The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This machine is currently on eBay. I can't remember when I saw a more sad refinish and even more crappy decal on an Edison machine. I guess like they say, if you live long enough you'll see it all, lol.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Thomas-Edison-Home- ... 1c1151359f

Well that's definitely right up there although I've seen a few as bad with the decal put on very crooked or the wrong decal too.

Well, I just looked at it. I am curious what is the thing your seeing that makes the finish so "Sad"? Its maybe not perfect but to my eye doesn't seem to be anything obviously bad about the way it appears?

Todays collector has a much easier time doing a quality restoration. Current reproduction parts are much more authentic than those made years ago. Reproduction Victor elbows are a good example. In the '70s one supplier provided modified plumbing parts as a elbow. Nest came the cast aluminum elbows and I can remember happy to get one. Today we have replica elbows that will fool a seasoned collector. The reproduction decals have followed the same path from shoddy to terrific. It would be very interesting to see the progression of the reproduction "Edison" decal. The early decals had half a dot over the "i" instead of the more triangular shape. The advantage of small decals is the fact that they are not as noticeable. A banner decal stands out like a poorly repainted horn. I suspect that the Home in this thread was done years ago and the reproduction decal was a good as what was available at the time. Jerry Blais

I saw that one on ebay and I thought " Oh oh...70's refinishing job.." I looks like they used that varnish stain-y stuff which is so hard to strip if one wants to re do it in a more period style.

It doesn't look very original. The stain should be way darker. Although, like I saw in a previous comment, I have seen worse. I've seen so many machines with wrong decals that I couldn't keep count. Ex:
Edison Standard model B with the newer "Edison" decal. I've even seen an Edison Standard model D with the older banner decal! Ridiculous!

-EnerG15

Hi EnerG15.
Actually, the Standard B appeared with the banner decal only for the first 100,000 serial numbers of its run, after that it went to the later simple "Edison" script. But your point is well taken. It amazes me how little attention someone will pay to details like the decal even though they'll spend hours of hard work refinishing. (On the other hand, my first refinishing job is still owned by a friend and it still reproaches me...)

Martin

Proves my total lack of knowledge of a cylinder machine as to the details of age and color! Well then I have always been more of a listener than a fanatic for details. I do like the machines I have to look as original as possible though, just not up on these.

You could more accurately call this a very incorrect refinish and decal. Someone took some pains with it and at the time it probably would have been considered passable to good. "Bad" would be more like I did - slapping a layer of mahogany red varnish-stain over the case of an oak Triumph.

Before you gag, the case was damaged and the finish extremely rough, it was the late 1960's, and I was very young. It's now in the hands of someone else on this board.

Yeah I didn't think the refinish per se didn't look that bad either... because it looked better than what I think I could do myself : ))