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Hi all! Someone is offering me a 1919 Victor VV-X for $50. It needs some veneer work and it needs the reproducer to be rebuilt, the motor likely needs servicing as well. However all the bones are there. I am a complete amateur and I have no experience with wood work or anything like that, do yall think I could tackle this myself? (I would send out the motor and reproducer of course)

I think you can definitely tackle it! I'm no wood worker, but you should be able to easily glue the loose veneer back in place.

It doesn't look like very much more needs work to get it to a point you can use it.

Best,
Fran

At $50.00 and being common, it might be a good machine to practice on. I would rather cut my teeth on that machine than on something a bit more special. The VV-X is a nice machine and doesn't take up a lot of room. Worst case, you have had some practice and are left with some good parts to use elsewhere, sell or trade. Best case, you hone your skills and have the sense of accomplishment that comes from brings it back to life. It also has the record storage books which is a plus and worth more than the $50.00.

I would say go for it.

I am tackling a very similar HMV 162 and your one looks to be an idea candidate to practice on.

You might be able to do the motor and reproducer too. I have my motor in bits and it is my first experience of servicing the springs

Good luck

Ditto what others have said. That duct tape (ugh!--nasty stuff) residue might be a little tricky to remove. Try alcohol and/or mineral spirits (paint thinner) in an inconspicuous place first. It's a good idea to secure the taper tube in transit, but I suggest blue tape ("painter's tape"), as it's just as strong for the purpose and doesn't leave junk behind. Good luck!

Oops! or Goof- Off will remove that tape residue safely.

gramophone-georg wrote:Oops! or Goof- Off will remove that tape residue safely.

or, my favorite... WD-40...

Also, you can do the reproducer yourself and get some experience for next time. There are plenty of videos and posts on this Forum with instructions...
Since you have a #2 Victrola reproducer, start with this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFRsmGBbuXI

These are informative to watch also, but mostly deal with Exhibition reproducers, which are on earlier machines:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfVUtezN8yI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUjW0inW6nE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuivfuM5wLo
Parts and more info:
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=195

If the motor winds up and the turntable rotates, there is probably no reason to mess with it. Just lubricate the moving parts and since you are new to this, don't mess with disassembling it or removing the springs from the spring barrels, UNLESS you are mechanically inclined and used to working with mechanical things. Even then, you should consult a video or two to see how it's done, since it is dangerous...

This would be an excellent machine to use as a learning experience. You will be surprised how good this will look with just basic Goop/Howard's/Feed-n-wax treatment.

And do the reproducer and motor yourself, except maybe the springs. Also good practice.

And BTW, those record boxes/drawers are third party and hard to find. If you have the complete set, they're worth more than $50 by themselves.

I would not use alcohol on the duct tape residue. It will dissolve the shellac finish before it even bothers the glue stuff. Mineral spirits or goof-off will be a safer choice.

Andreas

I'll add using lighter fluid to the list. It's essentially the same compound as Goof Off, but a lot less expensive.

I've used both, and they're very effective at removing adhesives.

Cheers,
Fran