The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi folks,

I just picked up a VV-120 for dirt cheap, works well, but needs a few things. First I have a finish question.....what is it that makes the finish get rough, alligator like on so many of these machines? The inside finish is beautiful & smooth, but the exterior is very rough....is it worth refinishing, must be a big job. What could I expect to pay to have it done somewhere?
nyway, the speed control on this doesn't work, the adjustor screw just unscrews, but isn't moving the speed indicator. Is that something I can fix? And it's missing the gold crank escutcheon, and a door knob/screw. Other than ebay, is there a good scource of parts for Victrolas?

It plays great, I got over a hundred records with it....I didn't realize these were so large, it's considerably larger than my VV-XI!!

Hi Gary.

My vote would be to clean it up as-is and to not refinish. A careful clean-up with Kotton Klenser can yield very good results. I've got a VV-210 that had a moderately rough finish. I carefully used 800 grit wet/dry autobody sandpaper lubed with mineral oil to flatten it out a tiny bit. I polished it a very little bit and then I touched-up any of the bigger dings to match color. (I used a bit of black crayon to help hide a scratch on the lid.) After that I waxed it with Howard's feed-n-wax.

While not in showroom condition, the piece presents very well and retains the original color. A truly proper refinish would likely cost more than the machine is worth. If it really, really must be refinished, I'd recommend doing it yourself (and only if it's really toast anyway). It's a big job to do it right, but at least you'll know to what degree you're willing to go for it. In any case, you got a real peach of a model. For my money, the VV-120 (and the VV-XVI) is best-sounding Victrola short of an Orthophonic. Have fun with it!

Martin