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Not sure if this is varnish or paint. Any ideas? Otherwise its in pretty
good shape. Looks like a pot-metal reproducer but can't tell for sure from
the back.

It might be one of those 1970's antiqueing kits.

Looks to me like simulated wood grain. All 8-12s came in walnut veneer, according to LFTD (but cf. http://www.victor-victrola.com/8-12.htm, which says mahogany too. LFTD is correct.) I've seen simulated wood graining on cabinetry, doors, and now phonographs. It's a high art, difficult to do really well. I've even seen it on metal cabinetry: Lehigh Valley RR business car 353, now at Steamtown (Scranton, PA).

It could also be a botched "re-amalgamation" job. Look at the doors!

It's been antiqued, for sure. All 8-12s came with pot metal reproducers, so no brass there.

Sean

Yeah, the 8-12 I passed on several years ago had a pot metal sound box that evidently had swollen and virtually fused itself onto the gooseneck. There were problems with the cabinet (no doubt the horn needed sealing, indeed the entire sound path probably needing sealing as well), and I wasn't in a position to undertake a project at that time, not to mention that I didn't have any room for another phonograph. It certainly didn't sound too good in its then-condition, even though I could have had it for $75. (he ducks in shame as bricks are thrown in his direction....)

Thats kinda of a pasty looking finish but the VV 8-12 is a great looking unit. The 8-12 that I finished a few months ago had the walnut veneer ( I thought it was mahogany but I'm getting better at identifying wood types ) with the pot metal reproducer which was still in good shape and plays well. The unit was coated with polyurethane and the finish was pretty much ruined a lot like this one. I ended up stripping it all down and refinishing it. It originally cost 75 and a lot of work to get it back to a nice condition but still is a beautiful machine and well worth it ( sorry Henry for the brick)

No prob, Micro. I ducked in time. Do you have pix of your 8-12? I'm sure it looks great; recall the nice job you did recently on the VV-80.

Henry,
here are a few of the unit

Henry wrote:Looks to me like simulated wood grain. All 8-12s came in walnut veneer, according to LFTD (but cf. http://www.victor-victrola.com/8-12.htm, which says mahogany too. LFTD is correct.)

No, Henry

Look For The Dog (the book which for two editions maIntained that there was only one version of the Consolette cabinet offered) is not correct in this case. I've owned eleven 8-12 machines over the years, four of which were veneered in mahogany. All of these mahogany machines had a pronounced stripe, and sported the very dark, glossy finish common to the cheaper machines made for the 1928 season (square-legged Consolette, 4-20, and mahogany 4-40). All of my mahogany machines were quite late, by the way. The walnut machines that I've owned were most commonly finished in a dull, dark Antique Italian Walnut finish, much like the leather door 8-30 machines, although I have owned one with an original glossy light French Walnut finish, which was really exceptionally attractive.

antique1973 wrote:Not sure if this is varnish or paint. Any ideas? Otherwise its in pretty
good shape. Looks like a pot-metal reproducer but can't tell for sure from
the back.

Of course it is a pot-metal reproducer!

The 8-12 was not introduced until a year after the replacement of brass with pot-metal in the Orthophonic reproducer, besides which this is a rather late machine. Note the three-hole crank escutcheon, a 1928 feature, as I recall. The machine probably has the improved motor with the lumps on the spring barrels (largely eliminates spring grunting). The first few thousand 8-12's had gilt furniture. 1928 models went to gun-metal trim, concurrent with the closing down of the gold plating baths at the Camden palnt (the 8-9 was fitted with a gold painted tone arm and reproducer).