The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The finish on the outside of my favorite looks nothing like the finish on the inside of the cabinet....

Is there a way to make it look more like the inside of the cabinet? is it even worth touching?

Personally, I’d clean and wax the outside and be done. Beautiful machine by the way.

Matt

You might try Howard Restor-a-finish, but frankly, I don't think it's necessary on that beauty. Like Matt said, clean it and wax it and be happy.

BTW, you have a pretty early version of that machine. Columbia was sued after this came out because Victor had a patent on putting doors over the horn. That's why most Columbia disk machines have louvers instead of doors.

There are many good threads regarding your question. I'd suggest using the search feature of our Forum. If you searched for "GoJo" or "Kotton Klenser" I think you will zero in on good suggestions.

Jerry B.

These are really neat little machines. I’m glad I found mine. Love them.

It really is a wonderful machine. I rebuilt the reproducer and it sounds amazing, its very loud and clear. I do know its an early machine, which is pretty cool!

I did some gojo on it awhile back.... what kind of wax do collectors use?

Also, I know everyone will hate this as much as I do. When I bought the machine, someone in the past had replaced the knobs, and they did a HORRIBLE job. Ill attach a picture... Is there a good way to fix this? They took screws that were too long and stuck them through the door and then screwed on the knobs.

the felt also could use a replacing... whats the original color? is it a light green?

dzavracky wrote:It really is a wonderful machine. I rebuilt the reproducer and it sounds amazing, its very loud and clear. I do know its an early machine, which is pretty cool!

I did some gojo on it awhile back.... what kind of wax do collectors use?

Also, I know everyone will hate this as much as I do. When I bought the machine, someone in the past had replaced the knobs, and they did a HORRIBLE job. Ill attach a picture... Is there a good way to fix this? They took screws that were too long and stuck them through the door and then screwed on the knobs.

the felt also could use a replacing... whats the original color? is it a light green?

From what I can see, the felt looks fine - just a little faded. You should be able to clean it with a damp cloth and some gentle brushing, and reglue the loose spots on the edge. Original felt is like original finish: best to keep it.

- Bill

Here are a a couple of pics that might help. I believe the felt and the knobs to be original. The felt is in excellent shape with just a few nicks. If it’s not original, it was replaced long ago. It was described as original when I bought it.

Matt

I checked my early Columbia Regent (1909) and it is a light to medium green felt. Later Columbias have velvet instead of felt on the turntables, such as that on my Viva Tonal 800 from 1926. No one sells the velvet replacements to my knowledge.

"They took screws that were too long and stuck them through the door and then screwed on the knobs."

You're right someone did a horrible job, but it can be fixed by replacing the existing screws with slotted machine screws, inserted from the inside of the doors. You just need the correct length to make it right or cut down a longer screw to fit...