The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I've posted on other forums about this make and model but maybe someone here has one or has seen one before.

I have a Bell Phonograph made by the Durable Phonograph Co. Inc. It runs but not at 100% and has a very unique style of crank and integrated horn. If anyone has worked on these or has any info or possible sources of info please let me know.

This is my first machine and I found it in an antique shop in downtown Salem, MA.

Welcome to the Forum!

What a unique machine you have there. We have seen the YouTube video (yours?) and it looks quite serviceable.
Our recommendation would be to make sure it is properly lubricated, fully wound, use a new needle and only older shellac records.
The Durable Phonograph Co. was incorporated in April, 1916, for $1,000 in New York by J.O. Murphy, Russell Goldman and A.G Thaanum. Not much to go on, sorry.

Wishing you all the best with your 'new' phonograph!

Yes, I posted that video to show others the working condition of it. I'm reading through The Compleat Talking Machine now and he recommends keeping the gears clean and dry as lubrication attracts dirt which can wear down the gears faster. What's the general consensus on this? Does it matter whether the motor is fully enclosed? Mine has a big opening on the top where dust can fall in.

Thanks for the info, every little bit helps, do you have a source for that information?

Very cool, thank you for sharing!

The information for the Durable Phonograph Co. is from the Talking Machine World, April 1916, page 66. There are similar news bits in the Music Trade Review issues from the same month and year.
Our 'go to' source is the Talking Machine World. There is so much information about the talking machine trade from 1905 until 1928 in these publications.
We purchased a CD-ROM set of discs for the computer. All the pages from all the issues. You can search for just about anything phonograph or music related.
Thanks for the tip on the non-enclosed motor vs. household dust. We can all learn something!

Is this the site where you put those issues? I found the one you were talking about from Apr 1916. Thanks for the info.

https://worldradiohistory.com/Talking_Machine_World.htm

It is a quite unique machine! the horizontal soundbox design is also found on the English Cliftophone, but the Bell seems older than the Cliftophone given the incorporation date shown above.

Dry gears sound a bit dangerous for me.. Some grease must be put between the teeth, and of course all axes bearings must be oiled.

I ended up putting sewing machine oil on the gears and grease on the governor plate. Everyone seems to have conflicting methods for lubricating. I figured I can always upgrade the oil to grease but I'd have to take apart and clean the grease off if I wanted to switch to oil.