Also, a gold stripe on the roll of the bell.
Harvey Kravitz

That horn is usually all steel and painted all black. Will a magnet stick to the bell? I think someone just polished the steel bell.

I have several of these horns. The paint flakes off, and a magnet does not stick to mine. Unless, there is a variation of an all steel horn.
Harvey Kravitz

JerryVan wrote:That horn is usually all steel and painted all black. Will a magnet stick to the bell? I think someone just polished the steel bell.

Thanks for the info Harvey & Jerry. The bell is not Zinc (not soft). It appears to be brass with a Nickle plate.There is a gold pinstripe just before the bell that is original. I have seen many of these "common" horns....just not in this configuration. That's why I bring the question to the members.

Was a nickle bell horn offered by any of the many client Columbia's...?. Time to pull out the catalogs.

The black bracket was not found with the rest....in case that is confusing the matter.

Cut to the chase. Jerry Van is right. Get out your magnet and you will know.
BTW Harvey is seldom wrong. That is why I trust his comments totally.
Also, zinc is not considered a soft metal, on its own.
Not a metal person just did a simple search on metals on the crutch we depend on.....Internet.
Hawes

Larry Hawes wrote:Cut to the chase. Jerry Van is right. Get out your magnet and you will know.
BTW Harvey is seldom wrong. That is why I trust his comments totally.
Also, zinc is not considered a soft metal, on its own.
Not a metal person just did a simple search on metals on the crutch we depend on.....Internet.
Hawes

Hawes, Not sure why you would post a rather rude if not short reply to my question. I certainly never claimed anyone was "wrong".
According to the "internet"...

"I should note that zinc is not magnetic unless you put it in a very strong magnetic field and then it will be slightly magnetic until you remove the field. But for practical purposes zinc is not magnetic."


As I previously wrote...I have seen many of these horns, just not with a bell that looks like this in the sense it appears too even a finish to have been black.
I tested the bell surface and it is in fact magnetic (rules out brass and I assume zinc)....so, perhaps Harvey & Jerry are indeed correct and someone has meticulously cleaned the bell to look like nickle..??.

I have always thought this forum was here to ask questions when something seems unusual or abnormal....maybe I was wrong ?.

Anyway, I thank Harvey & Jerry for their insight.

Wow, in all my years of collecting Columbia machines, I never saw or heard of this configuration before. Does the horn have am 8 ½" bell? If so, I'll have to check my stash to see if I have that type of that horn. That's why I like this Forum so much, because I always learn something new.
Harvey Kravitz

Phonofreak wrote:Wow, in all my years of collecting Columbia machines, I never saw or heard of this configuration before. Does the horn have am 8 ½" bell? If so, I'll have to check my stash to see if I have that type of that horn. That's why I like this Forum so much, because I always learn something new.
Harvey Kravitz

Harvey, missed your post. The bell is 8.5" as I would have expected. As Jerry wrote, it may have had the paint striped from the bell..?.If so, they did a great job and clearly some time ago.

Yes, there were two gold stripes. There was one where the crimp meets the bell to the horn body. The other one is the rolled bead around the bell, as shown in your photo. That's why I suspect the paint was removed and the bell polished.
Harvey Kravitz