Columbia Graphophone Type N in the wild

[Morell1]

Yesterday, my wife sent me blurry photographs of a $55 cylinder phonograph in a local consignment shop. It looked rough, but I could see enough to determine that it was a Type N Graphophone. Of course, I told her to buy it.

Well, I've started cleaning it, and it's actually in much better condition than I imagined. Alas, it doesn't have the original gutta percha reproducer, but it does have what looks like a Number 2 (?) floating reproducer (with the Oct. 16, 1894 patent date) in perfect repair. The crank is missing entirely, but I used a spare slotted crank to wind it carefully, and the motor runs like a trooper--albeit noisily. It has the Bell & Tainter label under the lid.

So my next steps are to finish cleaning it and make it truly operational. Here are my questions:
* How would one best polish the bed plate, and should I do so? The nickel plate looks stable, though with small freckles of corrosion.
* Would paste wax brighten the finish a bit (after I finish cleaning it with Gojo)?
* What's the best lubricant to use on the motor? A combination of grease and a light sewing machine oil, depending on the application? If I have to open the spring barrel, I'd probably outsource that job to someone who knows this machine.
* Where can I find the appropriate belt material? An old belt was present--in many brittle pieces--inside the case.
* What sort of crank would be appropriate? I'm guessing that an original crank for a Type N would be very rare and expensive, so more common cranks would do for now.

Apologies for all the questions!

[edisonplayer]

My friend Arthur Pare had one that he bought in 1956 at an antique store for $3.It had the ear tubes and a case of brown cylinders, some of which were announced "Made For The Columbia Phonograph Company of Washington DC". edisonplayer.

[ChuckA]

Nice Model N even better at $55. It looks like you have a #4 reproducer from a Grand model (AG, HG) machine not a #2.

Cleaning it up is up to you although you'll be getting all kinds of tips on the "best" way to clean it. Any of the short drop off type cranks will work, the original
N crank has a straight winding arm, no curve.

Don't use sewing machine oil. Synthetic or gun oil has been my choice.

Can't see the condition of the leather insert on the governor drive gear, make sure it's in good shape not missing teeth or worn down. If it's bad you can, as a temp fix, slide the gear over to catch the brass edge, a little nosier but but safer than using the bad leather area.

Chuck

[Morell1]

It looks like you have a #4 reproducer from a Grand model (AG, HG) machine not a #2.

...

Can't see the condition of the leather insert on the governor drive gear, make sure it's in good shape not missing teeth or worn down. If it's bad you can, as a temp fix, slide the gear over to catch the brass edge, a little nosier but but safer than using the bad leather area.

Ah! I see now that the reproducer is indeed a #4. That in itself is well worth the $55 purchase price!

Upon running the motor again, I heard a telltale regular "thump thump thump" that prompted me to check the governor drive gear. Sure enough, a small part of the leather insert between two teeth is missing, and those two neighboring teeth are worn.

Happy to apply your short-term fix, but what's a longer-term solution? Is there any possibility of repair?

[TinfoilPhono]

Great find! As Chuck says, the reproducer isn't correct. A gutta percha one will be pricey, but you can use a slightly later aluminum Eagle reproducer, which turn up fairly regularly.

I've been documenting Type N Graphophones for a while now. I have 74 serial numbers in my database at this point (including yours). Of those, 14 are coin-ops and 12 are Thornwards (Type N topworks mated to Type A motor, sold through Montgomery Ward in 1901). More than half of those I have in my file are fitted with aluminum reproducer.

It's a significant machine, the first true mass-market talking machine at a (somewhat) affordable price. At $40 it was expensive in its day (roughly $1300 in 2025 dollars), but a lot cheaper than the previous Type G Graphophone, or anything offered by Edison. The N provoked something of a price war with Edison, forcing him to counter with the $40 Home Phonograph model in 1896, followed by the $25 Edison Standard two years later. Columbia upped the ante in late 1896 with the $25 Type A, and eventually won the battle with the $5 Type Q in 1898.

[JerryVan]

Happy to apply your short-term fix, but what's a longer-term solution? Is there any possibility of repair?

The leather can be removed. A ring of Delrin plastic is then inserted, and new gear teeth are cut.

[Morell1]

Thank you for the background!

A gutta percha reproducer will be pricey, but you can use a slightly later aluminum Eagle reproducer, which turn up fairly regularly.

Is the Eagle reproducer more appropriate to this machine than the No. 4?

I've been documenting Type N Graphophones for a while now. I have 74 serial numbers in my database at this point (including yours).

I'm delighted that I could contribute to the database! I jumped on this one because I know how significant it is to the history of home entertainment. Can I determine date from serial number? I've often read that these date to 1895 or '96, but I've seen other accounts suggesting that they were in production longer than that.

[ChuckA]

Paul Baker has replaced the leather on these, not sure if he is still doing it. As Jerry said, Delron insert is an option also but either is labor intensive. Or look for an original from a junk machine, this gear was used in a few models.

Chuck

[Morell1]

My friend Arthur Pare had one that he bought in 1956 at an antique store for $3.It had the ear tubes and a case of brown cylinders, some of which were announced "Made For The Columbia Phonograph Company of Washington DC". edisonplayer.

$3 in '56 would be about $35 today. Makes my $55 for a machine without cylinders sound like an extravagance!

[Morell1]

Paul Baker has replaced the leather on these, not sure if he is still doing it. As Jerry said, Delron insert is an option also but either is labor intensive. Or look for an original from a junk machine, this gear was used in a few models.

Thank you! I wonder if it would be possible to 3D print the insert. It would of course require very detailed dimensions, but the regularity and repetition of the forms should make it possible.