It won’t be long now! Victor 10-50 Changer replacement part sets

[MarkELynch]

Thanks to all that stopped by my table at the Wayne show and who have replied to the ad in the Yankee Trader section for the 10-50 parts.

The response has been overwhelming!

I thought it might take a few years to sell all 25 sets but only a few of the sets remain.

Here are a few photos of preparing the magazine bases, the other parts are not far behind.

Note the special 3-D printed drilling jig in the third photo. It not only protected the powder coat paint while in the vise but it provided perfect and repeatable positioning after a single setup. Similar jigs were designed for other machining operation such as the ⅜” hole in the index handle and the hole for the pin in the side of the lift pad.

This has been a very gratifying project.
If you have a broken 10-50, 10-51, 10-70 or 9-55 I can help you get it running again.
A few details remain but, for all of you waiting, I expect the part sets will be delivered in mid-May.
The full set is recommended but Individual parts are available also.

Mark

[JerryVan]

Very nice work!

[Phono-Phan]

Thanks for all the hard work to make these parts. They look great!!!

[Garret]

Mark,

These look fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

Garret

[VanEpsFan1914]

Amazed there are enough 10-50's left in the world with owners who want to get them operating, for this to have been a doable proposition. Your craftsmanship is great & I hope they all work out well on everyone's machines!

[AZ*]

Mark,

Just curious. Have the sales so far been primarily to folks who are fixing unrestored machines, or to folks who are upgrading from earlier replacement parts like the ones Charlie Weatherbee produced?

Thanks.

[MarkELynch]

Van,

Thanks for your kind words. There are a surprising number of surviving first style changer machines. Across the four models about 20,000 were produced, most of them are the 10-50 model at about 12,000. I think because of their size and impressive sound people kept using them long after they were obsolete. The Orthophonic horn is the largest one for home use with the Credenza and the Borgia/9-40 being the runners-up.

The changer is a marvel to watch! But, because of the bad pot metal parts few of them work properly. That was the inspiration for designing and producing replacement parts. The goal was to make parts that worked properly off the shelf as Victor intended. If you bought replacement brake rotors for your car you would expect them to fit without getting out the grinder and drill. The parts have been extensively tested on all four changer models as well as several bench changers. I hope that goal has been met.

More machines are turning up every month as word of the replacement parts is getting around.

Mark

[MarkELynch]

More progress. Today was HandleDay:

Victor used two similar looking handles. Both have a “Tadpole” shape.
The black one was specifically for the First Style Changer machines 10-50, 10-51, 10-70 and 9-55.
The gold one controlled the antenna gear on the 9-40 and also the Electrola/Victrola valve on the 8-60 and 9-40. The latter two having the dual tone arm with both an electrical pickup and an Orthophonic soundbox.

The two handles are similar except the one for 10-50 has a shorter nub and the end so that it wouldn’t hit the inside of the changer door. The gold ones are under the top lid on the 9-40 and 8-60 with plenty of clearance. The set screws are on opposite sides as well. The set screw was specific to Victor, no modern replacement would work correctly, they are similar to a full dog point set screw but the dog end is tapered. Also, they needed to be slotted so that the screw can be started. The handle must be in position before starting the screw. I tried the existing allen headed set screws but the close clearance next to the front escutcheon made them nigh impossible to start. Ball ended allen wrenches proved to be of no help. So, I needed to make the special slotted set screws one at a time on the lathe, A day’s work provided a very small handful of this critical part. Gosh, the things we do for the hobby!

Another one of the 3-D printed drilling fixtures is pictured. This one is for drilling the ⅜” shaft hole in the handle. The fixture protects the powder coat paint and positions it properly in the vise after a single set-up.

A few photos of the progress.

Mark

[Garret]

Wow. Great work, Mark!

[MarkELynch]

Lift Pad Day!

The twenty-four aluminum lift pads are nearing completion, most have been claimed already. They just need to be topped with the laser cut wool felt. Many collectors will want to reuse their original felt (thanks Carsten) so the new felt will be included but supplied loose. It can be installed by request.

The black baked on powder coat finish looks very much like the original and it is very tough! The powder coat method was chosen because it is difficult for solvent paints to adhere to aluminum without special pre-treatment.

The matching record guide felt (also laser cut) will be included when purchasing the full set of parts or can be had separately.

Mark

The photos will flip right side up if you click them.