Early VV-X needing life support
Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:45 pm
Forum member Emerson commented in the eBay marketplace, etc., section of the TMF the following: Oh Yes You Can---bring it back to completion. The Forum members prove that all the time, offering help with their knowledge and parts availability. AND, You can do it. So, lets hear what is all there when you pick it up---Looking forward to your next post.
Obviously, I am moving this topic to "Machines," as it no longer belongs to the other category. Well, I picked up the old beast a couple of days ago and will say the pictures on FB Marketplace were accurate: This thing has been through a lot in its lifetime. When I got it home, I was remembering a line from the lyrics of "Don't Look At Me That Way," sung by Irene Bourdoni: "My will is strong, but my won't is weak." That would be the case with this machine. I couldn't pass it up. It would be rather like finding, say, a VV-XVIII in the wild, but missing the doors and the feet. Where are you going to find another, unless you find a donor cabinet or are, like our friend with the recently resuscitated Circassian L-door, a master woodworker? My thinking is that would be exceedingly difficult because (cannot be seen in the pic because the machine is filthy and my iPhone very old) I do believe it is fumed or English Oak (I often have difficulty discerning as I've never owned a machine with such a finish).
The good: Crank, reproducer (not in pic), tonearm, turntable, spent needle cup, and a decent nickel bullet brake are all present. The "wall of Troy" fretwork is largely present and reasonably intact.
The missing (notice I didn't say "bad"): Motor board screws, motor board lift knob, horn slats, doors and hinges, base.
I guess someone at some point cared enough about the machine to want to listen to it. As you can see, the horn opening now sports a fine mesh screen covering. Also, someone tried to fabricate an isolator for the reproducer and partially succeeded, except the material was very hard plastic (almost like lucite). The reproducer is also missing the balance springs, but -- I almost forgot -- is the round hole variety. I haven't taken the time to get the exact serial number, and it is very difficult to see, but does start with a 2 followed by three digits, and this machine had a production run of serial numbers 501 to 3000 during the first production year (1910). The first production run machines were the only ones to be offered with the bullet brake. Production of this particular iteration of the VV-X ceased in 1911.
Emerson, my friend, I have no doubt that with the proper tools and facilities I could bring the machine back to life in its entirety. A decent woodworker could probably fabricate a base for it, but the doors are another matter. With all that, I am on the fence about whether to attempt giving this old derelict a new lease on life or simply parting it out. I live very simply in an off-grid environment, a tiny house, and no workshop to speak of. Any work that I've been able to do on my small stable of machines gets done on the coffee table in my living room or, weather permitting, outside on a makeshift work table.
So, what sayest the collective wisdom of the Forum? Maybe someone has a set of doors and hinges, or even possibly a donor cabinet, but I won't hold my breath. In any case, I'm glad I "rescued" the thing, even if it becomes a donor for other machines.
Obviously, I am moving this topic to "Machines," as it no longer belongs to the other category. Well, I picked up the old beast a couple of days ago and will say the pictures on FB Marketplace were accurate: This thing has been through a lot in its lifetime. When I got it home, I was remembering a line from the lyrics of "Don't Look At Me That Way," sung by Irene Bourdoni: "My will is strong, but my won't is weak." That would be the case with this machine. I couldn't pass it up. It would be rather like finding, say, a VV-XVIII in the wild, but missing the doors and the feet. Where are you going to find another, unless you find a donor cabinet or are, like our friend with the recently resuscitated Circassian L-door, a master woodworker? My thinking is that would be exceedingly difficult because (cannot be seen in the pic because the machine is filthy and my iPhone very old) I do believe it is fumed or English Oak (I often have difficulty discerning as I've never owned a machine with such a finish).
The good: Crank, reproducer (not in pic), tonearm, turntable, spent needle cup, and a decent nickel bullet brake are all present. The "wall of Troy" fretwork is largely present and reasonably intact.
The missing (notice I didn't say "bad"): Motor board screws, motor board lift knob, horn slats, doors and hinges, base.
I guess someone at some point cared enough about the machine to want to listen to it. As you can see, the horn opening now sports a fine mesh screen covering. Also, someone tried to fabricate an isolator for the reproducer and partially succeeded, except the material was very hard plastic (almost like lucite). The reproducer is also missing the balance springs, but -- I almost forgot -- is the round hole variety. I haven't taken the time to get the exact serial number, and it is very difficult to see, but does start with a 2 followed by three digits, and this machine had a production run of serial numbers 501 to 3000 during the first production year (1910). The first production run machines were the only ones to be offered with the bullet brake. Production of this particular iteration of the VV-X ceased in 1911.
Emerson, my friend, I have no doubt that with the proper tools and facilities I could bring the machine back to life in its entirety. A decent woodworker could probably fabricate a base for it, but the doors are another matter. With all that, I am on the fence about whether to attempt giving this old derelict a new lease on life or simply parting it out. I live very simply in an off-grid environment, a tiny house, and no workshop to speak of. Any work that I've been able to do on my small stable of machines gets done on the coffee table in my living room or, weather permitting, outside on a makeshift work table.
So, what sayest the collective wisdom of the Forum? Maybe someone has a set of doors and hinges, or even possibly a donor cabinet, but I won't hold my breath. In any case, I'm glad I "rescued" the thing, even if it becomes a donor for other machines.
