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Hello guys and gals--

The restoration on my Columbia BN Graphophone (purchased from Jerry B. last November) is continuing. It's a pretty machine and very pleasing to look at. Also, the little Analyzing reproducer gives surprisingly capable results.

Right now it's apart--I am refinishing and restoring and re-veneering and likely will be re-nickeling, which brings us to what I should do with the horn.

The horn was originally red with gold pinstripes, but had been spraypainted candy apple flake among other colors. I have stripped it down to find the underlying nickel in rather poor condition so now I am faced with a decision on how to finish the restoration.

I could re-nickel it and then blend a red shellac clearcoat to get the full factory look.

OR--I could nickel it, then do custom-painting of flowers such as the big cabbage roses or something suitable to the period, like the aftermarket horns.

OR--I could nickel it, but then it would be fraudulent as Columbia nickel horns which are authentic command a premium.


Any ideas? I am leaning to the second option with the flower paint but don't want to mess something up. I have already installed modern brakes and crank and am re-veneering the motorboard after a near-catastrophe while attempting to cure a warp (it's straight, now, which is cool). So it's not 100% factory--but IS as close to period as I can make it.

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:Hello guys and gals--

The restoration on my Columbia BN Graphophone (purchased from Jerry B. last November) is continuing. It's a pretty machine and very pleasing to look at. Also, the little Analyzing reproducer gives surprisingly capable results.

Right now it's apart--I am refinishing and restoring and re-veneering and likely will be re-nickeling, which brings us to what I should do with the horn.

The horn was originally red with gold pinstripes, but had been spraypainted candy apple flake among other colors. I have stripped it down to find the underlying nickel in rather poor condition so now I am faced with a decision on how to finish the restoration.

I could re-nickel it and then blend a red shellac clearcoat to get the full factory look.

OR--I could nickel it, then do custom-painting of flowers such as the big cabbage roses or something suitable to the period, like the aftermarket horns.

OR--I could nickel it, but then it would be fraudulent as Columbia nickel horns which are authentic command a premium.


Any ideas? I am leaning to the second option with the flower paint but don't want to mess something up. I have already installed modern brakes and crank and am re-veneering the motorboard after a near-catastrophe while attempting to cure a warp (it's straight, now, which is cool). So it's not 100% factory--but IS as close to period as I can make it.

You can achieve the same effect by having the horn blasted to metal, spraying it with an etching primer, then spraying it with parts store "chrome" spray paint (avoiding runs!), and then doing your red shellac over that.

Possible. It's not a great-condition horn anyway. Rust ate out a section of the threads which I have braced now with wire and will be re-doing with JB Weld epoxy putty.


Any opinions on another option--doing the red shellac repaint and then adding flowers over that?

Neat project. No matter what you do it will be "new" so I would go with what would best fit your living room (or which ever room it will end up in) and your taste.

I think the red shellac clear coat would be spectacular in any setting.

But one thing to keep in mind is that a new paint job will stand out. I repainted a European horn which was little more than rust and find that I am going back to my original plan to stencil in small flowers and humming birds like similar horns found in Europe. The reason I feel I have to do this is the large horn with only two colours is too strong and draws the eye right to its newness.

Best of Luck

Bruce

Charles,

My advice, FWIW, given your description of the horn's current condition, don't put much money into it. Plating, done correctly, will be expensive. If you want to try tinted shellac, you don't need a nickle plate first. Originals were just tin plated, then finished. I believe when the Smiths were doing their excellent refinishing of horns, they just highly polished the steel itself, then applied the tint finish. Keep in mind, that whatever you do, aside from actual plating, if you don't like it, you can strip it off and start over. Wood graining??