The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello all,

I'm going to attempt to remove my ripped Credenza grill cloth slats, however if they snap, disintegrate, are too small for the new grill cloth, etc, what is a good source for them? Does anyone have any for sale?

Thank you everyone in advance!

Just carefully unscrew the doors and hinges. Then take out the screws holding the grill in place. Remove the motorboard and grab the grill and it should slide up and out of the machine.

Got that part. I'm talking about the inlays that hold the screen on.

SittingRabbit wrote:Got that part. I'm talking about the inlays that hold the screen on.

Just a thought,

Of course it wouldn't be as durable as the original inlays, but how about using the rubber spline material that is used in window screen repair ? There is a special tool that is used to push it down into the groove. And there could be more than one size available.

I hope you can get your original ones out in one piece. Use care !!

Bob Hodge

We'll see! Part of me says live with the tear I put in the grill cloth, the other part of me says that it's filthy, has a hole in it, and back then, they would have replaced it with a new orthophonic grill cloth. It's brittle, had its day, and to properly displayed, played, etc, it needs to look new. A credenza back then would have been proudly displayed and played, not left dirty and ripped.

I found balsa wood ⅛ x ⅛ x 36 strips, so they should work if they do disintegrate. Still, dark mahogany strips would be nicer, but then again, who's ever going to see them.

SittingRabbit wrote: I found balsa wood ⅛ x ⅛ x 36 strips, so they should work if they do disintegrate. Still, dark mahogany strips would be nicer, but then again, who's ever going to see them.

You could always wipe them down with stain or Howard Restor-a-Finish before installing them.

52089 wrote:

SittingRabbit wrote: I found balsa wood ⅛ x ⅛ x 36 strips, so they should work if they do disintegrate. Still, dark mahogany strips would be nicer, but then again, who's ever going to see them.

You could always wipe them down with stain or Howard Restor-a-Finish before installing them.

That would be taking a chance on the stain leaching out into the new cloth. Could let it dry a good long while I guess.

SittingRabbit wrote:... to properly displayed, played, etc, it needs to look new.

It's a personal preference to be sure. However, many of us feel that it's okay for antiques to look antique. There's also the view that "honest wear" is not to be frowned upon. It's part of the history of the piece. I could probably agree however that a rip is maybe a little more than honest wear. I guess the word is "patina". Personally, I try to avoid antique phonographs that look like brand new due to restoration. Pristine original condition is whole different thing of course. Again, personal preference.

I have replaced damaged (i.e., torn or stained) grille cloth on a number of Orthophonics including several Credenzas, VV-8-9 and some smaller ones. The original wood strips typically break when I try to remove them because they are old and brittle, no matter how gentle I am when I remove them. I believe the original strips were probably stained. If you look at the broken strips, you will see that they are dark on the outside, but lighter on the inside.

I simply used the ⅛ by ⅛ inch wood strips (bass wood, not balsa) available at hobby shops. It worked fine for me. I don't bother to re-stain them. Who will see them? Who would risk pulling out the grille to check the originality of the strips given that it is a replacement grille cloth anyway? This Credenza grille cloth was replaced using cloth purchased at grillecloth.com before they closed up shop, along with ⅛ inch strips purchased at a Michael's craft store.

Balsa wood is far too soft, It would break as soon as you tried to push it into the grooves.

Barry