The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello all,

As a few of you know I'm very new to this forum and gramophones etc and I wanted to get a few pointers on restoring gramophones.

First I'll start off by saying how this interest started and that was when I came across what I believe to be a HMV model 58 or 1A in an antiques emporium. I bought it just because I really enjoy audio set ups and other audio equipment as well as my interest and love of 1920s, 30s, 40s dance music. I have restored this and polished the nickel, cabinet that came with it and of course the gramophone itself.

I only intended to have one gramophone but I recently bought a Columbia 112a for a very cheap price of £20 along with a HMV 101 for £30. (The seller was just happy to see a younger person interested in these machines). Since then I have been all the more interested in gramophones and vintage audio equipment.

Last week I bought a HMV model 160 cabinet as a project or for restoration when I can find parts at a reasonable price or through other means. Last week also, I bought a HMV 161 I believe and that is complete and seems to be running well!

I will be setting aside the cabinet ones for now and focusing on the portable ones for restoration. Both are pretty much fine and in working condition but the 112a's pot metal horn at the suspended end where the bolt or what not holds the internal horn up is broken. I know this is a typical problem with this model and other pot metal items of considerable age (I learnt this the hard way with the HMV 5a back plate). So I was wondering how to fix this breakage in the horn. The breakage is very minimal as it is only a 2 inch long shard where the bolt attaches to the internal horn to keep it up.

Some other pointers I would appreciate are:
- What grease to use on a HMV motor and a Garrard motor and other lubricants for the different parts.

- How to clean and polish the leatherette on the portable gramophone cases.

- Is it a good idea to service the 101s motor? I ask because the grease they used has graphite in it and this dries up over time and becomes hard I think I heard. It runs fine but I believe this dried graphite may be grinding inside the winding handle shaft hole and is stripping the handle thread off and I don't want to replace the handle again.

- Any other pointers and tips you guys would deem useful.

Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you

First of all, the broken part is hard to visualize without a good quality close up photo. As I understand your description, the end of the horn is broken at its base where it enters the mounting plate on the cabinet. It is quite a common problem, which is easiest solved with a replacement horn. However, it may be able to be repaired by inserting a piece of curved metal to cover the broken area and epoxied in place, then drilled like the original part. Since the horn is pot metal, it cannot be soldered in place - heat melts pot metal. This is just a guess without actually seeing what you are dealing with.

Don't use super glue or household glue. You need two part epoxy - liquid or putty for strength.

The problem you mention affects both the Columbia 112a and it's successor the 202. The lugs on which the far end of the long pot metal horn pivot in the far end of the sheet metal horn are prone to breakage. Repair is possible but tricky.
I repaired a rare Brown Crocodile 112a by very carefully drilling through the lugs and the sheet metal horn, then passing a threaded rod through the entire assembly and securing it with nuts at both ends. The repair was so difficult that I swore I would never do another, but then along came an even rarer Green Crocodile 112a with the same problem.

To address your other question, if possible remove all the external metal fittings before cleaning a portable case. I use a car upholstery cleaner, applied neat with a damp sponge, then wiped off quickly with a damp cloth before it has time to soften the glue. If the case is very dirty, several damp cloths may be needed before finally drying the case with an old towel. The interior, being protected, should not need more than a light wipe with a barely damp cloth, but take care to avoid the lid transfer.

If you haven't done so yet, buy a copy of The Compleat Talking Machine. It's an excellent guide to basic repair and maintenance of gramophones and phonographs of all types.

Thank you for all the helpful pointers, I will attach a couple of photos of the break.