The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Two days ago I acquired my first Victrola. For $50, I could not say no to this machine (along with 80 records), and after driving 400 km in total, I yesterday was able to get it out of my car and into my rented garage room, where I work on my machines.
I have a few questions, that I hope you will help me out with.

1. To me, it looks like the machine is made of two different woods, the inside of the doors and the record storage/horn boards, have a red glow (mahogany?). The rest of the cabinet has a different color/luster. I am uploading some before and after photos, since I yesteday cleaned it with a non abrasive hand cleaner, and later on put a layer of microcrystalline wax on the complete cabinet. So the question are, what wood is it made of, and should it have a different/stronger luster than it has now? And would you add a different product on top, or is microcrystalline wax a good solution in itself? I somehow feel it miss a certain luster as it is now, but maybe that is just how it is supposed to be?

2. I have a problem removing the platter. I have opened the motorboard and had a look inside, and it looks good, no rust. I will today remove the hinged motorboard, to start a full service, including opening, cleaning and greasing the main springs. I have collected a series of very well made videos on Youtube, which in detail show how to service this exact Victrola from start to finish, so I feel I have that under control at the time of writing. Is the platter fastened in a particular way, or should I just try using a rubber hammer etc, and give it some blows, while supporting the wooden motorboard, to not break anything?

I already like this gramophone, and have decided to give it a place in my living room, and instead remove a Columbia salon model, that is rather scratchy. Yes, I have reached a level where one need to go out, if I want another gramophone in my sitting room. A 215 square feet room with a total of 8 gramophones (among them 4 horn models), is the level of resistance in this room, to avoid turning the room into a hoarders cave.

Your machine was probably refinished at one time. The mahogany in the horn was it’s original finish. I’d suggest you use a rubber mallet because NORMALLY it should work. Once I had to remove the spindle gear with the platter on it because NOTHING worked for me. I’m still convinced someone soldered or welded the platter to the spindle gear on that one! But that’s probably a rare occurrence you shouldn’t worry about.

I wouldn’t be sure that it was refinished just yet. The outside could have just changed colors over time and reds are easily affected by sunlight. If you show a picture of the inside of the lid with the decal, that would be the place where you would see a refinish most clearly.
Have someone hold the turntable with two hands and give the spindle a wack with a rubber mallet. Make sure there is a pillow or similar below to catch the motor when it comes loose. It looks clean enough that it should not take that much force.

Good luck
Andreas

Nice machine, as for the turntable, cut 4 small, wood wedges, around 3 inches long and ¾ inch thick at the back, push them between turntable and motorboard at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock positions, push in hard enough to put it under pressure but not bend it, and then a sharp whack or two to the spindle top with a brass hammer should remove it. I have never had one that I couldn't remove without damage this way...

In your fifth photo, it looks to me as though the turntable is already mostly freed from the spindle, as there seems to be very little of the spindle standing proud of the t-t surface. Or has the felt lifted around the center of the t-t?

Thank you for all suggestions, and yes..the platter is half way released from the spindle, but then it is full stop. I did not want to use more power as long as the motorboard is not freed from the hinge/cabinet. I worried maybe it was a lock somewhere, that I did not see. I will release the motorboard from the hinge, and follow your suggestions, since I understand there is no "secret" platter lock hidden somewhere under the platter.
And yes, I also wondered if sunlight could have changed the luster of the cabinet, under the lid around the decal area the wood is pretty similar to the horn area, so it does not seem to be refinished at these sections. The cabinet itself has no scratches or cracks, and this is of course a big plus. I was lucky to find a local cabinet maker/ furniture carpenter today ( the only one in my town, and out of pure luck he lives in the house next to my rented gramophone service room !!
He also restores old furnitures, and was gladly having a look at the cabinet. He was having a close look at the wood, and he felt someone in the past had washed the gramophone on the outside with some kind of cleaning agent/solvent that had removed the luster, and made the wood very dry. He suggested that I would first use a fine sandpaper, use it gently on the surface of the cabinet with gentle vertical movements, before adding what he called Liberon Ring Remover, and finish with adding micro crtystalline wax with steelwool. There may probably be other suggestions, but at least this guy is educated in this field, and have worked regularly with restoring antiques in past.