The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The early Victor Orthophonics with radios installed had what Victor called a "radio valve." This basically shunted the path to the horn back and forth between the phonograph and the radio's speaker driver. Unfortuntely this gizzmo includes 2 pot metal gears that almost always have failed at this point in time.

Does anybody know of anybody making replacement gears for these "valves"?

Clay

FloridaClay wrote:The early Victor Orthophonics with radios installed had what Victor called a "radio valve." This basically shunted the path to the horn back and forth between the phonograph and the radio's speaker driver. Unfortuntely this gizzmo includes 2 pot metal gears that almost always have failed at this point in time.

Does anybody know of anybody making replacement gears for these "valves"?

I guess this is a continuation of this thread?

It is related. I figured it had been so long since that one was up I would just start fresh and that perhaps some of our newer participants since then might have an answer.

clay

I would think you will have far better luck on the "antique radio forum".

It will take a good deal of searching, but you should be able to find the bevel gears that you need in the McMaster-Carr catalog. Here is a link to the gear section:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#bevel-gears/=hl6o7i

I've used both the cheap nylon and the brass gears in this application.

You are lucky to have an early machine which uses these little bevel gears, rather than the later machine with that big (4" dia) pot-metal gear, an expensive proposition to replace.


"I would think you will have far better luck on the "antique radio forum"."

Well, perhaps not. Most radio collectors care even less for talking machines than phonograph collectors care for All American Fives.

gramophone78 wrote:I would think you will have far better luck on the "antique radio forum".

Possibly, but this "valve" is, I believe, Victor engineered--part of a system they designed to make radios bought from other companies (mainly RCA) work in Victor Orthophonics. A radio collector who was not also into early Victor Orthophonics would have no idea what I was talking about.

Clay

Thanks for the comments Vanya. So far I have struck out with finding regular aftermarket gears of the right size and configuration, but will keep trying. I may just need to go to a machine shop and get some made.

Clay

FloridaClay wrote:

gramophone78 wrote:I would think you will have far better luck on the "antique radio forum".

Possibly, but this "valve" is, I believe, Victor engineered--part of a system they designed to make radios bought from other companies (mainly RCA) work in Victor Orthophonics. A radio collector who was not also into early Victor Orthophonics would have no idea what I was talking about.

Clay

That's true. However, you never know and worth a try.

Uncle Vanya, great source! Those of us with 10-50's will welcome the beveled gears to use on the changers.

FloridaClay wrote:Thanks for the comments Vanya. So far I have struck out with finding regular aftermarket gears of the right size and configuration, but will keep trying. I may just need to go to a machine shop and get some made.

Clay

I found the necessary gears for my early Borgia I (serial No. 1111) in the Mc Master catalog back in 1992, and would think that they might still have something which would work. The early Borgias used the same valve as the Florenza and the 9-15.