The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

https://youtu.be/Q5p01PX7a7w?si=zSAcGsRraHDn1aov

How do you polish it to make it look like that? Regular metal polish or something specific? Are there tools for it? Dremel with polishing bits?

The Type AB Graphophones were nickeled and polished at the factory, as were the 1898-99 BXP Graphophones, and numerous later models. A standard Type B (Eagle) Graphophone cannot be made to look like that without disassembly, machining, re-plating, and polishing. An expensive process which would incidentally destroy its historical integrity.

If you want a highly-polished Graphophone, it's better to obtain one which came that way from the factory. There are many options.

George P.

This will make it look shiny, but disassembly will be necessary.

https://www.3mcanada.ca/3M/en_CA/p/d/v000228358/

A damp piece of wool felt works well for application, but it needs to be rubbed off before it dries, it's not a wax, but a very fine polishing compound.

That is my Columbia AB in the video. I agree with everything that George mentioned above. If you have any Columbia Graphophone with original nickel plated parts and those parts have been well cared for over the years anyone can have an opportunity to reveal some of the original shine on those nickel plated parts, if desired, with a little elbow grease and the appropriate metal polish of your choice. Personally, I prefer a product named "FLITZ" which is sold in Ace Hardware stores among others as well as online. For what it's worth, here is another video of mine featuring an early Columbia Nickeled and Polished Type B (Eagle) from my collection:

(Double-click the video above or click this link to go to the video on YouTube.)

Doug

How do I know if mine is nickel plated? Its serial is 80809.

postwick wrote: Sun Jul 14, 2024 10:01 pm How do I know if mine is nickel plated? Its serial is 80809.

I think yours is before they were doing that. I think they were doing this type of stuff starting in 1898 and your machine (the 809th made) is before that.

postwick wrote: Sun Jul 14, 2024 10:01 pm How do I know if mine is nickel plated? Its serial is 80809.

The term "nickel-plated," when used regarding Eagles, is often a misnomer. Because Eagles were made of stamped steel, and unprotected steel will immediately begin to rust in certain environments, all Eagles were nickel plated. This is sometimes called a "dipped nickel" or "flashed nickel" finish whose only purpose was to protect against rust.

The 1898-99 BXP was POLISHED in addition to its nickel plating. This polishing was far more than a bit of Flitz on a rag. The metal itself was polished smoothly before the nickel plating was applied. Likewise, the Type AB, BG, and many other Graphophones whose bed plates shown like mirrors were POLISHED.

Eagle #80809 was nickel plated but not POLISHED.

George P.

Here is my BXP with a late 10" Nickel Horn.

phonogfp wrote: Mon Jul 15, 2024 7:05 am
The term "nickel-plated," when used regarding Eagles, is often a misnomer. Because Eagles were made of stamped steel, and unprotected steel will immediately begin to rust in certain environments, all Eagles were nickel plated. This is sometimes called a "dipped nickel" or "flashed nickel" finish whose only purpose was to protect against rust.

The 1898-99 BXP was POLISHED in addition to its nickel plating. This polishing was far more than a bit of Flitz on a rag. The metal itself was polished smoothly before the nickel plating was applied. Likewise, the Type AB, BG, and many other Graphophones whose bed plates shown like mirrors were POLISHED.

Eagle #80809 was nickel plated but not POLISHED.

George P.

Good information. For what it's worth, the reference I made above to my preference of using a product named Flitz for polishing nickel plated parts was not in any way suggesting that the Columbia factory was using a similar method on their Nickeled and (Highly) Polished Eagles. The more commonly found "brushed steel" Columbia Eagles clearly do not have the smooth surfaces found on the Nickeled and Polished Eagles. All of my other Eagles have a noticeable surface texture versus the Nickeled and (Highly) Polished version. Perhaps then, since there is no mention of any additional nickel plating applied to the Nickeled and Polished Eagle (or "BXP" which to my knowledge was never stamped on the ID plate of these models) then using the term "Nickeled" in references to the Nickeled and (Highly) Polished Eagles itself is a misnomer since all Columbia Eagles were nickel plated and the Polishing was the real difference.

Doug,

I agree fully, but after years of asking why some collectors persist in calling the Type AB Graphophone a "Macdonald," my sense is that trying to change the terminology to "polished" rather than "nickeled" would be useless!

Maybe you and I will be the only ones...

George P.